Dressing for Summer (Even When You Hate Dressing for Summer)

I love summer. Being, as a good friend called me, an amphibian, I'll take any opportunity to lay out in the sun and warm my cold, cold body. I love sunny day activities: long walks, and beach days, and eating dinner outside without wearing twelve layers and wool socks.

And while I love summer, I hate dressing for it. Passionately hate it. ALL CAPS HATE IT. As a lover of layers and a former fat kid, summer hemlines and swimsuits make me clammy-panicky. I really, probably, should have gotten over this by now, but my lack of current blog posts shows all of us, that I really, truly, haven't.

I've tried! I've tried to think of inventive ways to break rules that wouldn't make me seize up with angst. I've failed. (Mostly because the ideas themselves have made me seize up with angst.) So after a few weeks of this, I finally told myself, "GAH, REBECCA. GET OVER YOURSELF. JUST WEAR SOMETHING THAT YOU LIKE."

So, I did.

THE EVENT: Work, then a meeting with our wedding coordinator.

THE BROKEN RULE: None!

THE OUTFIT: Do you know what I hate? Sitting in shorts or a mini skirt in the heat, getting up to leave, and then sticking to whatever you're sitting on. Is there anything worse? For that reason, I love wearing midi skirts in the summer. They're still breezy, I'm not sweltering, but I'm also not sticking to my car seats. For this outfit, I paired this proposal-midi with a linen safari-print shirt, a 13-year-old straw bag (that's back in style!) and brown woven mules.

THE EXPERIENCE: My time in public in this outfit was just what I needed. I didn't feel exposed. I didn't stick to any outdoor seating. The linen shirt kept me cool. I still felt fun and summery with the safari print and pattern mixing. For all of my hemming and hawing about summer clothing, this outfit was just right.

THE CONCLUSION: If I'd used a different bag, I could have said this outfit was a rule-breaker. If I had, I'd be wearing no black. I'd be breaking the rule black is always best.

I could have worn red accessories. Then the outfit could have been my take on Independence Day style. I didn't.

This outfit formula (midi skirt + blousy top) has been my safe summer standard for awhile now, and saying anything else would have felt dishonest. So, I didn't break any rules. When it comes to summer style, I'm still working on that.