Best Looks You Can Wear in Subtropical Humid Weather

Southern StyleThis post provides outfit ideas for subtropical humid weather. When you moved into a region with humid subtropical climate, or will spend your vacation or go on a business trip there, this post provides tips what to wear in humid subtropical weather for thermal comfort while still looking stylish. Read what fashion bloggers from the American Southeast wear to cope with the weathers, and get inspired by their best looks.

 

How to Dress for the Weather in the American Southeast?

I haven’t done a post on how to dress for the weather in a given climate region for a while. Posts in this series featured style bloggers of the Pacific Northwest, Texas, and the northern East Coast and southeast Canada. Today’s post features five incredibly stylish women from the South East of the US and how they dress for the weather down there.

 

Which US States Have Subtropical Humid Weather?

Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, eastern Texas, and the Carolinas except for the Appalachian region, fall in the temperate (mesothermal), subtropical humid climate zone.

 

Weather in the Subtropical Humid Region

In this climate, the coldest month has an average temperature between 27F to 32F (−3^oC to 0^oC) and 64.4F (18^oC). Furthermore, at least one month has a monthly mean temperature above 71.6F (22^o), and in at least four months, monthly mean temperatures are above 50F (10^oC). Precipitation occurs year round with no season receiving notably more than the other seasons, i.e. there is no distinct rain season.

The humidity in conjunction with high temperatures can make summer weather very muggy. High humidity with temperatures around the freezing point is pretty creepy. Especially, when you are used to pleasant daytime temperatures above 50F most of the year. Add some wind and it feels even colder than it is. Even in the Interior of Alaska, people fear wind more than 40 below.

 

Outfit Ideas for Subtropical Humid Weather

Now let’s see how some fashion and style bloggers living in the Southeast dress weather appropriately.

 

Susana Fernandez: What To Wear in Florida

 

Dr. Susana Fernandez lives in Miami, Florida, where the weather is quite pleasant year round because of the close ocean. The higher heat capacity of water than land leads to a slight sea-breeze in summer and keeps the weather mild in winter. She is the classic style blogger at A Key to the Armoire. Having lived in Latin America and Europe before coming to the United States, Susana is a quite multicultural woman and her style is a unique mix of classics with a twist that roots in these cultures. She sees turning fashion into style as a creative mean to provide her with an outlet for self-expression. Her Armoire is open…take a peek inside!

 

Robin LaMonte: How to Dress in Georgia

 

I e-met Robin LaMonte in the Fierce 50 community. See the post at the link to learn more about that community. Robin is the blogger at Hello I’m 50ish. Actually, she meanwhile is 60ish. She was a flight attendant in her 20s and 30s. Staying overnight in various cities of the World has taught her how to dress for the expected weather. Add an interior design degree earned in her 40s there is no surprise she creates great looks how to dress in Georgia.

 

Erica Bunker: How to Dress in Alabama

 

Erica Bunker, is the blogger at the blog with the same name. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama. She is a self-taught seamstress, burgeoning designer, wardrobe stylist and consultant. When it comes to get the best clothes for the climate she lives in, her personal style motto is: “Why buy it, when you can make it!” She believes in occasion-appropriate dressing. Consequently, she dresses weather appropriate. Even when it gets a bit chilly, she stays with celebrating her femininity (see the royal blue dress and the winter outfit). I haven’t seen one outfit of her so far that didn’t scream “Look at me, I am a woman!” When you are following my blog already for a while, you may remember that she shared her secrets on making your own clothes here on High Latitude Style.

 

Jonet Wooten: What to Wear in the Southeast in Winter

 

Jonet Wooten is the professional blogger at Fabulously Chic Over 50. All her looks are very playful as you can see in the featured photos. You really see the fun she has when dressing even when it is a little chilly in winter or unbearably hot and humid in summer down in the south. I love her all American Classic white button-down, suede leather blazer with jeans look.

 

Jessica Jamenga: How to Dress in North Carolina in Summer and Winter

 

Jessica Jamenga is the romantic style over 50 blogger at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish from North Carolina. She is a regular at my Top of the World Style linkup party. You may have seen her here on High Latitude Style also as an expert how to look stunning in red as a redhead. She loves the style of other eras as much as today’s trends. When it comes to dressing for the weather you can see her creating outfits with romantic elements of various eras. In all her romantic outfits, she always looks mature, and grown-up.

 

Patti Gibbson: How to Dress for Subtropical Humid Weather

 

Patty is another style blogger from Florida. She shows her second hand and other great shopping finds at Not Dead Yet Style. Her favorite city is the Big Apple. Therefore, you find clues from there in her Florida winter outfits. For my money, she is the Queen of pulling off Dr. Martens with a skirt or dress and looking incredibly stylish. How does she do that? Her style is so unique! You know the “Just show me the shoes, and I can tell you if it’s a photo of you” sort of style.

Getting dressed every day is good therapy. – Patty Gibson

 

Beth Djalali: What to Wear in the American Southeast in Subtropical Humid Weather in Winter

 

Beth Djalali, the style blogger at Style at a Certain Age, has an incredibly chic, classic winter style. She keeps her outfits in neutral colors – remember I consider red a neutral. When you are already a reader of my blog for a while, you may remember that she was featured in a post on how to create interesting looks in neutral colors.  In the photos above, you see that booties are a statement shoe rather than a Must in the typical winter weather of Georgia. A knit duster, chunky wool cable-knit sweater or blazer is all it takes to stay comfortable most of the time. A scarf is a stylish accessory, not a needed item in subtropical winter weather.

 

My Outfit Ideas for Subtropical Humid Weather for a Tourist

The following photos are from a spring vacation in southern Florida in 1991 . Downtown Miami was as great place from where to explore the Everglades, Ft. Lauderdale, the Keys, Orlando, and, of course, Cape Canaveral, a Must-see for every atmospheric scientist. I mean NASA launches weather satellites, right? Even though I didn’t see a launch, I saw an armadillo on this NASA campus and several alligators in Ft. Lauderdale, the Everglades and outside of Miami! Back then, I still was a graduate student working on my PhD. Therefore, many of my clothes were sewn from Burda patterns using fabric that was on sale. For the trip I packed a lot of cotton clothing (see photos below). I was there in March and had packed for the weather in Florida.

 

 

 

 

Outfits to Wear in Subtropical Humid Weather in a Nutshell

Fashion bloggers living in the subtropical humid climate of the American Southeast showed weather-appropriate outfits. To achieve thermal comfort light-weight cotton or linen fabrics are key in summer. Winter requires layering and/or wool-blended fabrics.

These principles can also be applied for how to dress in Mississippi, what to wear in Arkansas or what to wear in Louisiana. These states namely have subtropical humid weather as well.

 

Further Reading on Dressing in Different Climate Zones

Not living in the humid subtropics? What about how to dress for the weather in the Pacific Northwest, or what to wear in humid continental weather? Want to see your region featured here next? Let me know. Send me an email.

Are you registered for my email notification to let you know when a post goes live? I’d highly appreciate it if you take the time to sign up and ask your friends to sign up too!!

 

References

Kottek, M.,  Grieser, N., Beck, C., Rudolf, B., and Rubel, F., 2006. World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated. Meteorologische Zeitschrift, Vol. 15, No. 3, 259-263.

Mölders, N., Kramm, G., 2014. Lectures in Meteorology, Springer, New York.

Mölders, N., 2019. Outdoor Universal Thermal Comfort Index Climatology for Alaska, Atmosphere and Climate Sciences, DOI: 10.4236/acs.2019.94036

Mölders, N., 2023. Discover the Relation between Fashion, Fabrics, Weather, and Comfort. In press.

 

Photos: Courtesy to the featured bloggers with their permissions.

Graphic: N. Mölders

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