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“I have meetings set up with clients in person for the first time in forever! I’m booking outdoor patio lunches for everyone’s comfort level. But I went to one yesterday and my carefully selected outfit was a sweaty, rumpled mess in the heat! Now that business is outdoors, how do I look professional but keep cool?”   —Cory from downtown Toronto 

Ah, the perils of overheating. Yes, summer looked better (or we looked better in the summer) in our lockdown fantasies ahead of the actual, steamy, sticky, often rainy reality. But I’m staying in the space of joy and hope, here: Isn’t it amazing to see so many people out and about? I have whiplash from the joys of people watching again!  

I learned the value of the advice below in my own experience last week. Giddy getting to meet a girlfriend, we went to a semi-cheesy Yorkville patio and ordered a real, honest-to-goodness classic ladies’ lunch: gazpacho, poached salmon, icy white wine: the works! I’d spent an uncharacteristic amount of time trying to come up with the right breezy outfit. Still, it took a small chunk out of my euphoria about the celebration when I felt so crinkled and soggy that when I got home I threw the carefully curated outfit onto the floor of my closet and shut the door on it. Take that, sweat-ball! 

So I am very into figuring this problem out for you, Cory. I rang up the always impeccably turned-out Jessica Panetta. The fashion and beauty PR and events specialist is now also an on-air fashion expert with a top Canadian morning show. Clients at her firm, Conceptual Events Society, have included Canadian design stars Lesley Hampton, Wuxly, plus international labels Giambattista Valli and Armani Beauty, and include socially progressive startups such as Rubies, a fashion line for transgender girls.  She has also dressed celebs for high-pressure red carpets such as the Junos and Emmys (and helped get Elaine Lui into her Hampton gown at the Golden Globes that went viral) so she knows from sweat-inducing circumstances.

“I can totally relate!” she says. “We’ve all been on a patio literally melting. In PR you have to be pulled together and polished to meet with clients.” The most important thing to remember, says Panetta, is “the person with you is melting, too.” Her first tip is to use colour to your advantage. Winter’s go-to basic, black, is not a great choice for patio meetings. “It absorbs sun, we forget that.” White, on the other hand, helps repel sun to keep you cool, plus it looks effortless and chill. But Panetta’s real patio preference is colour. Colour looks summery, she says. Colour is a mood lift, and if you feel good, you look good.

In general, patio meetings call for a less formal dress code: No one expects anyone to wear suiting right now. You can opt for a loose-cut blouse or dress or a shift dress or to avoid the tight, sticky feeling of more fitted items, but you still need to keep the look as crisp and tailored as possible. Panetta suggests adding a belt for instant polish, if only for your meeting (you can slip the belt in your purse after and be free again!).

Now for the shoes: heels just feel like too much too soon, don’t they? Panetta recommends colourful slides this summer. They are fun, and more pulled-together than earthier sandal styles. They add a pop of colour to your outfit, and they elongate the leg if they have a small heel, such as sky-blue the ones below, from Brown’s. “You need a comfortable shoe to walk to work in, then wear out for dinner. Remember,” she adds, “if your feet are uncomfortable, you are going to focus on that, and you will feel hotter.” Not hotter as in hot vaxxed summer, but hot as in throwing your rumpled clothes on your floor in disdain.

Another heat-beating accessory Panetta has deployed is the hat. “Old me would not have been caught dead in a hat,” she says, “but I don’t want to do my hair right now.” Hairstyles tend to go to hell in a handbasket in the humidity, anyway. “There is a style evolution happening for all of us, right now. The old rules, even our own personal rules, don’t apply.” Plus, a hat has further practical uses: It helps you keep cool in the beating sun, and protects against sun damage on your face. So, this summer, it is function ahead of fashion. Still, you can find something cute: “It’s a chance to coordinate with your outfit,” says Panetta. She has picked up a variety of hats from Holt Renfrew, and Printemps Paris (online), plus, for more casual meetings, bucket hats from Hoi Bo, by Sarra Tang, which has a boutique in the Distillery.  (Panetta also points to the linen shift dresses from Hoi Bo as summer lifesavers; they come in many shapes, from high-neck halter to tunic minidresses, in pretty shades of rose and gold and sky blue.) 

Panetta started her career as a teacher, and that skill set is something she continues to draw on to this day. “To paraphrase Tom Ford,” she says, “dressing well is good manners.” I believe you show respect for the job, and for the people you are working with, when you dress the part and look the part.” We instinctively attribute capability to people who make the effort to dress carefully, and laziness to those who don’t fuss about the details. For Panetta, “when I put in a little effort, mentally it puts me in that place, it gives me confidence.” A little planning (and maybe a little shopping!) will get you into a cool and confident patio mindset. 

 

Shop the Advice

Keep cool by keeping your colour palette on the lighter side and your clothes loose but tidy

 
Hoi BoHoi Bo dress, $298, hoibo.com
 

An easy, breezy breathable summer linen dress from Canadian brand Hoi Bo.

 

ZaraZara dress, $79, zara.com
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This dress ticks all the patio-meeting boxes: loose fit for comfort, light colour to reflect the heat, enough arm coverage to keep things professional, and a belt to keep the look neat and polished.

 

MadewellMadewell shirt, $69, nordstrom.com
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The perfect loose and cool shirt, with some arm coverage and a tailored vibe. Tuck or belt for extra polish. In sizes up to XXL.

 

The Wishbone CollectionThe Wishbone Collection slides, $118, brownsshoes.com
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A cute, chic way to put a fresh foot forward. And a great way to show off your new pedicure. 

 

CaudalieCaudalie Beauty Elixir Mini, $22, sephora.com
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A purse-sized lifesaver. I carry one of these classic fave sprays everywhere to freshen up on the go. Instantly cooling and reviving, plus it smells really great.

 

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