Date: 7/31/09 0:33 AM

I absolutely have to start looking more professional on the job (college instructor), and I'm just so sick of wearing some type of knit. Our temperatures outdoors and in make wearing most suits pretty miserable. By mid April, I have to put away my blazers until October.

I'm hunting for more fabric choices for my tops and bottoms. Think:
Professional in appearance (not quite the lawyer level, but close)
Something that can withstand wearing at least 1 time per week
HOT weather (high 90s EVERY day - my son was in the backyard swimming pool on New Year's Day type of hot)
MUGGY weather (super high humidity - practically raining)
Natural fabrics work better for me.

I'm intrigued by silk, hemp, bamboo, but I'm worried about the "professional" aspect. If there is a silk, what type?

I've been doing linen (works well, but I have to iron with plenty of starch) and a few tropical weight wools (really, still too hot), and some cottons (not very professional, but really comfortable).

My only fabric sources around here is Hancocks, and I'm still wondering why they are featuring corduroy and synthetic suede right now....

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Reply to marjoryt
Date: 7/31/09 2:05 AM

What are other instructors wearing (the ones who look professional?)

I'm a software developer so I can get away with murder. If I want to dress professionally on a hot day (I live in Georgia) I often wear a dress made of lightweight silk chiffon. It's a wrap dress and the fabric is mostly black with a small print.

I also like chinos - either khaki pants or a khaki trouser skirt. I have a pair of black pants that seem to drape well - I wish I knew the fabric as it never feels too hot but again has that silky drape ... I bought them at Talbots and they hold up well in the heat.

Mary

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Mary

http://checkmatesystem.com
visit my friend's blog http://southerncountryelegant.com

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Reply to marjoryt
Date: 7/31/09 2:51 AM

Have you tried silk jersey (dress, top)? I know it's a knit, but it definitely looks really polished, it breathes and it's super comfortable. I would go for cotton voile too. And silk chiffon.

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http://www.jazz-couture.blogspot.com/
Before joining PR: 1 sewing machine
Since joining PR: 6 sewing machines, kilometers of stash and tons of fun

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Date: 7/31/09 4:52 AM

I live in Houston, TX so have the same problem and can really relate! I really like bamboo/cotton jersey from fabric.com in many colors for the tops - I'm making some drape-neck tops either with flutter sleeves or cap sleeves to wear with linen suits and also as surplice tops. Bamboo wicks moisture away and is naturally antibacterial, and the material looks and feels silky and has a bit of the same sheen to it.

For dressy pants/skirts/suits, linen/cotton blends can look like linen but not wrinkle quite as much. Fabric.com also has some tropical hemp/cotton that I got a sample of, which doesn't wrinkle as badly as linen but looks just like it. Cotton/silk blends also can look like linen but not wrinkle like it does.

I'm also going to use linen to make some of those jacket/shirts like Simplicity 2645, but will make them short-sleeved.

I have also decided that it's just too hot here to worry so much about wrinkles - if the pants/skirt fit well and are made of linen, then people will know it's linen by the wrinkles. If you're not comfortable with that, though, I believe I read in one of the fabric books that you can decrease the wrinkles in linen by lining (or underlining?) with silk organza.

There are actually some cottons and some silks that are woven in such a way as to look similar to linen or wool suiting. I've been looking at these at Fabric.com and at Michael's Fabrics (currently many of their fabrics are 50% off, which makes some of them doable for me).

I'm also making some simple pull-over tops to wear with the suits which have almost no sleeve at all and are a princess-seam top. These take less than 1.5 yards, so I'm going to make some of silk and some with the bamboo/cotton jersey underlayer with an overlayer of lace.

I hope that helps - I really like that bamboo/cotton jersey. It's VERY lightweight, silky, and comes in many beautiful colors. I tell everyone that we have 10 months of summer here, and I suspect you do the same :-).

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The picture is of my dog, Hailey - I'm usually the one taking the pictures, so have no recent ones of myself!

Keep smiling - smiles are free, and make the world a happier place to be!

http://tsewcrazy.blogspot.com

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Reply to marjoryt
Date: 7/31/09 5:23 AM

What about a basic cotton blouse and/or dress? 100% cotton fabric with no lycra in a basic but professional style (think classic shapes), and not too fitted so you get some air flow. I find cotton woven fabrics are often the best in really humid weather and I think in the right style they are very professional. More so than knits.

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Belinda. Melbourne, Australia
http://sew-4-fun.blogspot.com/

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Reply to marjoryt
Date: 7/31/09 6:05 AM

Classic sheath dresses looks very professional IMO. Very simple and elegant, especially in solid colors, not too fitted/tight and with classic pumps. Easy to sew too, and don't use much fabric. Make one for every day of the week and a couple to spare. Can be jazzed up with brooches and/or silk scarfs. Jacket is not nessecary, but if you must cover your upper arms, then make a short sleeved bolero or two, or make the dresses with sleeves in as short a length as you are comfortable with. I personally think wrinkled linnen looks just fine, but a linnen/poly blend would wrinkle less. Silk would be too hot, I think. A good quality cotton with some structure would be just fine as well. Quality is key.

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Date: 7/31/09 10:29 AM

I teach college and in general, college instructors have a lot of flexibility in what we wear around here. (FYI- I teach at one of the largest schools in the country in the humanities.)
One of the biggest challenges I have is the temp fluctuations in various buildings. One building may have the air cranked so high, it borders on freezing (I've seen my air inside in August!). And the next may have no air and windows that won't open. And then another might have a ventilation problem with the heater blowing. So all year most of us layer light base layers with some kind of jacket, sweater or over blouse to adjust as needed.

If you want/need to dress more professionally and want/need color options, skirts or dresses are usually cooler than pants. I like a crinkled cotton gauze as an overblouse. It is cool, light, breathable and meant to be wrinkled so it looks good even as the heat and moving around campus takes it toll. Over a pretty camisole-blouse with straps wide enough to cover the bra completely and a higher neckline (say right at collarbone) in a breathable woven or knit (cotton, silk, linen) with an a-line skirt should look professional and keep you cool. Lighter colors will help too.

A pattern you might like is the parfait jumper/dress from colette patterns. Several reviewers here have had good luck with it in cotton. Top it with a light weight blouse or bolero of some type or put a light cotton blouse under, and you should look cool and professional.
I would avoid poly- doesn't breath. A poly blend, if the poly percent is LOW, should be okay and will help avoid wrinkles. Perhaps best as a component of skirt fabrics?

Fabric.com has a bunch of performance knits available right now. They are meant for active wear but might work you. They are wicking and breathable fabrics. Might make a good cami, T or tank to go under a blouse.

Good luck!

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Reply to marjoryt
Date: 7/31/09 10:42 AM

cotton pique. it's cool and you can sew it in a style..say a sheath that does not hug the body too close..with a scarf, jewelery you look all set. dress in solid colors...it looks dressier..prints tend to look less serious. Do the monochromatic clothes and the contrasting add ons..shoes, scarf, big pin or necklace.

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sarah in nyc
www.sewnewyork.blogspot.com

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Date: 7/31/09 11:09 AM

Are you looking for tops or bottoms? This summer, I've been quite happy with the stretch poplin for pleated or A-line skirts. They make up quite crisp and don't wrinkle easily. My Hancock has had several colors all summer, usually $5 per yard or less. I don't think it would work for trousers, though. How are you with the basic button down shirt? Hancocks has some great stretch cotton shirting that is light weight and comes in traditional menswear looking pin stripes, as well as a couple solids. A nice white with a skinny black or navy pin stripe would make a camp shirt more profession.

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Date: 8/1/09 8:37 PM

My favorite summer pants are Loes Hinse's Oxford Pants, cut from pre-washed navy raw silk. I put them in a lingerie bag to machine wash, then line dry. I may hand wash future pairs to preserve dark colors. They need some pressing, but they drape beautifully and breathe. Perfect for summer occasions that call for long pants other than jeans or khakis. Way more comfortable than jeans in hot weather. I get compliments on them all the time.

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