AIBU - long sleeves and trousers are NOT cooler in the heat?

[PetiteParakeet]

It's very frequently repeated on Mumsnet that having bare legs and arms makes you hotter than being covered up from wrist to ankles in cotton or linen (in judgy threads about what people are wearing to the office or out and about).

If you are actually directly in the heat of the sun, then I expect white or very light-coloured fabric will cool you a bit by reflecting infrared heat. And covering up in the sun is obviously a good way to avoid sunburn.

But AIBU to think that it's complete nonsense if you're hot and inside or you're outdoors in the shade? We cool down through air movement next to the skin to allow heat loss and evaporation. So having bare arms, and bare legs, and/or a loose dress really does help. And men who want to wear shorts rather than trousers on a hot day are being practical, not unreasonable.

Caveat - men walking around bare-chested may be cooler but I don't care, they should put a t-shirt on anyway!

I can confirm this, having changed tops multiple times this morning from a sleeveless vest, to various light cotton/muslin tops of varying sleeve length, before ultimately going back to the original vest as the coolest item… totally scientific!

And yes, to men keeping their nipples under cloth!

For the last couple of days I have chosen to wear either a floaty cotton maxi skirt (I'm sort so it's down to my ankles) or linen trousers and loose shirt (incuding at a stadium concert where it was very hot). It was much cooler than when I chose to wear shorts and a tank top.

The fabrics have to be lightweight cotton, linen or silk though. My floaty cotton uniqglo skirt that has a polyester lining is sticky and sweaty.

It depends. Anything woven linen and loose wins for me

I think there's a temperature where it does help but it's currently lie down in your pants with a fan blowing on you hot so I'm going for as little clothing as is decently possible.

It’s cooler outside in the sun to be covered up. I always wear long sleeves and long dresses /skirts in light material when I’m outside in weather like this. Indoors though I go bare legs and sleeveless.

Outside in hot sun, covered limbs. Inside, naked. Outside in the shade, somewhere between the two...... but how do you get to that patch of shade? So I would cover up if it's this hot.

All very nice reasonable replies despite posting this in AIBU. Maybe it was over in Style and Beauty where people were laying down the law and getting grumpy about women wearing sleeveless dresses in the office etc.

I don’t wear light coloured clothes like white, cream etc as it makes me look ill. Look better in bright colours

So do I. So my skirt is white but my cotton top is a reddish brown. The linen toursers I wore to the concert are black.

^ This

I prefer loose, long and flowing. Absolutely nothing tight or close-fitting.

Used to have a great dress for this kind of weather, but gave it away. Grrrr.

I think you only have to look at what people in the ME and Africa wear to realise that covering yourself with a thin, white fabric seems to be the tried and tested way.