Summer Casual Wear

I did a blog post last month on summer dresses. However, what I usually wear day to day in summer are casual clothes – chinos, shorts, tee shirts, tank tops or vests and maybe a tee shirt dress and a casual skirt such as a denim or cargo skirt.

If we want to look stylish in our 60s and beyond during the summer, it’s important to make sure our day to day casual clothes are in good condition and in colours and styles that flatter us. We don’t have to have the latest style in everything, nor do we have to weer just neutral colours all summer. Let’s look at these items of clothing in more detail.

Chinos

The material of Chinos originated in China and the trousers are typically made from 100% cotton twill fabric and are lightweight, making them suitable for spring and summer wear. They come in a variety of colours, although many people prefer neutrals in these as they go with lots of colours.

Shorts

For me, shorts are something I wear on holiday or in the garden, or maybe out for a walk if the weather is really warm. I would never wear them in a city centre – well, not where I live anyway. It’s important to get the length right. Too short can look cheap and tacky, too long can look frumpy. Tailored shorts look good too.

Tee Shirts and Vests

Everyone wears tee shirts and no doubt have lots of them. If they are showing signs of wear they need to be replaced. Make sure that if you have white tee shirts that they are true white and not dirty looking. Sometimes it’s worth paying a bit more for quality tee shirts that keep their shape.

Tee Shirt Dress

These are good for taking on holiday and can be dressed up or down so are a useful item to have. Usually made of cotton tee shirt material they come in lots of colours and patterns. The dress from Boden above is a good example of this.

Denim or Cargo Skirt

Denim skirts seem to be having a moment in fashion – particularly those with a split up the front. They make a useful alternative to jeans and can be worn all year round with tee shirts or topos in summer and jumpers in the winter. Cargo skirts, which are usually straight with pockets down the side are a good casual item of clothing.

Linen

I just need to mention linen items here. They can be dressed up or down but pure linen does crease and therefore would fall into a more casual clothing category. Linen, a natural fibre made from flax, keeps you cool in the heat.

One thing to avoid cropped trousers ending around the calf. They make you look frumpy and we want to avoid that! Instead go for 7/8 length, ending just above the ankle bone.

To all the above items of clothing you can add a denim jacket, a bomber jacket, a cotton twill jacket etc and don’t forget some jewellery too.