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!)

Soldier, that's a really nice thing to say, thank you. I am fine, honestly, but I have my shit days (don't we all). My injuries were 2003, so I've had long enough to get used to them! It's just all the crap that goes with it - weight gain, lack of fitness, pain and then pain meds that gave me an ulcer so more meds, ankle instability knocks on to knee, hip and back problems - the clothes thing just finishes me off sometimes

(I buy bright coloured daps - can't wear converse any more , but a size up in Matalan has got me in some very ridiculous colours!)

Agree about the French

It's a myth!

Op Yanbu and I totally agree with your observations except I don't see why you are surprised many people are overweight. I think that's been fairly well reported!
If you look at photographs of crowds from 100 years ago most people are in properly tailored clothes with hats. This is regardless of their social status. An equivalent crowd today is clad ill-fitted clothes of poor quality, especially in summer.
In the grand scheme of things I guess it's not that important but it seems a little sad to me that somewhere along the way we lost our sense of style.

Delighted to hear the French are as prone to sartorial mistakes as the rest of us!

I've got the same issues with knee and hip now too. And this was my good leg!

I never know what to wear in the heat. I panic and just wear cropped trousers and t shirts. It is difficults.
Cannot get away with strappy stuff anymore. Suggestions please.

I LOATHE dressing for the summer. I'm always too hot, and being very pale I have to wear at least factor 30 constantly, leading to shiny, greasy looking skin. I'm probably about 2-2 1/2 stone overweight, (according to bmi scale) and feel like a fat, greasy hippo, but have always tried to console myself in the past (while wearing vest tops, little cardis, knee length skirts or dresses and 3/4 length trousers) that no-one is looking at me, anyway. How utterly depressing to realise that people are indeed looking, and judging. Roll on bloody autumn.

Ermm..... wait, no, can't find a single fuck to give about other people's summer attire.

HTH

OTOH "Boo! cutesy smile" is twee beyond words.

I looked everywhere for a nice summer dress this year, but couldn't find anything I liked. Its all either over the knee (I'm size 14, with fat knees) or down to the ankles.

A couple of years ago I got a nice one in East, but haven't got one local to me, so haven't looked there this year.

I gave up on dresses and bought a couple of pairs of 7/8 length navy trousers for work, with some nice tops (mostly from fatface and white stuff).

Warehouse have lovely midi dresses this year, perfect for the summer and I'm 5'3 (also prefer to cover my legs) so they suit me much better.

Do they actually mean midi in the proper sense, or do they use it as a new-fangled (and confusing) term for knee length?

AuntieStella

Yes. What is often described as Midi, is actually knee length

I still think that true Midi is a really hard length to pull off. If a dress/skirt falls mid-calf (the widest bit of the leg) it makes your legs look like milk bottles. This was true in the 80s and its true now, IMO

It really irritates me that midi is misused. It's knee length!

I love the new "midi" skirts and dresses.

On my 6ft frame they come out as perfectly knee-length

to all the idiots who want to dictate what people can and can't wear in case they commit the awful sins of looking fat, frumpy, slutty or whatever else you've decided is wrong...

OP have you overdosed on House of Elliot reruns. I think you'll find in whatever decade you choose, the rich look elegant and the poor look like a hot mess; tis always so.

The only solution to your problem is to dress how you want whilst stop noticing what people are wearing, it is really non of your business you know.

Quiet nothing to do with money you can dress well for relatively little!

Skirts worn with a vesty top make the wearer look young, but if you are too old for vesty tops and wear a skirt with anything else, it can end up looking very mumsy - it can age you by up to 10 years.

I'm over 40 and spend most of my days wearing fitted jeans, leggings and light weight trousers in summer, but as soon as I try wearing a dress or a skirt, I look as if I've entered Frumpsville and start to look my age.

Unless you get it [exactly] right, dresses and skirts can look ageing.

Meyesmyeyes you're right about the skirt/dress thing. Yesterday I put on a knee length dress, it's a sort of stretch jersey from fat face, fits nicely and flatters my pear shape. But for some reason it just makes me feel frumpy! I took it off and put on cropped jeans, tshirt and sandals and instantly felt better. I probably looked better in the dress but felt better in my jeans.

Yes and if you couple comfy shoes with a skirt and a top with sleeves the effect is compounded.

Can look reasonably young with comfy shoes with trousers or shorts but not in a skirt.

I've seen lots of young women wearing those long, clingy skirts up the sides and they look fantastic!
But I think it's because they are wearing them with tight fitting, little vest tops.
The oldies among us would want to cover our shoulders - and then it wouldn't look right.

When I wear a skirt or a dress I feel as if I'm about to go on a tinsel & turkey coach trip. I MORPH into my mother no offense mother

I much prefer, in the summer, to wear leggings and a floaty top/tunic, or lightweight trousers and a fitted top, or harem trousers. I feel and look better (AND YOUNGER)

'skirts with splits up the sides' - should read

Oh I agree I wish more women would have their colours done so they are not wearing a colour that clashes with their skin tone. I would never have guessed lilac and lemon look so great on me

Marisota do some lovely pieces you can put together and look stylish no women over 40 should be shopping in Zara or H&M

Shame so many wear clothes they like rather than clothes that look good on them

no women over 40 should be shopping in Zara or H&M

Oh I disagree completely. Both shops are fertile hunting ground for people of all ages. I find it depressing when people have the mindset that now they're 40 they have to shop in places like........well, Marisota.