Summer work wear

For the month of June, I'll be posting 1 or 2 outfit posts a week on summer work wear. Why? Because I'm teaching during the month of June, and because summer work wear, especially in Texas, is not easy to figure out! First off, it's summer -- in Texas -- and that means it's hot and humid and I want to wear as little clothing as possible. Unfortunately the good people of my workplace frown upon showing up in shorts and a tank top. So the first requirement of summer work wear is that it needs to be cool and comfortable while still looking professional. The next phenomenon of the Texas summer workplace is that because it's very hot outside, the AC is always cranked up to the max inside. I can never go a whole class period -- never mind office hours -- without piling on the cover-ups. So the second requirement of the summer work outfit is that it needs to include a good cover-up that does not compromise the professionalism of the look. And the third requirement of summer work wear is a purely subjective one: I want it to be "fun" in some way. Summer is the time when I bring out my brightest colors or quirkiest prints. I want the outfit to be pulled-together and professional with just a touch that says, "I should be sipping an icy beverage with a tiny umbrella in it." For me, this mostly means wearing brighter colors than usual.

So, here's my first piece of summer work wear advice: get a great dress.

This is an R&M Richards dress that I got on mega clearance at Ross a few years ago. Let me tell you all the reasons this dress is the greatest: 1. It's made of soft, stretchy (but not clingy) t-shirt-like material, so it's comfortable and not too heavy in summer and not too light in winter; 2. The horizontal stripes formed by the fabric folds actually draw the eye to the smallest part of the waist, especially when accented by a belt. This is always a plus in my book; 3. Even though the dress is "body conscious," it never clings or looks too tight, because those same fabric folds distract and disguise the parts of me that I'd rather not draw attention to; 4. The neutral grey is neither too dark nor too light, so it looks great year-round; 5. It has little snaps with thread attached inside the shoulders meant to hold bra straps in place; 6. The shape says "business professional."

Here's the same outfit plus the "fun" and warm element. This open cardigan is lightweight, and is an almost neon coral-peach -- not a color I would normally wear any time but summer. It's hard to tell, but it even has a subtle tiger print in the weave pattern. The cut, however, is classic and professional, and, of course, it keeps me warm, but is lightweight enough to shove into my bag if I get too hot.

Both of these items are old, so I can't provide any shopping links for them, but of course, part of the 1-year-no-new-clothes challenge is learning to shop your closet. Maybe you have a dress that you never wear -- fear not! Dresses seem daunting for some reason, but the truth is, once you find the right dress, it's the easiest thing you can wear, because there's nothing to coordinate, nothing to tuck or layer -- you just put on that perfect dress and you're done. And that element of ease is perhaps the most important thing about getting dressed for work in the summer.