What to wear during Atlantic Canada’s unpredictable summer
“When you become a mom, they feel they have to dress a certain way, meaning more mature, and that shouldn’t be the case.”
Stella Nikolaou
Sometimes dressing for summer isn’t as easy as it may seem.
Stella Nikolaou is a personal stylist residing in Halifax who caters to many working moms who struggle with, or don’t have time to, plan what to wear during the summer.
“Sometimes, women feel stuck that they can’t wear certain things,” Nikolaou said in a phone interview. “Sometimes, they feel their age is in between ‘do I look like a mom?’ and ‘do I look like a teenager?’
“So, a lot of moms wear leggings with long tunics over them. Biker shorts are quite big right now and moms will wear a long T-shirt over those.”
Nikolaou is the founder of Styliani, a company offering style consultations, closet enhancements and personal style shopping, along with styling and fitting sessions.
Nikolaou has been styling and providing wardrobe advice to women her entire life and believes summer is always a good season when it comes to deciding what to wear because you don’t have to go crazy, style-wise. The moms she interacts with tell her being comfortable is their top priority during the hot months of the year.
“The easiest thing for moms to wear are dresses because you can dress them up and dress them down,” she said. “They are easy and, when moms put them on, they feel comfortable. All you need are sandals or sneakers, flip-flops and they don’t get hot and don’t get in the way when you might be chasing children or whatever the case might be.”
When it comes to swimwear, moms, in particular, tend to be very self-conscious of their bodies, so many prefer to wear whole pieces, as opposed to bikinis. One-piece suits are more flattering these days, noted Nikolaou.
“Yes, body confidence plays a large role in determining what women feel comfortable wearing during summer,” Nikolaou says. “Women are very self-conscious, especially moms … after having a newborn. When you become a mom, they feel they have to dress a certain way, meaning more mature, and that shouldn’t be the case. Women say, ‘I don’t think I can wear that because my stomach’s going to show.’ Well, with a whole piece, you can.”
Of course, living in the Atlantic provinces, the weather doesn’t always deliver that deep blue sky and high temperatures we wait most of the year for. Often, Atlantic Canadian summers are overtaken by cooler, windy days under grey clouds.
For days like those, Nikolaou says you don’t have to go overboard to keep warm. In fact, she offers a very simple suggestion.
“A denim jacket over a dress for the evening is ideal for when it gets cooler.”