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!)

Oh, and

3. Everyone wears stripes because every year women's magazines tell us how The Nautical Look is in, and Breton T shirts (ironic, non?). Just as they do every other bloody year

Another one who doesn't give a fuck about what people think about my appearance.
I wear what I feel comfortable in, today it was black jeans, turquoise tshirt and flip flops. Tomorrow...who knows!
And equally unless someone is wearing something really ridiculous, it does not register on my radar.
What I wear and what others wear, is really totally irrelevant in the grand scheme of things

Goodness Corygal your colleague shared an office with a self-opinionated twat.

I agree Worra's points and think that there is something in some women that they cannot keep themselves from judging (negatively) what other women wear. Why do that? Utterly baffling that bitching is so entertaining for some.

I miss the mid-calf skirts and I'm too short for maxi-dresses, I'd be tripping all day. I go about covered (for sun safety) in outfits that I think look ok. If you think differently when you see me then just be polite because I would certainly be polite if I saw you in an unflattering ensemble. Judgers seem to be a little bit blinkered in their opinions of their own snappy dressing.

Yarp, I am partial to a stripe or two myself

It's most British people (and some Americans) who do not know how to dress in temperatures above 20C. I spent a week in France recently and the style difference was immense.

There's a thing going round Facebook as it does every summer, the general message being 'wear whatever the fuck you like'. Good message that.

I don't think it's just the Brits, my son goes to a junior school where a lot of the parents are different nationalities, I wouldn't say the Italian Mum is more chic than some of the English Mum's- some of whom look like models in their summer dresses. The Japanese mum is more practical so a skater skirt and a basic t-shirt. The Swedish mum dresses like the practical Brit Mum's do t-shirt and jeans or a skirt to the knees but not flowing, practical.

Yanbu!

I saw far too much flesh of obese people today! One woman was wearing a white bad fitting dress and I could see through and saw her massive cellulite heavy bum in a dark coloured thong. It was absolutely disgusting, I almost threw up.

Agree with harem type trousers and top style dressing. The only summer dressing I really object to is when people wear sandals without bothering to pumice their feet first - yellow crusty heels urgh!!!!

Definitely a good message that, Shelagh. Men don't get pulled up on what they wear - by other men, anyway. Why do women?

I have a theory that the bitchiness comes from unhappiness in their own skin. All of the women I know of that love to bitch about what other women look like have also had to keep their husbands leashed to them. Hardly surprising that.

Admittedly not a giant sample but honestly, it's really unpleasant and however coached, you always sound like the narrow-minded bitch you are.

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I would like to know where to get dresses with short sleeves or nice tops with short/mid sleeves? I can never find them.

Lying no ones bitching...we've just said that we don't think people in the UK dress well in the heat...and I apply that to men too.

Yes they are, Lashes. Read a few posts up and they're not the only one. It's bitching pure and simple and pathetic.

I basically live in summer dresses in the summer because I feel awkward in strappy tops - they're usually too tight unless you have a washboard stomach and too low so whenever you lean forward you can see everything.

I tend to dress quite surfy so a pretty dress from Fatface or Animal, flip flops, and a cardy. Easy peasy, cool, flattering, and airy.

I tend to agree that there are often a lot of awful sights in Britain in the summer. Overweight men taking their t-shirts off at the first glimmer of sunshine and sunburnt flesh spilling over too-tight clothes in women. A lot of the fashions suit skinny teenagers, it is harder to look classy in what the shops give us. I don't like white linen either and I outwardly despise those awful beige crumpled suits men of a certain age wear to weddings.

Lying I don't see any bitching. No ones being rude or thinking less of anyone

Fair enough Lashes, you don't. I do. We'll agree to disagree.

I agree with you awombwithaview (great name btw!) it IS harder to look classy (waiting for the backlash that not everyone wants to look classy) or flattering for WHATEVER body shape you have with the majority of the clothes available in the shops. And for me that is the point - I don't give a crap if you are size 8 or size 28, male or female it is still difficult to look good in clothes that are too revealing, too tight, too loud (neon is a particulr case in point) and too synthetic looking. And from a trawl around the shops there is a huge amount of stuff like this out there at the moment. And a lot of people wearing it. Perhaps ill advisedly.

All except the poster who nearly threw up at the sight of a fat bottom of course

Spot on Ghosts, what about starting a thread in S&B for those who would like links/suggestions for alternatives to the vest top/bare all approach for summer?
I would certainly try to share and would appreciate others help.

Cain that's a really good idea!

I'm on for it! Heading out now but will be back later.

shelagh I am not sure it was the fat bottom the person objected to or the sight of the fat bottom wedged into a skin tight white dress with a visible thong on view - two entirely different prospects. In my opinion. Of course.

Summer Clothes That Don't Over Expose! I'd better start searching for some suggestions...

For once, I've been impressed with the summer clothing in high street shops

Especially the loose fitting floaty Tshirts which are slightly wider on the hip and slope down at the back hem, so that they skim the bum rather than cling onto it for dear life. They are my best friend, and look nice with slacks or shorts.

Also vest tops that can be layered with a cotton cardi, so nice and cool.

I'm not the world's fashion guru, but Brits don't exactly set the fashion world on fire especially blokes who walk round Tesco with no top on and bare feet and anyone wearing white or patterned leggings is dicing with sartorial suicide IMHO

So I will concede YANBU re fashion-sense (but what if they are on a limited budget? Not everyone can afford Fatface or Boden) and eek I have been known to people-watch, I probably wouldn't start a thread about it!

oh linen anything tends to look bad beyond the first 30 minutes of wearing it, so it's not a suitable material to make clothes out of that will be worn all day. I just ignore anything made with linen now, no matter how nice an item it is, I'll look a mess once its all crumpled.

It's also the case that summer clothes are less forgiving on your underwear choices, what bra you wear under a jumper doesnt really matter, if it doesnt fit properly, it's not going to make you look bad, but a lovely outfit can be spoilt by the wrong underwear in the summer.

A S&B thread for nice summer clothes for wearing in the UK for day to day, not the beach, would be a good one - although it's probably covered on the "school run dress" threads

I avoid linen, I don't want to walk about looking like an unmade bed. it even looks crumpled in the shop.