At this point, everyone could use a vacation. After an exhausting year and a half spent mostly indoors, doom scrolling social media and the news, you need to be on a beach somewhere. Somewhere hot.
But there’s a catch-22 with vacationing. You want to look your best, but the hotter a destination is, the harder that goal is to achieve. You want to hit the blistering beaches of Acapulco or the sweltering seaside clubs of Spain in style, but the hot weather has other plans.
In the wrong attire, you can wind up feeling sticky, sweaty and just generally uncomfortable in your skin. Luckily, you can make smart clothing choices that will have you feeling your best even in the extreme heat. In this post, let’s explore a few packing tips for looking great in hot countries.
All White is All Right
Darker clothes absorb sunlight (especially thin black clothing), which means they catch more of that sweat-inducing heat. On the contrary, light clothes – especially stark white items – reflect sunlight.
White clothes won’t keep the heat off you entirely (nothing can), but they can be an effective first defence against overheating. As a bonus, white clothes are pretty much always on-trend in the summer.
Merino Wool Is Your Best Friend
White clothes are alright, but if you really want to level up your look – and your heat-beating potential – go for merino wool.
Merino wool features several mechanisms to counter overheating. First, it’s sweat-wicking, meaning that it pulls moisture from the surface of your body and dispels it into the air. Second, Merino wool is also naturally antibacterial; it stays fresh for days (even weeks) on end in the sweatiest climates. Finally, merino is light and comfortable. Pack a couple of merino wool polo shirts, and you’ll be set for the sunshine.
Loosen Up
Thankfully, the skin-tight trends of the mid-2000s came and went. In addition to feeling restrictive, overly tight clothing doesn’t allow for much breathability.
When packing your hot-weather outfits, prioritize looser-fitting clothing. Additionally, choose materials –like the aforementioned merino wool – that are naturally breathable. Not every item of clothing needs to be loose and flowy (you may risk looking a bit “clownish”), but a couple of loose articles go a long way.
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Top It with a Trendy Hat
You know what never looks good? A sunburnt face. There’s a fine line between a rosy tan and a full-blown lobster-shell look, and you want to stay as far from that line as possible.
In addition to lathering sunscreen, pack a couple of trendy hats to top your outfits. This GQ guide is a helpful place to start and has styles to fit most sensibilities. Go playful and street-style with a back-in-fashion bucket hat, or master your “50’s vacationer” vibe with a cream-coloured Panama hat.
To recap, include white elements, loose elements and as many merino wool elements as you possibly can. Then, top the outfit with a statement hat. With your hot-weather wardrobe established, all that’s left to do is lounge on the beach and order another round.
