Summer clothing had me a blast

My journey to self care and self acceptance made me visit a few very obvious stops.

One of them was learning how to dress appropriately.

Last summer I started intentionally buying lighter outfits and I also dug out some dresses I bought and never wore.

Up until then, my go-to outfit was a dark pair of jeans (black or stone grey) and a nice, not too tight blouse in neutral colours.

This was not a work- related - London - inspired thing, these thoughts were there since I was a size 12 teenager.

I remember walking with my aunt one hot day wearing a denim jacket to cover my arms because I thought they were hideous back then. She was wondering if I was hot ,but I said I was not. It was 30 degrees and humid, it was hot. I was boiling, but I preferred feeling hot than wearing short sleeves or god forbid, a sleeveless shirt.

Moving near the coast and my journey to self care made me consider making a change in allowing the summer into my wardrobe instead of fighting and resisting it, knowing the summer always won and it was me boiling in my jeans that constantly lost.

I made the transition gradually. I started with buying light cotton trousers that were not exactly jeans but I felt more held together in it than the dresses I put in my closet.

I wore it first to a brunch with a friend, it looked very similar to my previous outfit so I felt comfortable enough to debut it and the great advantage was that I felt less hot than usual.

The fact no one at the restaurant said anything made me try it again and the next time I paired it with a colourful top!

And yet again, no one said anything or made any remark in my direction.

One very warm day this spring, I had to go to Portsmouth Harbour and I really wanted to wear a sleeveless dress. I did, but I kept my sweater on earlier during the day. Closer to lunch the temperature was so high I had to take my sweater out and lo and behold! No one arrested me and all the people that were around me on the harbour remained safe.

At the beginning of this summer I bought floaty skirts and trousers, but this time instead of keeping them in the closet, I wear them whenever I can.

And it feels great because I am not constantly hot and the floaty nature of my clothes makes even the hotter days bearable. It is not flattering as per the previous definition I had in my head, it is not slimming, but it feels cooler and more summer appropriate.

I am glad I made this transition, I am glad I can wear sleeveless shirts now although I am still not completely comfortable with this. I want to and this is all part of my journey, minimising the sound of the negative voices in my head and replacing them with positive ones.

Life is much nicer when you get to just pick a light outfit to meet a friend for coffee instead of dreading the thought of having to leave your house in the heat.

Hope you are enjoying your floaty dresses and proudly let the sun kiss your skin (with SPF of course!)

xxx Moranna