Summer Date Night
Shop This Look: Crop Top | Pencil Skirt | Bag | Sunnies | Watch (similar)
| I used to love the summer.
When I was younger, summer meant the end of the school year, freedom. It signified seemingly endless days of water park trips, sprinkler play, and running street to street trying to catch the ice cream man for the second time before leaving the subdivision. The heat meant nothing! Sure it was hot, but a push pop and the wind in your hair while riding your bike was good enough to make sure you forgot the temperatures were in the triple digits.
But as I got older and looking attractive became something I cared about (not until college for me, really), T-shirt sweat rings were less and less acceptable. And when getting into the idea of dating, especially in the great southern state of Louisiana, I was terrified of anything layered, with sleeves and any material that turned even a slightly different color when in contact with water. After a lot of trial and error and some relatively embararassing wardrobe choices, I have finally nailed down my staples for a hot-weather date night outfit. As summer is settling in with a vengence here in the Front Range and the rest of the US in the last week I wanted to share my go-to summer date night look!
Even while married, date night is still a night I take seriously. I still like to dress up, take my time doing my makeup and perhaps something a bit different with my hair. But where my summer date night look is different than the cooler months is that it also has to be easy. Easy = light = cool. In the same way you switch your moisturizer to something lighter in the summer, we do the same with our outfits. Date night is not different. Where I used to have a great hang up is that summer clothing was often very casual. Denim shorts, cotton tanks, flip flops, etc. But for a white tablecloth dinner with the hubs, none of that will fly. Sun dresses are cute and can be dressed up, but are often very “daytime” appropriate. Think “brunch with mom”, not “looking like a snack”. And for date night, I prefer the latter. Enter the crop top and midi skirt.
A sure-fire way to be uncomfortable in my wardrobe on a warm summer night? Top coverage. When I’m at my warmest (like sitting on a rooftop deck in the 94 degree heat), even my Moscow Mule will not stave off the weighty feeling of a crew neck collar or short sleeves. It feels restrictive, oppressive and sticky. To combat this, my solution is often a thin strapped or halter crop top or body suit that shows off my “glistening” clavicles. Not only do you get to keep your range of motion, but when you manage to catch a breeze or create a fan out of the drink menu, it’s that much more effective at cooling. So with all of the goods on display on top, what does that leave for the bottoms? It’s a game of checks and balances: Balance the skin showing on top with a bit more coverage on the bottom. This midi pencil skirt is a little thick in material, but the added length provides just enough extra coverage that even though it is practically as tight as a second skin, it gives the impression of conservativism without adding excessive material or weighing you down. Rather than a pair of short shorts or a mini skirt, the midi also adds enough maturity that sharing a table with your networking contact after a surprise run in will not feel inappropriate. You are able to skip the layers by adding a bit more material to one you already have on.
...And if all else fails and you are just hot and miserable, set up a sprinkler on your street and wait it out until the wave breaks in September!
Dress Loudly. Love Loudly. Live Loudly.
Jenn