Dinner in Milan if pale & not good in heat

[WhatToWearMilan]

If you were very pale skinned, strawberry blonde & not good in heat generally but you had a dinner with a professional contact in Milan in July, what would you wear?

50yrs old 5ft 9" & size 12

I want to look as good as i can! There will possibly be some sightseeing and lunch / dinner / drinks

I have to say that, though I could never be mistaken for an Italian - a German perhaps but not Italian - and also often dined on my own, which some people have found problematic, I’ve never been given a bad table abroad. Perhaps I’ve been lucky.
I do speak Italian but the staff can hardly have been very aware of that from a few words/ gestures. I think feeling confident helps and that’s inevitably linked to feeling good in what you’re wearing because you like it, which is what I think the OP wants.
incidentally, Italian female academics I’ve met are among the some of the most chic women in academia (perhaps not a crowded field, but still) and in an individual, distinctive ( eg, interesting jewellery), not a stereotyped way.

I insist on getting into sandals at some point in May - whatever the weather is like here! But have been known to slip on some footless tights below a midi/maxi dress ... just to ease the chill if it's cool & windy!

You might regret this ...!!

I'm the same sort of colouring & height as you, several years older & - annoyingly - a couple of dress sizes larger these days! I too never travel in hot countries in high season if I can help it.

Are you quite a minimalist dresser anyway, OP? As most of the brands you mentioned fit with that aesthetic - apart from maybe Essentiel Antwerp (which to me tends to be quite colourful & graphic/floral, though in an interesting way). The outfit you're thinking of wearing also sounds very minimal - & also very appropriate, in a "fitting in with the Milanese" way - so I wondered if that was your preference?

What colours do you usually like & wear? As a fellow pale strawberry blonde, my own favourites are: lots of black & navy as the backbone; greens from emerald through to olive; warm red shades - orangey-scarlet, dark red, burgundy, rust, corals; inky blues & indigo (including denim); some white, not cream (as I look washed out in it); some soft yellows/mustards; a bit of tan in footwear/bags; lots of warm metallics - bags & footwear.

But you may like & wear entirely different colours to me! Do you naturally lean towards plains over prints or florals (lots of posters have said to avoid them, though I'm not sure if I agree entirely)?

@EleanorMc67 oh great questions!

I wear v similar colours to you apart from yellow.

I love volume & architectural pieces. Because i'm tall i feel i can play with it.

I wear lots of black, navy, burgundy / plum, wine, maroon, greens (bottle, emerald, kelly, pine, some olive though i don't love it on me), greys especially charcoal, denim -indigo & mid wash, blurs - baby, duckegg, icy pale blue. Less keen on royal blue,
Oatmeal but need stronger colours with it

I do not like camel, beige, taupe etc near my face, or rust, mid brown (v dark is ok)

I love details - texture, embroidery, ruffle, pussybow, velvet, tweed, cordorouy, wool, linen etc

I wear lots of single colour foundation blocks - black COS barrel leg trousers, COS merino tshirt & an embellished ba&sh bomber jacket. I wear a stack of gemstone necklaces (real stones not costume)

I do not like floral tea-dresses or drawstring trousers generally

Hope this helps!

Flicking this evening -what about this dress? Currently in the sale as well. https://www.hobbs.com/product/chrissy-linen-dress/0126-5545-9094L00-PALE-OLIVE.html#cgid=sale-clothing-dresses&sz=60&start=0&isSecondPage=false&pid=0126-5545-9094L00-PALE-OLIVE&pos=9

https://gb.maxmara.com/p-6221146206001-mstwest-black

Now in the sale..

Love a bit of Max Mara - considerably more expensive but channeling a similar design to the green dress from Hobbs
https://gb.maxmara.com/p-6221036206004-mstcera-black

I don't like the Hobbs dress. Suspect it will be really closer to knee length and it's a bit meh.

https://www.marksandspencer.com/pure-cotton-broderie-midi-shirt-dress/p/clp23075823#intid=pid_pg1pip48g4r6c4%7Cprodflag_Online%20Only

Love the detailing on this
https://www.marksandspencer.com/pure-linen-embroidered-v-neck-wrap-dress/p/clp60783258#intid=pid_pg2pip48g4r4c4

That Hobbs broderie anglaise one is quite Dolce & Gabbana Italian widow ...

I think the same of the green linen Hobbs Chrissy dress - it's almost there, as I like the colour - if it was just another three inches or so longer it would be quite Me+Em! That's often what lets Hobbs dresses down - the length is often just not quite right.

I go to Italy most years and have been to Milan a few times. I live in London and love fashion and style.

I’m going to say it. I don’t love Italian style, and think it’s an Emperor’s new clothes thing. I find many people there still go for the big hair and big gold jewellery, which is not my thing at all. Give me quirky London style over Milan any day. There, I’ve said it! (Italy is still my favourite place in the world though!)

I agree! I find Italian street style conventional & rather old-fashioned.

I also don't understand the need to "fit in" with what locals are wearing, which seems to be the default recommendation on here. Fit in with the weather. Fit in with the city or country location. Fit in with etiquette if it's a church or mosque. But do so while retaining your own personal style, surely?

There were two wedding guest threads a while ago - one where the poster was attending an aristocratic wedding in Denmark, the other a celebrity wedding in New York - & the majority of recommendations were about fitting in with what Danes & New Yorkers would wear to such events, including recommending lots of Scandi & American labels!!

That's the absolute last thing I would do - I would want to completely embrace the freedom to be quirky that is very much a part of real style in the British Isles. If you're going to splash out on a designer dress, why not choose one of the many great designers from Britain or Ireland (whether well-known or smaller brands), or a fabulous vintage piece from Hardy Amies, Ossie Clarke or Zandra Rhodes?

Even just planning for a holiday in Europe, I would be choosing from my own wardrobe & adding to it with pieces that fit with MY style - not what I imagine the average Italian/Spanish/Greek/French woman would be wearing. Can you imagine Vivienne Westwood holidaying in Italy in head-to-toe beige MaxMara, Gucci horsebit loafers & a Fendi baguette?!!!

She must've bloody had the dinner by now

It's in July ...

Exactly! I am off to Italy in a couple of weeks and I have just been planning my wardrobe. I couldn’t care less what the locals will be wearing, I am wearing the stuff that I love and that suits me! I like my own style!

I'm still here! The dinner is not until july.
I very much have my own style - it was the heat & being in a big city & not being a natural sun lover that prompted me to post.

I travel a lot & love clothes & generally plan outfits that i love but i don't usually travel in the height of a summer hestwave.

I've enjoyed reading all the comments & looking at all the links & suggestions!