to think that most people do not know how to dress well for warm weather

[KiteKit]

It is a beautiful sunny warm day here and I am working (boo!) but took my lunch at a place where I was able to indulge in a spot of people watching and it struck me as I was sitting there that the vast majority of the people walking past me looked awful. I know that is a harsh thing to say, but on the whole they were wearing badly fitting, unflattering summer clothes with acres of red sunburned flesh on show.

I saw every combination of vest top and shorts on both men and women etc. I started looking for anyone who looked good to my taste and in the space of 40 mins only about 2 walked by out of the many who passed my table and they both looked Italian as it happens!

It does sound very judgemental and I certainly do not hold myself up as a champion of summer dressing whatsoever, it is because I struggle to find nice, heat appropriate clothes for a very pale skinned 45 year old that I am especially tuned it it I think.

I really wish we could go back to olden days when clothes were elegant - I love the style of the 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's - after that elegance sort of went out the window imo!

For what it is worth a vest top with spaghetti straps, bra straps showing underneath, fleshy upper body (it was also surprising how many overweight people there were) spilling out of it, cargo shorts and ecco style walking sandals may feel comfortable but my god they look bad on 99.9% of those I saw today!

It is a struggle isn't it? Or is it just me? I want to find beautiful summer clothes that make me feel great and I don't seem to be able (I am wearing a cream cotton shirt with cream embroidery, dark skinny jeans with the bottoms turned up - my nod to the warm weather today and snake skin flat sandals -hardly setting the fashion world on fire!)

I think it's more that we don't have a lot of sunny days here, so it doesn't feel as important to invest in summer clothes as it does for winter ones. And then when you do buy summery clothes, they don't wear out as quickly as your Autumn/Winter/cooler end of spring clothes, because they don't get worn as much. So you do end up with stuff that might have fitted perfectly 3 years ago still being brought out because well, you haven't felt the need to replace it.

Plus summer clothes are harder to hide behind, on a wintery day, there probably was a load of shocking outfits being worn, but as they were hidden under big coats and boots, you wouldn't have seen them when out and about.

Set against that, I have met lots of people from Med countries who can't cope very well with dressing stylishly in Winter, just loading up lots of layers and looking like they are off skiing, rather than popping to the shops.

YABU

re this "It was an merely observation that a lot of the people I saw today were badly dressed for their size and shape."

Maybe they don't worry about stuff like this. Many of us don't care as long as we are comfortable and clothes are in budget and don't require complicated laundering.

I agree lovely clothes are lovely but I am glad if it's not a "norm" to wear them. I do invest in an elegant winter coat as I spend so much time in it - which also leads me to feel that spending money on, for example, a "summer dress" is a bit pointless. (I actually don't wear dresses or skirts so that's a theoretical example, can't be doing with how careful you need to be of sitting positions etc in those).

the only thing that shouts 'idiot' is sunburn. But with so many on here who think UV strength is related to temperature and 'you can't get burnt in the UK', no doubt the general population is just as ignorant.

life advice from Kate Moss? I'll pass, thanks.

I read a magazine article where Italians (or was it French) people were asked what they made of the Brits fashion sense in the Summer.

This is what they said:

a) We wear too many bright colors.
b) We wear too much blue.
c) We are obsessed with stripes.

We wear too much bright colored clothes in the Summer (usually in cheap materials) and in the Winter - we wear too many drab colored clothes
They have a point. It should maybe be the other way around:

Summer clothes tend to be made in cheap, throw away materials. The fact they're overly bright makes them look even cheaper.

Monochromes look better. You can always add colour to your outfit in the form of a really colourful lipstick, nails, or shoes or possibly a bright bag.

Just because the sun's out, there is no need to leave the house looking as if you are the victim of an explosion in a paint factory.

I've seen some eye opening outfits on the Italians!

butterfly123 I am horribly pear shaped, but most people don't realise this because I dress for my shape.

I am self conscious about the fact that I have curvy hips and no bust, which is why I choose my clothes carefully.

But I do wear comfortable shoes. If my feet hurt then I am miserable. I don't get people who buy shoes off the internet because they are a certain size and wear them even if they hurt. Why?

This thread reminds me of the bit in Gaudy Night (set in early 1930s) where Peter and Harriet deplore the new fangled summer fashions that actually left you hotter, prone to sunburn and rather ugly.

I like to wear thin layers which waft in the summer. It is really hard to find nice wafty clothes anywhere, any season. Winter is particularly difficult. (And due to massive weight gain since ms jumped on me, I have to have long skirts which apparently don't exist in high street shops.)

Couldn't agree with you more OP. I feel like it's been a struggle trying to put together a decent and half stylish summer wardrobe that's comfortable in the heat and doesn't expose all my bad bits! Jumpsuits look summery and work well, as do harem pants and a nice top. Summer dressing is hard work!

Another 'who gives a fuck'. Judge away - I've just taken my bra off and I'm wearing baggy trousers that end mid-calf. I'm comfy and that's all I care about.

What does it matter what other people wear? The only thing I have a problem with is men with no tops on (and moobs and a paunch), unless on the beach, and women who spill out of the tops of what they are wearing or have a huge expanse of flesh out around their middle.

I've got a photo album on my lap from the 1930s. There is no way anybody could describe the outfits as elegant. (knitted swimming costumes, anyone ). I think you have an over-romanticised view of the past.

"I have to have long skirts which apparently don't exist in high street shops."

Yes they do. I have seen several maxi skirts this year.

Bunbaker - no problem, if you want to disguise your shape, go right ahead. I was just commenting because the OP seems to feel everyone "should" dress to hide certain things and I think that's a bit unfair/unreasonable. Not everyone cares about dressing well.

re the shoes - never come across anyone who has worn shoes which actually hurt, how strange!

On a related note why are all skirts and dresses on the high street above knee length? I don't want to walk around with my arsecheeks on show

I wandered through Sainsburys clothes dept today everything is very LOUD.

I shared an office with a woman who was size 26 and whose summer workwear of sartorial choice was microshorts.

She was very relaxing as a colleague. You knew that no matter what you turned up in to work in this image-conscious media firm - and summer professional dressing is tricky - you could never look that awful. She did us all a huge favour professionally.

These look elegant

The last few years a lot of the summer one season clothes tended to be cheap nasty see through fabric (supposedly t-shirt fabric but appears shear).

I think the tide is turning as I have seen more cotton tops around. I noticed quite a few in Sainsburys today

YABU. Instead everyone should avoid styles I find offensive. I wouldn't be seen dead in 20s or 30s clothes. I think 50s or 60s styles look even more shit. I would be completely horrified if someone described how I dressed as 'elegant.' And I think skinny jeans look ridiculous, but not nearly as hilarious as those oversized sunglasses.

OP, I think I know what you are wearing. Extra large judgy pants.
Let people be! If they are comfortable and happy what does it matter if they fail to look like some sort of arty film?

Personally, walking sandals are my friends as I walk a lot!

My choice of footwear is dictated by comfort, so I love sandals that are actually designed for walking in! Totally flat shoes are as bad for your feet as high heels.

I love wearing bright colours in summer. Black looks so dreary and white combined with white skin isn't normally flattering. But that's my personal choice.

I am very pale skinned but never burn and take on colour easily. It's a lovely change from looking as if I'm about to pass out.

Planes what do you wear then? Joggers?

Talking of pants judgey or otherwise - white jeans/trousers yes or no?

I love seeing and wearing bright colours in summer.
I'm another person who dresses to be cool and comfortable. I love the feeling of freedom of wearing summer clothes.The last thing I want to be is elegant, but if that's the way you want to dress then feel free, OP. I do agree about not getting sunburnt (on health grounds rather than looks) but I see more very tanned people here, and thats just after a few sunny days.
As far as other people's clothes go, I don't really care as long as their privates aren't on show and they don't smell.

for a lot of people, there doesn't seem to be a warm weather middle ground between 'work' and 'beach'. Winter coats cover a multitude of sins.

I think that is the problem, SoCalled. People have work clothes, and then they have a couple pairs of shorts and the tanks and vests they normally layer under things. They arent even actual purchased for the purpose summer outfits, they are just random items. few people have casual summer clothes, they have either complete dress down shorts and vests, or they have wedding guest outfits or dancing in a club outfits neither of which are casual and comfy right for walking about in bright sunlight, minus speciel event make up and hairstyle, and anyway, the only matching shoes are stilt high heels.

I am one of those still wearing a vest layered under my shirt and a cardi over though. And wool socks. Indoors. We were joking about going to a warm place for a weekend after my husband is done with two weeks of work travel. We were considering Essex, or Norfolk.