How to Dress for Summer When It’s Not Your Season

I’ve made no secret that summer is not my jam. Fall is my jam, but not just temperature-wise. I feel the most inspired in the fall and it’s also my total best color palette that makes me feel confident. I love the long days and the glorious sunsets Kansas shows off in summer, but I. hate. heat.

Actually, I hate the Kansas humidity more than I hate the heat. My argument will always be that no matter how cold you are, you can get warm. Layer up. Blankets. All that jazz. However, summer? There’s only so many layers you can take off and the humidity in Kansas makes me want to crawl out of my skin. Anyway, I have to get dressed during this heat. So we get to the question of the season, how to dress for summer? Ugh.

Here’s what works for me:

My Summer Heat Necessities

• Don’t forget about your natural deodorant! I really do love this one and it smells great.
• Chafing? Here’s my secret to abolishing that! Since it’s gotten crazy humid here in Kansas, I re-apply it during the middle of the day if I’ve been walking around.
• If you still want to go the shorts route, I swear by these! I have them in tan, nude, black and white. They have saved me when I do our international work trips that are always SO HOT. Plus they are great for windy Kansas days!

Honestly the only thing that has made this summer bearable is that I bought those shorts and got Thigh Rescue. Also, I can’t tell you how freeing it is to know exactly what feels good to me in the summer. I have two pairs of shorts. Two pairs. I wear them only for days that I feel like it. I used to be be afraid to wear what makes me happy. If you’re most comfortable in dresses, wear them. If you’re only comfortable in shorts, own it girl. You do you, boo.

So since you’re in the midst of a hot summer and you’re wearing what works for you… do a little pre-work! Your future self will thank you.

List What Worked This Summer

This summer what has worked for me has been these (okay I bought this one, this one and this one on major sale) J. Crew dresses. I wear them to work, farmer’s market, weekending, anything. They are the perfect length and weight and I just slip on some shorts underneath to combat the Kansas wind and I’m set! I’ve got that written down in my wardrobe planner that this is what made me happy this year so I can make sure that next year I am looking for similar items.

Maybe those items won’t work next year, but I wish that I could have planned better for my summer wardrobe to figure out what I did lasts year.

Feel Good, Plan Your Clothes Better

I also highly recommend checking out Nicole’s Feel Good, Dress Better book during the summer. On one of those miserably hot days I like to look at sections of the book and work through it and really think about where I see my style going. I’d like to kind of forget about statement necklaces, bubble necklaces (which I hated even then I just want to known) and the obsessive layering we were all into five years ago. Now, call it boring or whatever, but I’m trying to think about what I need to buy.

I want clothes that not only make me happy, but have staying power and are well-constructed. Once I have those, I will allow for some seasonal purchases to keep them current. Right now I am working on my fall/winter wish list.  I’ve been scouring re-sale shops and websites to get some higher-end items because I know they are going to take some time to find! (If you ever happen to see this blazer in a size 10, holla at your girl.)

Honestly though, there is so much beauty in summer. The sunset in Kansas is unbeatable. The problem is that it’s in the middle of summer. If I could just get all the beauty of a summer sunset in the middle of winter, life would be perfect.