Since at a picnic you are munching on all kind of stuff that might drip onto your clothes, go for an outfit in fabrics that are low maintenance with respect cleaning. The fabric should also be breathable as you do not want to be soaked in sweat. Wrinkle-free cotton is a nice option.
The style of your outfit can be a romantic, floral or a countryside inspired dress, jeans or a denim skirt with a button-down plaid shirt. Leather sandals, embellished thongs or clogs look great with all these options. Other great options are Bermuda shorts or capris with a girlie or floral top and ballet flats. Or go the European way and style them with a cap sleeve knit-top or a 3/4 sleeve striped top like Brigit Bardot.
On hot summer days convective clouds may quickly turn into thunderstorms. Thus, you should have a wind breaker or at least a cardigan handy for layering. After the storm the air cools down due to evaporative cooling and cold downdrafts.
Warning! In Europe, most picnics are on blankets, meaning grass spots alert! At most picnics in the US, people use deck chairs. The advantage of using deck chairs is that you can wear something more fancy like a clean bias-cut, a white dress (that you can wash hot) or a 40s inspired tea dress. Their big disadvantage is that embellishments, crochet dresses, jackets or tops can get stacked on the metal and end up ripped. Wood benches at a picnic place bear the same risk.
Great bag options for a picnic besides a basket are straw bags or fabric satchels. The bag should be large enough to hold sunglasses, wipes, sun cream, mosquito repeller, band aids, a tide stick in case of spills, and a jacket.
Hot summer heat often leads to swollen feet. Thus, flip flops, tongs, the trendy orthotic sandals or woven leather sandals are great footwear. All these options are easy to flip off when you sit down on a blanket.
Stay away from cut-offs, short shorts, tight skirts/dresses and mini skirts. They all bear various different kinds of risks when sitting down on a blanket or grass. 😉
For further inspiration here are some picnic suitable dresses that would look great on us 40 and beyond
Lauren Ralph Lauren polka dot pleated skirt with striped T-shirt, scarf, Chanel bag and plateau sandals (all own)
Jaeger dirndl with GNW paisley cardigan and statement belt
Lauren Ralph Lauren polka dot pleated skirt with floral geometric silk scarf, striped T-shirt with shoulder zipper details, and white studded flats (all own)
Oliveo leather shorts and Vintage Silk Hawaiian shirt for a picnic (all own)
Floral print patchwork sundress with suede wedges for a picnic
London boyfriend jeans with Carhartt T-shirt, Ray Ban mirrored sunglasses, cage sandals and painted silk scarf
For further inspirations see BBQ outfits.
What is your favorite picnic outfit and why? Send me an email with a photo or a link. You can also link it up to Top of the World Style tomorrow.
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Photos: G. Kramm (2015)
Copyright 2013-2016 Nicole Mölders | All rights reserved
