My kids are back in school and I finally have my days to myself. I’m ready to get back to a regular work schedule instead of fitting it in here and there. To help me get in the mindset, next week (8/31-9/4) I’m going to get dressed like I work in an office even though I work from home. I’m going to post my outfit in the unflattering chat each morning and I’d love you all to join in. Post as many of the days as you like. Tell your friends!
I grew up in Mobile, Alabama, where summer temperatures were in the upper 90’s with a yearly average humidity level of 75%. I also lived in Miami for three years. Even still, the Midwest summer heat comes close and summer dressing usually involves just trying to stay cool. Most of the time, that means bike shorts and a tee, but every once in a while I’ll put on something different.
In the heat, I prefer to wear items that barely touch my body, expose some skin for evaporation, and go without a bra if at all possible (I know I’m lucky I can get away with this). There are certain times I know I’m going to just be sweaty all day and I try and resign myself to it. Here are a few times that I ventured beyond my summer uniform.
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From left: I bought this Ace & Jig top last summer for exactly this type of weather (it’s no longer available, but here’s the link). Barely touches the body? Check. Don’t need to wear a bra? Check. The pants are a very thin knit, I think they’re the off-duty barrel pant from Everlane, which is no longer available (similar up to 3X and from M-6X here). One of the items I purchased this summer are these jelly mules (similar) from Old Navy. I felt really guilty about buying them (fast fashion, not secondhand) — that’s a topic for another post. I get sweaty feet, so I added these inserts (I cut out just enough for the ball of the foot, so I have extra I can put in another pair). I forgot to take a separate pic of the necklace, but I bought it at the Tender Loving Empire store in the Portland airport. It’s from Han Made, who incidentally is here on Substack and has killer style (maybe we need a style story?)
I truly love this red dress (here’s a similar option up to 3X). It’s another fast fashion buy I didn’t feel great about, but I really love it so much. It can actually be dressed up or down. The only problem is that thin straps never stay on my shoulders. For the pool party we were going to, I had my son tie a piece of embroidery thread between the straps to hold them together, but I need to find a more permanent solution — advice welcome. Since I don’t want my sweaty thighs sticking together I always wear slip shorts underneath dresses. The plastic tote was thrifted from the Goodwill bins. (similar). After the pool party, we stopped by an antique mall and I bought the blue necklace — such a perfect match, right?
Geez, I guess this is a fast fashion post. The short red dress is a dupe of the Free People Hot Shot dress that I bought on (gasp) Amazon last summer. As far as hot weather garments go, it seemed perfect. There’s a full layer underneath with built in shorts so that you don’t have to wear a bra or bike shorts. Unfortunately, the bike shorts were too short to prevent chub rub for me, so I cut the inner part to just be a tank top and wear a separate pair of bike shorts. It’s still great for those super sweaty occasions, like taking my kids to Six Flags (in photo below). Here and here are dupes that come in sizes up to 3X and 4X. I got the blue shoes from Poshmark, they’re the brand Vionic.
I got the yellow dress on the right from Asos at the same time as I got the long red dress. It’s not the best for real heat because the neck is a little high and touches too much skin, but for a day sightseeing in Kansas City, it was great. As an aside, I love miniatures and Kansas City has the absolute best miniature museum I’ve ever seen (to be fair, I’ve only been to one other, but I can’t imagine anything outmatching this one).
The last thing in the photo is this bag that I previously rented from Rent the Runway, then rented again for my trip to Oregon this summer. Even though the discounted price still felt uncomfortably high for me for such a small item (it was half of the “buy” price listed, about $163), I decided to buy it for myself for my birthday. Despite the photos of other bags here, it’s been my every day bag. I’ve literally worn it every day since I bought it, and if I needed more space, I’d just toss it in a larger bag.
I’m an affiliate for Rent the Runway — use code RTRXDGILLESPIE to get 60% off your first month, making it about $66 for 10 rental items. Even before I became an affiliate, I believed that rental services are a great way to experiment with style, for one-wear items, or to get a big discount on clothing items you’ll keep. More on my experience with Rent the Runway and Nuuly here.
At least this image has a bunch of secondhand things!
I thrifted the Old Navy brown dress while on a thrifting trip to Austin. Here’s a silk version in sizes up to 3X (and usually runs a bit big) and at a really good price from one of the only reliably ethically made brands I know.
The patterned dress broke one of my main rules, which is not buying new clothes before a trip. Last summer, I was going to visit my family in Alabama, and it was even hotter than usual, so I felt like I needed another loose, no-bra option. To be honest, usually walking into a Marshall’s/TJ Maxx type store makes me feel a little nauseous. There’s just. so. much. cheaply manufactured stuff. Again, maybe more on this in a future post. However, I did find this very cute dress that fits perfectly and also keeps me cool.
In the middle is the short red dress from above, at the aforementioned theme park. I took my trusty Baggu bag with me to be able to carry a few more things.
Next is an outfit from longer ago — what I wore to an early round World Cup game in June, but it was an outfit that needed to be cool and functional. The shirt and shorts are thrifted, and I put an ask in my local Buy Nothing group to borrow some clear stadium bags. I couldn’t stand the idea of having to buy something to use once, since we don’t go to a lot of live events. Luckily, they came through.
Lastly, the brown dress again for a soccer practice.
What are your tips for staying cool in the heat?
*The one on the left is a miniature!
what's in my suitcase
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Jul 8
Quick post this week - I’m currently in Oregon for 16 days. We were in Portland for three days, and then moved on to Hood River, where my sister lives, for the remainder of the time. It’s been a while since I was away from home for this long, so I thought extra hard about packing. I recorded a video (~7 minutes) of my process to share with y’all.
summer outfit round up
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September 9, 2025
I realized I haven’t shared an outfit post since May, and in that time I’ve managed to collect quite a few photos. So here’s a round-up of what I actually wore this summer: nothing too polished, just a mix that got me through hot days, soccer games, and even an anniversary date. Paid subscribers will find links to the pieces that are still available at the end of the post.
neutrals are safe. color is scary.
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June 17, 2025
For much of my life, I’ve been a neutrals person. They felt easy. They felt safe. And for a long time, they genuinely felt like me.
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