How to dress for summer

Yes, Vancouver is an extremely casual city. It’s a few minutes walk to the Seawall from just about anywhere and throughout the day runners, dog walkers and yogis are seen in droves. So much so that we were recently voted 3 worst dressed city in the world. Mainly it’s because of our so called love affair with Lululemon. Hey, I’m guilty of wearing my yoga pants outside of the yoga studio but only on the Seawall. I feel that’s acceptable. If I’m going for a walk with my dog on the Seawall and to the beach, you bet I’m going extra casual! That, however, does not give me or anyone else for that matter permission to wear the same thing into the city.

Unfortunately way too many others feel differently about that….  There is a time and a place for everything people! Realistically, I can even look past the awful yoga pants in downtown, I mean  we are surrounded by mountains and there is that ocean smell that sometimes wafts into the city, so really you kind of feel like you are on vacation. What I cannot look past is going out for a bite or a drink in ripped jeans or sneakers, or generally looking like you should be on the Seawall.

I’m not saying you need to dress up, but ladies, flip flops and tank tops? Has it really come to that, we can’t put on some decent clothing? I feel like every time I go to a restaurant, any restaurant, it’s a bit of a celebration of my time.  I want to show some respect to whoever is with me and to everyone around me. Simple.

I recently spent some time in Toronto and Warsaw (Poland) and not once did I wear exercise clothing or even want to wear anything remotely similar (well other than when I was working out). I attended a spinning class in Toronto and changed there, here in Vancouver, I would just wear my sweats to class.

This past weekend we went to Reflections for a pre-dinner drink. Let me start by explaining Reflections, it’s a really nice chi chi bar at Hotel Georgia. We have a few of these types of eateries in Vancouver, most places are casual but a few decidedly are not. My husband and I chose to dress up just a little bit, I wore a dress and some wedges and he wore a button down shirt and slacks. If it weren’t for the people who were attending a wedding we would have been the best dressed there (by far)!

We live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, how about we let that reflect in what we wear?

A few simple rules would be to choose lightweight fabrics. This will allow your skin to breath and to help keep you cool. Make sure they skim the body enough to give you shape but not enough to feel like they are sticking to you. Try wearing a straw floppy hat or fedora, this will protect you from the harsh sun and your face will remain in the shade. Drinking plenty of fluids will also help keep you cool not to mention well hydrated. So before walking out the door take some time and consider, how to dress for summer!

How do you dress for summer?

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