When temperatures hit 30°C recently, I found myself reaching for a Toteme dress that, on paper, shouldn’t have been my coolest outfit.

It wasn’t 100% linen.

It wasn’t even mostly cotton.

It’s predominantly viscose, blended with linen.

Yet it was one of the coolest things I wore all week.

That got me thinking about how often we reduce summer dressing to one simple rule: wear natural fibres. Linen. Cotton. End of story.

And they’re brilliant. But we sometimes overlook the fact that staying cool isn’t just about what a fabric is made from. It’s about four things working together:

• Fibre
• Weave
• Weight
• Cut

When all four are right, that’s when clothes feel effortless to wear—even on the hottest days.

So if you’re shopping for summer, here’s what I look for, both for myself and for my clients.

The Best Summer Fabrics

Linen

Linen is popular for good reason.

Its fibres allow air to circulate, absorb moisture well and don’t cling to the body. That’s why a linen shirt or dress feels so refreshing when the temperature climbs.

The downside? We all know linen creases—a lot.

Its relaxed, rumpled, I don’t give a damn look is part of its charm.

But if you’d like something that looks a little more polished throughout the day, don’t dismiss linen blends.

A small percentage of elastane helps linen bounce back into shape, while linen blended with viscose or lyocell softens the handle and creates a more fluid drape.

And drape matters. Fabric that skims away from the body allows air to circulate, often feeling cooler than something stiff that sits close to your skin.

Sometimes a tiny amount of another fibre genuinely makes a garment perform better.

Viscose (a man-made fibre… but not quite)

Viscose often gets lumped together with synthetic fabrics, but it’s actually a regenerated fibre made from wood pulp. It’s manufactured into fibre, so it’s classed as man-made, but it behaves very differently from polyester or nylon.

The important part? Good-quality viscose can feel wonderfully cooling to wear.

It has a smooth surface, drapes beautifully and often feels cool against the skin. That’s why my Toteme dress works so well. The viscose gives it movement and fluidity, while the linen keeps it airy.

As with anything, quality matters. A beautifully made viscose garment behaves very differently from a cheaper version.

Lyocell (TENCEL™)

If you spot lyocell—or TENCEL™, the best-known brand—it’s well worth considering.

Like viscose, it’s made from wood pulp, but through a different manufacturing process. It’s beautifully soft, drapes effortlessly and wrinkles less than linen while still feeling breathable in warm weather.

Many brands now blend linen with lyocell to create fabrics that have all the freshness of linen but feel softer and are less prone to creasing.

Cupro: Silk’s understated cousin

If you’ve ever picked up a dress that feels silky but isn’t actually silk, there’s a good chance it contains cupro.

(It’s pronounced coo-pro.)

Made from cotton by-products, cupro is another regenerated fibre rather than a true synthetic.

It’s smooth, breathable and has a beautiful fluid drape that skims rather than sticks. It also has a naturally cool hand-feel, making it a lovely choice for dresses, blouses and relaxed tailoring during the summer months.

Ramie

Ramie is one of those fabrics that often flies under the radar, but it’s incredible.

Made from the stalks of the Chinese nettle plant, it’s a natural fibre with many of the same qualities as linen. It’s breathable, lightweight and wonderfully cool to wear, but tends to hold its shape slightly better and has a subtle lustre that gives it a more polished appearance.

On its own it can feel quite crisp, which is why you’ll often find it blended with cotton or viscose to soften it and improve the drape.

If you spot ramie on a label, it’s definitely worth a second look.

Cotton isn’t just… cotton

We often talk about cotton as though it’s one fabric.

It isn’t.

The weave completely changes how it behaves.

Cotton poplin is crisp, tightly woven and slightly structured. It often has a subtle sheen, making it perfect for shirt dresses and summer tailoring that still feels smart in the heat. The trade-off is that it can crease quite easily.

Cotton voile is much lighter and finer. It almost floats away from the body, making it one of the coolest fabrics to wear when temperatures really climb. It’s my favourite fabric to wear on holiday. It does tend to be sheer, making it perfect as a beach cover-up or layered over swimwear.

Silk

Silk is known for its natural temperature-regulating properties, which means it can be surprisingly comfortable in warm weather.

Personally, I find I get too warm in 100% silk. But when it’s blended with cotton, it’s incredible. The cotton makes it practical and easy to wear, while the silk adds softness, drape and a subtle polish that pure cotton doesn’t always have.

It’s another example of how blends often give you the best of both worlds.

The weave and cut matter just as much

This is the part I think gets missed.

Two dresses made from exactly the same fibre can feel completely different.

A loosely woven fabric allows more airflow.

A heavier weave traps more heat.

A fluid fabric that falls away from your body will often feel cooler than something stiff that sits close to your skin.

And then there’s the cut.

An oversized linen shirt, a gently A-line dress or wide-leg trousers all allow air to circulate. Even the coolest fabric won’t feel particularly cool if it’s cut close to the body.

So what should you actually look for?

Rather than chasing a label that says 100% natural, consider the whole picture.

• Linen with a touch of elastane for fewer creases.
• Linen blended with viscose or lyocell for softness and drape.
• Good-quality viscose for dresses that move beautifully.
• Lyocell (TENCEL™) for a smooth, breathable finish.
• Cupro for that cool, silky feel.
• Ramie for a lesser-known natural fibre that’s perfect in warm weather.
• Silk blended with cotton for lightweight polish.
• Cotton poplin when you want structure.
• Cotton voile when you want maximum lightness.

The coolest outfit isn’t always the one made from 100% linen or cotton…

 

It’s the one where the fibre, weave, weight and cut all work together.

 

That’s what I look for every time I shop—and it’s exactly what I help my clients find.

Start searching by fabric rather than by brand or trend. It’s eye-opening what you discover.

I’ve just done exactly that, and you can browse my favourite summer finds here.

P.S. The right summer wardrobe isn’t about buying more linen—it’s about finding the right fabric, the right cut and the right shape for your body. That’s exactly what we do together in my styling sessions. If you’d like to stop second-guessing what to buy and build a wardrobe that works for you, you can book your discovery call here.