In summer, dressing for the office is a challenge, in general, and during the muggy, hot days of August in particular. Inside the AC creates a chilly environment, while outside, it is too humid to even sweat. Read how to create looks for work during the Dog Days that address the problem.
- Prologue
- Which Fabrics Are Best to Wear in the Heat of Summer at Work?
- Skip Ironing with Jerseys
- A Sleek Dress Is Instant Style for a Summer Work Meeting
- Have a Matching Jacket
- Invest in Classic Sunglasses for Work Lunch Meetings Outside
- Wear a Cotton Blouse or Shirt with a Skirt
- Summer Work Meeting Outfit Suggestions
- Wrapping Up Looks for Work during the Dog Days
- References
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post.
Prologue
The dog days outfit ideas are for inspiration only. Modify them as need to stay within your HR-approved dress-code with respect to sleeve- and skirt-hem length, legwear, shoe style, and wearing leather.
Which Fabrics Are Best to Wear in the Heat of Summer at Work?
The heat and humidity of the Dog Days asks for light-weight fabrics that are breathable. Good candidates are hemp, cotton, linen, bamboo viscose, Modal, bamboo, and their blends.
Looking professional at work requires wrinkle-free clothing. Cotton and linen fabrics wrinkle easily. While wool fabric is wrinkle-resistant, it is not sun-safe, and not very suitable outside in the muggy conditions of the Dog Days. However, blends of cotton or linen with at least 5% wool are wrinkle-resistant too.
Single-jersey fabrics of cotton, linen, bamboo viscose, Modal, bamboo or hemp, when blended with Spandex and/or polyester, are wrinkle-resistant as well, and still breathable, even though the degree of breathability changes.
Sateen and satin weave feel coolest to the touch.
Skip Ironing With Jerseys
I am not a big fan of ironing in summer. It’s already hot, right? Therefore, I have a lot of jersey knit type dresses that won’t wrinkle during the commute or in the laundry. Wrinkle-free dresses are among my summer favorites for the office.
Tip: When your work dress code requires legwear, wear knee highs or stockings under your midi-dress to stay cool. Stockings have come a long way in recent years.

A Sleek Dress Is Instant Style for a Summer Work Meeting
Now that we know which fabrics are best let’s create some instant work outfits. A skirt suit or pantsuit seem just too hot on the commute to work during the Dog Days. A white cotton sheath with abstract floral print is great to stay cool, and look professional in a meeting on a hot summer day. Inside wear a light (leather) jacket when the office is chilly.

See the interesting hemline and neckline of the sheath dress in the collage above. A necklace would be too much. However, an abstract brooch works with an unusual neckline (see next collage). More on accessorizing with brooches.
Have a Matching Jacket
This advice sounds counter-productive. However, when the heat is on, the air condition is on. This means cold stress when the AC maintenance is not done well. Therefore, in a work place with business casual dress code, a jacket can keep you in thermal comfort and avoids catching a cold.
Tip: Have a cardigan or denim jacket in a neutral color, which works with most of your summer clothes, in a drawer of your desk.
Note: Adding a cardigan or even a shirt as cover-up is easier with a dress than separates.

A blazer does the trick when dressing in the corporate world (see photo later in this post).
Tip: An up-do improves the comfort of your neck.
Invest in Classic Sunglasses for Work Lunch Meetings Outside
Because at this time a year, the Sun is up the entire work day, you should have a pair of sunglasses handy that matches the vibe of your work wardrobe. You may need them for the walk to a work lunch meeting or even during lunch when the group decides to sit outside. Squeezing your eyes never looks professional.
Tip: When you have to spend a notable time outside for work wear-sun safe work attire.

Wear a Cotton Blouse or Shirt with a Skirt

In the look on the left, the red pumps and white background multi-color printed bag with studs add interest. While wearing all white in summer is an American tradition, European women consider all white outfits as too much work to keep the white crisp and wrinkle-free. Therefore, a white blouse or button-down shirt is as far as they will go for an office summer look. However, they may wear a white leather skirt with a 3/4-sleeve solid color shirt.
Summer Work Meeting Outfit Suggestions
Here some visual inspirations for professional looks to wear at a work meeting in summer.
Corporate Style Looks for Work During the Dog Days


Muggy Summer Work Outfit Idea for Casual Work Environment with Casual Friday Culture

Wrapping Up Best Looks for Work during the Dog Days
If linen fails to meet your work dress code, go for non-iron dresses, or separates with a matching cardigan or sweater to fight the AC. Have sunglasses for work lunch.
Learn what to wear when in How to Dress for Success in Midlife. Buy the book now.
When you are new to the team, check whether the unofficial summer work dress code is more casual than the official work dress code. In other words, take notice whether your most stylish female colleagues go a bit more casual than usually. If so, follow suite.
References
Mölders, Nicole (2019) Outdoor Universal Thermal Comfort Index Climatology for Alaska, Atmosphere and Climate Sciences, DOI: 10.4236/acs.2019.94036
Mölders, N., Kramm, G. (2014) Lectures in Meteorology, Springer, New York.
Mölders, N. (2023) Discover the Relation between Fashion, Fabrics, Weather, and Comfort. In press.
Photos: G. Kramm
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