I got that summertime, summertime...sweatiness
June 16, 2018 1:10 PM   Subscribe

Plus-size ladies of AskMe, what's your summer "uniform"?

In the interest of decluttering my small house and simplifying my closet, I'm looking for an Official Summer Uniform. For instance, my Winter Uniform is basically the Han Solo--vest or cardigan, long-sleeved shirt or sweater, skinny pants and tall boots. This works very well for me, and I have an small assortment of tops and bottoms that combine well and are comfortable to wear.

However, I haven't had the same success creating a Summer Uniform. I live in Minnesota, so the large majority of my wardrobe is cold-weather based, and I generally dislike summer clothing anyway. My style is pretty casual and not overtly girly, but I'm fine with dresses, skirts and the like. I'm also a nursing student, so I don't care about corporate workplace appropriateness (hooray!).

Here are some additional weird details, if they help:

-I'm plus-size (anywhere from size 20-24) and fairly tall.
-I'm ultra fair and sunburn easily, so I do try to go for a decent amount of upper-body coverage (so, no tube tops or off-the-shoulder stuff, which is unfortunately everywhere right now).
-I don't mind exposing my arms, jiggly though they are, but I do prefer tops and dresses with bra-friendly straps.
-I have fat sausage legs, but I wear shorts anyway because NO1CURR.
-I'm recovering from thyroid cancer treatment and my body temperature regulation sucks, so anything super-tight or totally unbreathable is probably not my favorite.

Can y'all help me out? I gotta clean out my closet soon!
posted by timetoevolve to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (24 answers total) 32 users marked this as a favorite
 
I’ve been wearing beach trousers that are a slim fit or taper at the ankles and tops (tank or t shirt) and slip on shoes. Most trousers seem to come in viscose which doesn’t make me hot.
posted by catspajammies at 1:23 PM on June 16, 2018


Best answer: Fellow plus-size (20ish/2X) Minnesotan here. During the summer, I wear linen pants from Old Navy almost every day, usually with a tee from Lands' End (which are boxy but at least I don't feel like they're going to disintegrate on washing).
posted by Janta at 1:34 PM on June 16, 2018 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Try loose, flowy linen pants (or skirt) with a linen or modal tunic? Linen is awesomely comfortable when weather gets hot, looks good even when it naturally gets wrinkled during the day, and can easily be dressed up or down.
posted by vers at 1:35 PM on June 16, 2018


Best answer: Two types of outfits get me (size 20, fair, easily overheated, live in a hot desert climate) through the summer:

1. Light tech-fabric pants or crops (the kind usually intended for hiking and outdoor adventures, but Columbia makes some that don't look so hikey) + tank top + breezy overpiece or short-sleeved button-up, unbuttoned. Looks cute, keeps me cool, versatile through lots of different situations.

2. Maxidresses. I'm on the short side so they don't look quite as cool and elegant on me as they do on even slightly taller folks, but as you said, NO1CURR. They're SO comfy. You can get them super plain, fancier, or dress plainer ones up with accessories. They look cute with all sorts of shoes. They double as swimsuit coverups. I especially like them when I'm sunburned and don't want anything touching me, so they might work well for you on that front, too.
posted by rhiannonstone at 1:41 PM on June 16, 2018 [2 favorites]


I like A.N.A. tanks (thin but at least somewhat durable), shorts, and sandals in the summer.
posted by ball00000ns at 1:46 PM on June 16, 2018


Best answer: Skirt, T shirt, Birkenstocks. I hate wearing pants.

My favorite source for skirts is Decent Exposures because you can pay for pockets. They don’t make their clothes until you order them, so you can adjust length too or anything else you want to. I get everything in solid colors and sometimes throw on a necklace or scarf. I had a previous Ask about shirts, and someone here turned me on to Woman Within. Come to think of it, I found Decent Exposures through Ask as well. I haven’t had as good luck with their tops though.
posted by FencingGal at 2:15 PM on June 16, 2018


Best answer: Canadian here. My favourite sources for plus size summer dresses are Cherry Velvet and Blue Sky clothing. Blue Sky also has some basic skirts, leggings, and tunics that are very comfortable. The basics are all bamboo.
posted by crazycanuck at 2:49 PM on June 16, 2018 [1 favorite]


This is where dresses become your best friend! If you have chub rub issues then Amazon is full of amazing products from creams to shorts so you can figure out what works best. But seriously one summer I switched to dresses and I haven't put on pants since! Check out Torrid on eBay, lots of styles and a lower price so you can see how you like em!
posted by masquesoporfavor at 3:40 PM on June 16, 2018


I may have been the previous Decent Exposures fan - I just got my summer update order of 2 replacement skirts in their lightest fabric (I go to their regular weight cotton in the winter) and I'm loving it. Probably not relevant for you since you're taller, but they will hem on request. (I am very short, and get skirts in calf-length, hemmed to 26" which is great for me, and such a pain with other places.)

I also have temperature regulation issues, and I bounce between Woman Within and Land's End for plain cotton knit shirts. I find anything that's not 100% cotton (or rayon, if it's a reasonably breezy cut) makes me overheat too much, though a small percent (5-10) lycra or similar can be manageable.

One more worth mentioning: Svaha does science-themed dresses, many with sleeves, and all with pockets, plus shirts and skirts. They do regular sales or discounts through their newsletter and site, too. They also do cardigans, with pockets, which are a relatively recent line they've added. (I do need to size up with them: I'm normally a 2-3X, and the way their stuff fits my body, I go for a 5X so I don't feel it's too bodycon.)
posted by modernhypatia at 3:43 PM on June 16, 2018 [4 favorites]


Short sleeve “loose-ish” tee (from like, H&M), midi skirt with stretch waistband or otherwise comfortable fitting waistband, sandals.

Long-sleeved tee (for the cool summer nights...) denim cutoffs, sneakers, a jacket or sweater for if it’s too cold.

If it’s super hot, one of the above with a sleeveless tank and a denim jacket I can take off if I’m dying and don’t care how I look.

Viscose/Cotton/linen blend summer trousers, whatever shirt (a button up or a tee works). I buy a lot of white tees from a Everlane, they feel very lightweight and cool while still being opaque.

Comfy dresses. A lot of my summer clothes are like H&Mish so I don’t worry about sweating the eff through them.
posted by stoneandstar at 4:24 PM on June 16, 2018


J Jill linen crops and pants and linen short sleeved camp shirts. The latter I got from L.L. Bean, Talbots, Chicos, and J. Jill. They're not offered this year, so if I need any I'll go to eBay.
posted by jgirl at 5:59 PM on June 16, 2018


I love a skort. Makes my legs look nicer, and gives a dressier look when I'm out and about. And really helps with the chub rub. Columbia and Cabelas have nice 1x and 2x sport fabric skorts and there are all types on Poshmark and Ebay.
posted by PJMoore at 6:44 PM on June 16, 2018 [2 favorites]


T-shirts or tunics + capris + birkenstocks
posted by heathrowga at 7:16 PM on June 16, 2018


I am a plus size lady and I am all in on maxi dresses and midi dresses this summer (I am very short so midis are almost ankle length on me). Nice and breezy and most of mine cover bra straps and are work appropriate (I own this old navy one in four colors, seriously). I wear Jockey slipshorts under them but you may not need to.
posted by leesh at 8:06 PM on June 16, 2018 [2 favorites]


I’m in Minnesota, too, and I basically wear a loose, swingy dress over leggings every day. (Although it may have been too hot for leggings today.)
posted by heurtebise at 8:18 PM on June 16, 2018 [1 favorite]


Best answer: For normal summer days I wear cotton or some slightly sportier hiking material capris (the Sonoma brand at Kohls, in the plus size section, and they're generously cut so I usually go down a size in them) + a v-neck t-shirt from Land's End, because those shirts hold up incredibly well.

For very hot summer days it's an a-line dress (from Land's End or the Kohls Apt 9 brand) + Jockey slipshorts because chubrub is the devil.

For lazy weekends it's short yoga capris + tunic or t-shirt that covers my ass.

The footwear of choice for all three variations is Spenco flip-flops because now that I'm 40 orthopedic flippies are where it's at.
posted by TwoStride at 10:03 PM on June 16, 2018 [1 favorite]


Jjill has come out with knitted linen short sleeved tops in recent years.

77-85 f I wear linen(sometimes blended with cotton)pants, hotter than that I wear shorts. Both men's (my waist isn't much smaller than my hips) because pockets.

Decent exposures makes cotton pointelle bras and Jockey came out with cotton pointelle panties in the last 2 years.

Monistat antichafing gel slathered on my inner thighs if I have to wear a dress.
posted by brujita at 11:02 PM on June 16, 2018


Best answer: Last summer I discovered jersey swing dresses and I love them - they are loose, cool, and flattering on all body types. I have several colors from Old Navy. And if you look at my posting history, you’ll see I asked a question about where to find them in other colors and got some good responses. You can also wear them with leggings and a cardigan in the winter.
posted by lunasol at 6:47 AM on June 17, 2018 [1 favorite]


I am also tall, size 16 /18 , and I wear Capri length yoga pants / sweats / leggings - you can get them pretty much anywhere - a big long t-shirt or tank and, this is key, a men’s XL or XXL light colored cotton dress shit, unbuttoned, with the sleeves rolled up. The length elongates your silhouette, the woven cotton keeps the sun at bay and it dresses up what is basically shorts & t-shirt to wear anywhere levels. I buy them at thrift stores.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:22 AM on June 17, 2018


My summer and winter uniforms are basically the same. I have a bunch of knit day dresses. They all have sleeves because I do not love my arms and are at least mid-calf length because I do not love my knees. A few are winter-weight, so I only wear them in the winter, a few are quite thin so I only wear them in the summer, but otherwise, they pretty much all work for all seasons.

In the winter, I wear them with clunky shoes (or boots until I get to work and replace the boots) and thick tights. In summer I wear them with less clunky shoes and bare legs with spandex shorts underneath. For each, there is a necklace that I prefer to wear with it if I remember to put one on.

Dresses are super simple, you don't have to match them with stuff, and they always look appropriate for basically anything. I can move and bend over in them without them getting inappropriate because of the length. They have relatively free swinging skirts and are knit fabric so they move well and don't restrict what I can do in them. Any potential inappropriateness is covered off by either tights or shorts depending on the season. The tights and shorts also take care of thigh chaffing, which is actually why I wear them.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:53 AM on June 17, 2018


I'm short plus size chic down in Florida and I've been literally living in long-ish flowy tunics like the URBANCLEO Womens Basic Sleeveless Elong Tunic Tank Top. They are relatively cheap, wash up like a dream, never wrinkle. I occasionally wear a cami underneath. The only warning I have is that they hate grease and will stain from something really oily, but all that means is they are then relegated to "house only" wear and I toss when they get too bad.

I usually pair them with skorts. I've been digging the Cooling Woven Skorts from LaneBryant. A little pricy but dang, I could (and occasionally do) wear these every day.
posted by porkygrrl at 4:35 PM on June 17, 2018


I'm a 20ish and pear shaped and live in skater dresses in the summer. I do CowCow, because cheap novelty prints, but you may find those not breathable enough (they're a heavier knit material).
posted by joycehealy at 7:40 PM on June 17, 2018


Super loose linen dresses! I have a couple Flax ones that are really versatile in their simplicity. They’re easy and breezy and just great.
posted by marlys at 9:29 PM on June 17, 2018


I am tall and plus-sized, and my summer uniform is pretty much entirely Old Navy swing dresses. (heck, they are my year-round wardrobe! Long-sleeved ones with tights or leggings for cold weather, short-sleeved ones with Birkenstocks for warm weather.) They are comfy, easy to care for, cover my arms, and look cute. Plus you can get them on sale pretty often, so you don't have to pay a ton.
posted by sarcasticah at 8:56 AM on June 18, 2018


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