Heat Wave! What to Wear to Work to Beat the Heat
Temperatures may be rising, but that doesn’t mean your style quotient needs to drop. You can beat the heat and still dress professionally with Omiru’s Beat the Heat at Work style tips:
Why does this outfit work?
Layering: The key to any hot-weather outfit is to wear layers. Sure, it may be 100 degrees outside, but when you head into the office, it can get pretty chilly. (Especially if you sit under the AC vent. If you do, sweaters are your friend.) The cropped box jacket gives you an extra layer, and it helps for your personal temperature regulation as you go from the chilly office to the sunny outdoors and back again.
Color Coordination: This outfit is built around the striped tank top, which features shades of yellow and brown on neutrals. The bright yellow skirt picks up on the yellow from the tank top, while the shoes and handbag echo the brown tones of the shirt. The white box jacket grounds the outfit with a neutral color. This kind of color coordination helps to make you look put together, even when you’re wearing a tank top and short sleeves to the office.
Coordinated Accessories: Look at how the chocolate brown of the bag is echoed in the brown heels. The turquoise necklace pairs beautifully with the browns, and it provides a nice contrast to the dominant color in the outfit, yellow. Note that while the accessories are definitely coordinated, they don’t match perfectly. Coordinated is good, matchy-matchy is not.
Breathable Fabrics: Last but not least, we’d be remiss if we didn’t talk about fabric choices. Natural fabrics (with a loose weave) are going to be your best bets for temperature control. I like looking for garments that are 100% cotton–or even linen for a more casual look. The beauty of these natural fabrics is that they allow air to pass through them. That way, you won’t trap hot air in between you and your clothes.
What do you wear to work to beat the heat? Share your style with us in the comments!
2 comments May 16th, 2008
