How to Dress for Summer
Summer can be a challenging season to dress for many women. You reveal more about yourself and your body than in any other season, and have fewer layering tricks at your disposal to either cover up certain parts or create a nice silhouette. It’s also harder to create a ‘new’ look every day, since you can’t really play too much with jackets, layers and scarves. Here are some of tips and tricks for dressing for this season.
1. Use interesting design details.
If you are only wearing one layer, make it as interesting as possible. Choose tops that have an interesting design detail. A good basic bottom like some nice white trousers or skirt will make you look, modern, polished yet remain cool.
2. Dress in very thin layers.
When going to the beach, prefer to cover up rather than expose all your upper skin to the sun. This is easy to do when you have a few very thin blouses or tunics. It doesn’t matter if they are see-through because you will be wearing it with either your bikini or singlet underneath. You can combine with either shorts or a long skirt if you like to cover up your legs as well.
3. Hide those bra straps.
You probably don’t like to see bra straps. If you are wearing a unique top, make sure that you have a bra that can be worn invisible underneath. You can either buy a bra that can be worn in several ways or buy a bra clip that can be used with almost every bra.
4. Invest in a few good dresses.
Nothing is as easy and glamorous and cool as a good summer dress. Ideally you will have at least four dresses:
A high summer beach dress. This dress can be shorter than your other dresses and is easy to wash, doesn’t wrinkle too easily and is not too precious. A good example is a white cotton dress or a simpler dress with spaghetti straps. It’s perfect for the beach but can also be used as a tunic worn over pants for casual clothes.
A summer day dress. This is the perfect dress for casual get-togethers during the day. This could be a nice wrap dress in cotton jersey or a casual shift dress.
A work dress. It’s a traditional shift dress that looks both professional and conservative and that can be easily combined with a jacket or cardigan.
A dress for the evening. A dress that is a bit more special than your day and work dress. Silk is a preferable material for a special dress in summer and ideally it’s asymmetrical too! If you like wearing your nice clothes as often as possible, you can wear a silk dress during the day too!
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5. Don’t be afraid of silk.
Together with good quality cotton, it is good material for summer. It’s cool, has a beautiful natural shine and it looks and feels sublime. If you can combine that with tip number 2, you have a true winner on your hands!
A common complaint is that silk is too precious for summer and that it requires too much care. Wash all your silk clothes by hand. Yes, it’s more work, but not as expensive as dry cleaning. Although all silk items will always have the ‘dry cleaning’ advice for washing, it may not really be necessary so long as you purchase silk of good quality. True, silk is more expensive. But it’s worth investing in one special dress that will make you feel wonderful. When you look after your dress well, it can last for many years.
6. Cover up in smart ways.
In summer, you need to be even smarter with the types of clothes you choose when you want to cover up certain areas. I personally don’t believe in using shape wear too much as it’s far too hot and uncomfortable. Instead choose smart tops, skirts and dresses that drape in all the right areas to cover up any bulges. Asymmetric dresses and tops are usually very good at doing that.
7. Dress for your body type.
In this season in particular, it’s very important to dress for your body type. Do some research on the guidelines for the pear, apple, inverted triangle, hourglass and rectangular shape. Apples, for example, look much better in tops that are fitted around the bust and wider around the tummy. The same counts for dresses.
8. Use accessories, shoes, color, pattern and graphics to make things more interesting.
Accessorizing and playing with colors and patterns is perfect for making your summer outfit more interesting. Play with color blocking;
Add a belt in a print;
Add interest with a brightly colored scarf ;
Use the scarf itself as a top;
Add color with a bag;
Use a statement necklace
Get some colorful standout shoes;
When wearing flats make sure it’s a fun and arty one.
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9. Have fun with sunglasses.
Sunglasses are the perfect way to cover up your wrinkles and dark circles around the eye for a young and hip look. Use them in abundance in summer, if only to protect your eyes of the sun’s harmful rays, and have fun with colors and shapes.
10. Wear white.
White is your best friend in summer. It is the most versatile color to wear and whenever I don’t know what to wear I turn to this. Combine with almost every color and pattern in your closet for a clean, modern look! Or wear all white.