Fashion Cents

With all of the arguments over appropriate office attire, you’ve decided to trade in your typical work attire of t-shirts and flip flops (remember flip flops do not belong in the office) for the more traditional blue suit.  But as the weather heats up, you are starting to rethink this because you have forgotten how to keep your professional appearance “cool” under the heat.  You fear that you will appear nervous in a business meeting as sweat drenches into the armpits of your suit.

So here are 10 tips so they will never see you sweat:

1. Go Au Naturale: Wear natural fabrics.   Apparel made out of cotton, linen, and even lightweight wools, is breathable and will keep you cooler than most man made fabrics.

2. Keep it Light: Wear lighter colors.  Try a tan or other light color suit.  These colors will keep you cooler than their darker counterparts.  Darker colors absorb the light from the sun.

3. Don’t Button Up: Don’t put on your suit jacket (or tie) until you get to the office; especially if you use public transportation.  You never know how well or if the air conditioning will be working.  So wait until you get to the office to button the top two buttons on your shirt, tighten your tie, and put on your suit jacket.

4. Let Loose: Wear looser clothing.  Avoiding clinging and restrictive clothing under your suit will allow your skin to breath.  Men — Try heavier starched shirts that will keep their shape better and won’t cling to your body.  Wear slip-on dress shoes that will allow your feet to breathe more easily than they lace-up ones.  Also, wear cotton boxers and t-shirts without spandex to keep them from clinging tightly to your body.  Ladies — Try a skirt, skip the pantyhose and go for clean-shaven legs with sling backs or peep toes.  However, keep your shoes fresh and your feet from sticking to them by using no show foot covers, which are found in almost any store from Nordstroms to Walgreens, and made for a variety of shoe types.

5. Eliminate the Extra: Shave off and/or trim down extra body hair.  Also, clean off the back of the neck by wearing a shorter hair cut in the hot months or for women pulling it off the neck in a professional up-do or ponytail.  Hair traps heat and body odors.

6. Sprinkle a Little: Use powder.   Powders like Shower to Shower® are developed to keep your body feeling dry, fresh and comfortable throughout the day.  Shower to Shower® also claims to provide and invisible wetness protection that will prevent underarm stains and comes in a variety of scents for men and women.

7. Try Layers: Wear undershirts to absorb moisture and prevent sweat from showing up on your shirt, especially under the arms.  (Remember cotton only and avoid the spandex, tight fitting ones.)

8. Shield It: Wear disposable underarm shields.  When a t-shirt is not enough, try placing underarm shields inside your shirt or suit to catch the sweat.  These disposable items are a great way to eliminate underarm sweat.  You can find Garment Guard^TM disposable underarm shields in the intimate apparel section at Nordstrom’s or online at www.garmentguard.com.

9. Go “Tox It”: That’s Botox it.  When injected into the armpits or palms of the hands, Botox paralyzes the sweat glands and prevents perspiration for up to 6 months.

10. Drink Up: Drink plenty of water.  Drinking water can help lower and control your body temperature, keeping you cooler.  For that matter, coffee lovers, try iced coffee drinks during those hot days.

I hope these 10 tips so they will never see you sweat help you stay fashionably cool this season.

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