Friday, July 17, 2009

summer, finally. what to wear?


as a native southern californian, i'm used to dressing for high temperatures. however, humidity is another matter. even after a month in Vietnam, another month in Houston (in july), and 6 years in Cambridge, i still haven't found my foolproof summer outfit. right now i've been wearing two layers on top, but maybe it's time to invest in a few nursing camisoles that aren't too awkward looking. i have an old Clu skirt with an elastic waist that's comfortable, but i wish i had a short, flippy linen skirt with a similar waist. i hate constricting clothing when it's hot and sticky, but my wardrobe is falling short of my needs.

what are your standbys for humid summer days? wouldn't it be nice to be Leon right now?

16 comments:

Unknown said...

oh what a gorgeous baby!!!
i think leon sunshine...would be perfect in some bamboo or linen...

Unknown said...

ps sorry i was so focused on leon...
since humidity is a problem here as well..i wear linen and cheese-cloth as much as possible...and a simple dresses...

evencleveland said...

Ugh, humidity. There is no way to win except to stay inside the air conditioning and eat frozen peaches.

miss sophie said...

aww what a wonderful photo!

my summer standbys: silk, silk and more silk. and some linen thrown in. i have a lovely elastic waist silk habotai skirt that i wear with a simple tank/tee. it's the closest thing to portable A/C when i'm walking around in the hot and sticky outdoors.

leanne said...

Loose skirts and dresses are key. I'm in Oak Ridge, TN coaching a regatta right now and let me tell you - it is miserable! My saving grace is an old Nike outdoor gear short skirt that I found. It is some sort of tech fabric that stays light and cool. Other than that, I live in the air conditioning. Let us know if you find anything exciting!

romaine said...

Sarah recently put up directions on her website, thesmallobject.com for making neckties that you put in the freezer and then wear it to feel cooler. she says they help and she lives in a humid place too.

romaine said...

Sarah calls them neck chills or coolers. she posted the directions on july 6th if you're interested.

redfox said...

I have to confess that my favorite flippy linen skirt with wide comfortable waistband (perhaps not short enough for what you're imagining, but above the knee) is from Eileen Fisher. I get a lot of compliments on it, too.

Running cold water over the insides of my wrists is my favorite trick for quick cooling.

Laura @ EdenRose said...

I am so glad to have found your blog, it's amazing i wanted to give you an award that was given to me this week. Hope the weather gets easier for you, here in the UK we have rain rain rain, monsoon type wind and you would never know it is sopposed to be summer. (wanna swap?)
http://edenroselifestyle.blogspot.com/2009/07/iv-been-awarded.html

nikole said...

ah, leon is so lucky. :)

tiffany... said...

oh erica...
it was so nice and cool for so long and then... bam! we got hit with hear and that awful new england humidity!
i've been wearing a sundress i made on the fly and a light weight jersey skirt and tee...

leon's got it made... doesn't have to worry about covering up. and he's so cute... really, he could get away with anything!

take care lady!
and stay cool!

Jennifer said...

Erica,
I've been wearing the dresses I've sewn from Nani Iro & Echino Double gauze fabric using Anna Maria Horner patterns (they are so easy to make- you really should try them) , my A.P.C./ MADRAS plaid sundress...went to the beach today- that helped!

This is such a cute photo of your baby!

fleur_delicious said...

I have an unlined linen skirt that I bought at Ann Taylor LOFT years ago, the first summer I worked there, I think. No elastic waist, so it doesn't hug the body too tightly, and it's light and flippy and perfect.

another great cure for the heat is a shot of St. Germain with a shot of Prosecco Raboso in a regular water glass; fill with (chilled) sparkling mineral water and ah! so good!

emily said...

i moved to the nw... that was one solution. But I've recently discovered the amazing power of sundresses - I'm hoping to find a good pattern so I can make lots of them on the cheap(ish). There's that, and washing my hands in cold water instead of warm. And a good tank top is a boon - one thing that feels very uncomfortable in humidity is shirts with sleeves. But a good summer wardrobe is always always a problem for me, too.

erica said...

that double gauze kokka fabric is so tempting. i need to borrow someone's sewing machine or beg them to make a skirt for me.

a light flippy linen skirt sounds like the solution to my problems. that an a few more camisoles that work with my nursing bra.

Jeanette said...

Leon is such a cute and cheerful looking baby!