Given our national propensity for treating a night on the tiles like a thierry lasry night in a sauna, shedding the layers for happy hour shouldn’t be too much of a hardship. The truly difficult line to walk is that between beach and bar. You don’t want to turn up to a night event looking like you have come from sipping cocktails in the cabana – unless you have.
Steer clear of maxi dresses and bright, tropical prints and opt for something a little lighter and looser. H&M has some great printed dresses on its rails at the moment that are fully lined, meaning underwear needn’t be a big worry, but still light and airy, and great value at about €25.
Beach
Dressing for the beach involves one specific rule: less is more. This should not be taken in the Brazilian sense, where bikinis become thongs and, but maxi dresses are perfect for the beach (I suggest they are confined to same). They also allow thierry lasry sunglasses you to get changed into and out of your swimwear easily.
If maxis aren’t your kind of thing, a pair of elasticated, loose trousers and a dark tee will look chic.
"I think the whole market in general has made a turn," she said. "There are so many more techniques and amazing swim fabrics, which have different kinds of Lycra and spandex, and there's these great waterproof elastics that wear really well."
At Swim and Sport in Raleigh, N.C.'s Crabtree Valley Mall, assistant manager Lauren Sossaman says she has lots to show customers who want a one-piece that's not dowdy.
The store has Badgley Mischkas with plunging necklines, Kenneth Coles with geometric cutouts chrome hearts sale and Trina Turk monokinis, which are one-piece bathing suits with giant cutouts on the sides to mimic a two-piece.
With the breadth of styles now available, any woman can find one that's flattering, says Lynette Pone McIntyre, Lucky Magazine's senior fashion market editor.Of all of things we Irish are good at – sport, dairy farming, speaking Irish (but only while in Turkey and attempting to out-haggle the rug salesman) – dressing for hot weather is not one of them. Sure, we can pack a suitcase with the best of them, chucking four €10 maxi dresses from Penneys on top of our cork wedges and hoping for the best, but when it comes to terrestrial heatwaves, we fall short.
Either we’re seriously under-dressed in a bandeau dress with sparkly flip flops, or we’re adhering to the office dress code in polyester, sweating profusely through layers of tailoring. And while two weeks of hot weather a year isn’t exactly worth overhauling one’s wardrobe for, there are some simple items that are worth having, and whipping out in weeks like this one.
