Keep Your Cool: How To Dress For A Heatwave

Summer is great, but it can throw a particularly uncomfortable spanner in the works when it comes to looking sharp. After all, it’s difficult to look your best when your T-shirt is sodden with sweat, and your forehead is pink and glistening like a glazed ham. This is the unfortunate reality of navigating a heatwave in everyday clothing. So, if you want to remain cool, both literally and figuratively speaking, you’ll need a few tricks up your linen-shirt sleeve.

From considering fabrics and colours to selecting the right garments for the job, it is possible to look good even when temperatures are at their hottest. You just need to have a plan in place so that you don’t melt into a puddle on the floor.

Below, we’ve compiled some of our top tips for heatwave dressing, along with the key garments for surviving the scorching weather in style. These are things we’ve learned over many years sweating through weddings in wool suits, getting severely dehydrated at garden barbecues and getting damp and sticky in cotton T-shirts. Now we’re sharing them with you so that you don’t have to.

General Tips

Materials Matter

Luca Faloni

Dressing for a heatwave begins with the fabric. This is the factor that will make the biggest difference to your comfort, so give it the attention it deserves.

Breathability is key, as is the ability to efficiently move moisture away from the skin. Wool, for example, will absorb sweat like a sponge, quickly becoming sodden and heavy. Linen, on the other hand, moves sweat away from the skin, dries quickly and allows air to circulate freely. You decide which one is the better choice in 30-degree heat.

See also: cotton, Tencel, silk and polyester.

Be Clever With Colours

David Gandy Wellwear

Like fabric, the wrong colour can have a huge impact on your comfort during the hottest of days. In as simple terms as possible: light = good, dark = bad.

If you’ve ever stepped into a black car on a hot day, you’ll know the dark paint absorbs the heat, effectively turning it into an oven on wheels. And the same basic principle can be observed with clothing, too.

If it’s a toss-up between the navy shirt and the ecru one, always go with the latter.

Accessorise Accordingly

The Resort Co

Staying cool means wearing less, which, if you’re not careful, means boring outfits. Making a T-shirt and shorts look interesting is not easy, but it is achievable if you have a decent grasp of accessories and how to use them to enhance your summer style.

A decent watch, a quality bracelet, a tasteful pendant – these are the stylistic flourishes that complete the look, adding visual interest and giving an otherwise bare-bones ensemble a sense of purpose and meaning.

Get Loose

Wax London

You don’t want to be constricted in slim-fit clothing when the weather is hot. Opting for relaxed silhouettes instead will help ensure the air can circulate, keeping you cool and dry.

Of course, this isn’t to say you should go full Fred Durst, but choosing cuts that leave a little room for manoeuvre is a good idea.

Don’t Forget The Footwear

Velasca

What good is going to all this trouble only to hop into a pair of sweaty leather shoes? Footwear is every bit as important as clothing when it comes to staying cool, so employ the same tips we’ve just talked about when you’re selecting a pair to get you through the hot weather.

Think breathable and lighterweight uppers, light colours (where appropriate) and a comfortable fit.

Key Pieces

Open-Weave Shirt

Anything that lets a bit of extra air through to cool your sticky torso is a valuable tool. And it doesn’t get much more airy than an open-weave shirt.

Not only are these things trending hard right now, they’re also perfectly built to deal with the hottest of days, so add one to your summer shirting line-up and call on it when the mercury climbs up high. If you’re stuck for inspiration, Wax London has some fantastic options.

Linen T-Shirt

Cotton isn’t bad for keeping cool in hot weather, but if you’re sweating hard, it’ll soak it up like a sponge and take a long time to dry. A better option, and one often overlooked when it comes to tees, is linen.

There’s a reason this stuff has been the material of choice in the hottest countries on earth for thousands of years. It’s highly breathable, wicks moisture away from the skin more effectively than most technical synthetic fabrics, and when it does get wet, it dries faster than you can say ‘soggy armpits’.

White Vest

Who said you can’t layer in a heatwave? If you have the right undergarments folded up in drawers waiting to be called upon, there’s no reason you can’t still rock layered looks, even when the tarmac is starting to bubble.

The key? Get clever with silhouettes and fabrics. Instead of the staple blue Oxford shirt and white tee, opt for a short-sleeved linen shirt and a white vest. This achieves a similar goal, but without leaving you dripping like a hot mess.

Linen Shorts

Don’t limit the wonders of linen to your upper half. Your legs need to breathe too, and on the hottest of days those cotton chino shorts simply aren’t going to be sufficiently breathable.

Linen shorts are what you want instead. They’ll keep the air circulating, promote a comfortable undercarriage and keep you functioning sweat-free and stylish for longer.

White Linen Pants

In a similar vein, a heatwave doesn’t mean you have to wear shorts. It is, in fact, possible to remain a comfortable temperature in full-length bottoms, but only if you’re smart with your choice of material.

Linen, again, is the secret weapon here. Go for white if you’re feeling brave or ecru if not, and swish your way around the sun-baked streets as your light linen legwear reflects the sun’s rays to keep you cool. A great choice for smart-casual occasions when the heat is burning but the dress code doesn’t allow leeway for shorts.

Moisture-Wicking Underwear

If it’s not possible to go commando for maximum aeration, you’re going to want some underwear that’s designed to keep the sweat at bay.

Bamboo and merino are good options, as they dry quickly and actively draw moisture away from the skin. Another option for those who prefer traditional loose-fitting boxer shorts is to, again, lean on linen.

Strappy Sandals

A heatwave is not the time to be putting on thick socks and stepping into a pair of suffocating leather shoes. Let the dogs breathe and don a pair of strappy sandals instead.

This one is open to interpretation depending on your personal style. Think leather fisherman sandals if you lean toward classic, and Tevas or KEENs for a more practical, outdoorsy feel.

Loafers

Inevitably, you will need to look presentable at some point during a heatwave, which is where a pair of smart slip-ons comes in handy. Suede loafers are hard to beat, and while they may lack the breathability of a sandal or a canvas sneaker, they make up for it in preppy good looks and versatility.

Pair them with pleated linen shorts and a loosely cuffed linen shirt for a foolproof, smart-casual summer look.