With summer speeding by at a seemingly rapid pace, and the seasonal sun shining as bright as ever, keeping cool and looking stylish under the pressure can become a tricky affair…until now.
Look on the racks at most of your upscale, downtown or urban retail fashion chains and you will see florals, stripes, loud colors, muted hues; all designed to entice you into a sale that may look cool and refreshing, but wind up being uncomfortably hot and frustratingly hard to care for.
After the fuchsia petals and turquoise tribal prints have lured you to touch, pull out the content label and find out what you are really working with. If it is not a cotton, linen, rayon, bamboo or mesh, you might want to search a little harder.
It’s not to say that some denims or silks are not apropos for the summer heat, it is just that the ones mentioned above offer little more of a guarantee from sweat stained tops and sticky bottoms that make you want to strip down right where you are standing. When you are out and about in the summer, why not look fashionable while feeling cool and carefree.
1. Cotton: From cotton seersucker to cotton gauze to just plain old cotton, the fibers of this plant are probably the most popular for not only the warm summer months, but year round. A lightweight cotton with absorbent fibers whisks away moisture from the body while at the same time offering a breathable protective barrier between the sun and your body. Available in several different weaves, natural cotton material is also durable and easy to care for.
2. Linen: Another natural plant fiber, linen can be heavyweight or light, loose weave or tight, worn in summer or winter in style. For the summer months try a lightweight linen for a fashionable look and feel that never seems to loose its popularity. Though sometimes temperamental when it comes to wrinkles, a blended material of 55% linen / 45% cotton offers more wearing ease and can be laundered as well, saving time and money from expensive dry cleaning.
3. Polyester: Wrinkle resistant, cool, easy to dry and available in an assortment of prints and weaves, polyester has revamped itself over the years and is now more popular than ever for summer wear as well as year round. From polyester seersucker to 100% polyester, you can easily find just the right look and feel for those hot humid days and cool summer nights with this transitional fabric.
4. Bamboo: Like kona cotton, hemp, and seacell fabrics, bamboo is a natural fiber. Breathable and cool due to it porous fibers, bamboo fabrics absorb nearly three times more moisture than cotton leaving you cool and carefree even as your body temperature rises. Resistant to odor retention, this naturally anti-bacterial fabric is also ideal for long days in the hot summer sun. When you are looking for a fabric that is attractive and practical, look no further than bamboo.
5. Mesh: Usually made from polyester or nylon, mesh fabric looks like netting but with more durability. Most popularly used for sport jerseys, active wear, and swimwear cover ups, mesh is about as open aired as you can get when it comes to material. While it wont fully protect your body from the rays of the sun, it will offer somewhat of a breathable barrier, especially while at the shore. Mesh is easy to care for and will last for some time.
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