With an excessive heat warning lasting until Saturday, staying cool is going to be top priority. Here are a few tips on what to wear because going outside naked is not an option, even though it sounds pretty tempting. 

I don’t know about you, but I sweat. A lot. Whenever I’m consignment shopping for summer clothes I always have to keep in mind the possibility of a sweat mark. Have you ever sat in an unair-conditioned car in a silk dress? Cause I have and the results were embarrassing to say the least.    

To avoid potential embarrassments, these are the items I look for when I’m hopping around from one Portland consignment shop to the next:

Cotton! Cotton is a winner in the summer. Since it’s a natural fiber, it allows air to circulate. Hello ventilation! But keep in mind that it can shrink in the dryer so do your cottons a favor and hang dry them. In this heat, it shouldn’t take much time to air dry. 

This awesome cotton piece is available for purchase here.

Chambray is also a winner because while it may look like denim, it’s much lighter and airy which is perfect for those hot summer days.  

And my all time favorite….LINEN! I’m actually wearing a tangerine, off-the-shoulder, mini dress right now and it’s heaven. Because it’s a natural fiber it is super breathable. In my honest opinion, linen is the most comfortable fabric to wear during the summer because it’s breathable, comfortable, and awesome at moisture-wicking (goodbye pit stains!).   

This gorgeous Johnny Was linen top is available for purchase here. 

But, like everything, all good things come at a cost. Linen wrinkles just looking at it. I’ve tried many ways to fight the wrinkling and have come to accept that it is what it is. Since I know linen wrinkles to the touch, I look for items that flow more freely over the body like the dress I am wearing currently (which was a pdx resale shop find!) or a loose fitting top or skirt. So far, so good. 

Properly caring for your linens helps tremendously in the wrinkle department. If you iron, turn the garment inside out, spritz with water so it’s damp to the touch or while it’s still damp from the wash, and on the steam setting iron as you please. My go-to is the handy dandy steamer. There are plenty of handheld steamers out there that work pretty well. I personally like the Conair extremesteam handheld steamer; I'm pretty sure I found mine at Fred Meyer, but I’ve seen them at Target too. 

Another thing about linen is that the more you wear it, the softer the fabric becomes and the wrinkles become less pronounced. A great reason why shopping resale for linen is a smart idea because someone else already did some of the work for you. 

Rayon is also a good option for those warm days. It contains light fibers, which allows you to breathe and prevents fabric from sticking to your body. It’s soft and smooth, shiny, drapey, and breathable. It’s great for sportswear because of its sweat wicking properties. Rayon is a good option because of its ability to retain shape and it requires less maintenance. Some main types of rayon are: viscose rayon, modal, and lyocell.  

Check out these rayon baddies! Buy them here!

School time! Rayon was created to substitute for silk because of their shared qualities, but it is much cheaper than silk because it is a semi-synthetic fiber. What does that mean? Well, it means that it is made from natural materials but undergoes chemical processing. How basic rayon is made is that it originally comes from wood pulp either beech pine or bamboo, then the pulp is dissolved in sodium hydroxide, then the cellulose is treated once again, then dumped in an acid bath to solidify, and lastly the fibers are made and spun into the fabric ready to be sewn. Interesting, huh?  

Now, I will leave you with my last pro-tip… wear lightly colored garments! Wearing an all black outfit might look chic, but it feels like getting into a hot car that has been sitting in the sun all day.

And hats! Hats are your friend when that glorious summer sun is beaming down on you. So with that my friends, try to stay cool and don’t forget to wear that sunblock!

Till next week, 

Dre