I’ve had a lot of summers to experiment with my hot weather style, whether in my home city, London, on lazy holidays in Greece and Portugal, or on my beloved fitness breaks.
I could say I’ve made mistakes – but are micro shorts and a bra top a mistake at 25? Is a sequin Roberto Cavalli animal print dress a little too extra for an upscale dinner in Istanbul? I don’t think so!
Despite indulging in flash-in-the-pan trends in my younger years, through it all, I’ve honed a confident and timeless personal summer style that I follow today without fuss. The result is a capsule of clothes that give me a thrill every time they come out for heatwaves and holidays.
My four non-negotiables: always have a good hat, always wear factor 50 on your face, have a good pair of light cotton or linen trousers, and an easy pop-over cotton dress for quick chic. Now for the rest.
1. You’ll always need tank tops and shorts – so make them count
Pulling on a tank and shorts on an easy sunny morning is one of summer’s simple pleasures. Functional, easy and, if chosen well, very stylish. I used to buy tanks in three-packs and update my shorts annually, but the effect was a bit blah.
So instead, I worked out the most flattering versions, deciding that shorts with a wide leg opening to create the impression of slimmer thighs, and a tank with a scoop neck and low armholes to show off summer jewellery (and a peek of bikini), were the way forward.
After a lot of research, I found both at Colorful Standard. My all-time favourite everyday summer shorts are its £60 organic cotton twill pair, which are a sell-out year after year. Mine are soft pink and khaki, which are currently sold out, but there are other colours left! Last year, I added a more polished pair of dark denim shorts from MHL by Margaret Howell. I doubt I’ll need to shop for shorts again.
2. For summer evenings, one quality silky dress beats 10 cheap summer dresses
Ah, silk and satin – soft, airy, cool and luxurious. Yes, pricier, but also worth every penny on a cost-per-wear basis. My favourite, a cobalt blue silk tank dress, has lasted 10 years and hasn’t aged a day or deteriorated a stitch. Meanwhile, cheaper dresses have faded with wear, lost their shape or colour, or unravelled at the seams. Invest in one silky dress (whether in silk or wood-based viscose) that flatters you and feels extra special and I promise it’ll come out to play with baked-in memories. I'm seriously considering adding the All Saints red silk dress below to my rotation. It’s so beautiful, I can imagine wearing it for at least a decade.
AllSaints Faelyn Silk Maxi Dress Rosewood Red
3. Get out your arms and tummy – no one cares but you
Self-conscious in a bikini? Aren’t we all? My advice – let it go. Take inspiration from the Italian, Greek and Portuguese ladies I see on the beach, and wear that bikini. They don’t think twice about it, and are we looking at them and judging them? No, we admire them for being confident. Life’s too short. I’ve stopped caring and I’m all the happier for it. My favourite summer swimwear usually comes with a pop of confident colour – and as we all know, once you’ve achieved a (real or fake) tan, the self-consciousness all but disappears.
4. Decorate! Gold or embellished sandals, earrings or bangles will be your saviour many times over
You know that golden moment a week into holiday – sun setting, alfresco dinner ahead? That’s when your sandals, jewellery – and you! – shine. I used to envy the women who sparkled effortlessly. Then I realised that they simply packed smart – sandals with shimmer and a playful collection of high- and low-price jewellery that doesn’t tarnish. Now I never fail to bring my Ancient Greek sandals and a pouch of trinkets I've collected over time that shine in the sun and make me feel happy.
5. A striped boyfriend shirt is your best friend on and off the beach.
Mine’s a pale blue, dark-striped men’s cotton shirt from a local charity shop. It’s oversized, hits mid-thigh and works tied up, belted or thrown on like a cape at the beach. It signals ease, confidence and timeless style – as worn and loved by Hollywood stars, supermodels, me, and now, hopefully… you! Grab one – whether from your local charity shop, from the man in your life or from the shops – though they’re currently like gold dust. Once you have one, you’ll won’t pack for summer without it ever again.
My biggest never-again? Wearing all-black in a heatwave.
Picture the scene. It’s August 2012, I’m almost nine months pregnant and strolling home after going on maternity leave, wearing a black, silky cotton tunic dress.
It was a hot day. Black absorbs heat and my dress made me feel hotter still. So hot, in fact, that my vision began to blur. The next thing, I’d fainted, landing on my left arm to protect my baby, and bending my right ankle at such an impossible angle I broke it in three places.
That night I had surgery – awake – to insert a metal plate. I even ended up in the Daily Mail!
Since then, I’ve avoided all-black on the hottest days. And as summers get hotter, avoiding it isn’t just style advice, it’s safety advice. Consider yourself warned.
