What to wear in a heatwave without going sleeveless
telegraph.co.ukL-R: Linen dress, £129, Massimo Dutti; Cotton poplin dress, £580, Three Graces; Tencel lyocell and linen blend dress, £89, CosThe priority is finding a material that is neither transparent nor designed to make you sweat: avoid man-made fibres like the plague and opt for thick cotton or even a sturdy linen – the latter sits away from the skin and allows that all-important breeze to cool you off.
Similarly, holiday dresses often come with halter-necks, which is all very well if you have a swimming costume on underneath, but which can look a bit ridiculous with an M&S bra, so look for a high-ish back and neckline.L-R: Cotton wrap dress, £200, Jasper Conran; Viscose tea dress, £165, Jigsaw; Organic cotton wrap dress, £225, GanniThen there is the question of sleeves.
At some point over the last few decades we all began to believe the myth that dressing for hot weather meant wearing the smallest amount of fabric possible.
That’s not actually true – it’s the tightness of the cut and the type of material that raises your temperature, not how much of it there is – and happily there are lots of work and bra-friendly dresses with proper sleeves.L-R: Gingham dress, £145, Kitri; Cotton blend dress, £425, Wiggy Kit; Poplin shirt dress, £195, Iris & InkWhen it comes to shape, nearly all women look better with a bit of definition around the waist, so look for a dress with a fabric tie or a bias cut over anything too tent-like.
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