No sweat!

Summer brings out the worst in some wardrobes. Temperatures teeter between hot and unbearable, and being stylish may not top the to-do list. But should it? Absolutely.
So how do you beat the heat looking classy not trashy? Lucky for ladies, the sky is the limit (unless we’re talking hemlines).
“My personal key to staying cool is dresses, sandals — and cute earrings,” said Megan Sowell, manager of Private Gallery at 127 East Magnolia Avenue in Auburn.
Long, short, bold, or neutral, there’s a dress for every preference. For some, staying cool means snagging the shortest micro mini this side of indecent exposure. But Summer 2008 is all about hippie chic in maxi dresses, which allow you to stay cool and be cool. “It’s totally possible to stay cool in a maxi dress, depending on the fabric,” Sowell said. “Our longest dress is made of silk, which is very cool. It also has spaghetti straps.”

If a maxi dress is just too conservative for your tastes, hemlines are at extremes. Thigh-grazing dresses vie for attention this summer. The Buzz, 116 North College Street in Auburn, carries a wide variety of summer dresses, from very long to very short. Rachel Ravenelle, manager of The Buzz, said short hemlines are a take-home item for many shoppers.
Sowell and Ravenelle both agree, cotton is the best fabric to wear when temperatures rise.
“Cotton is very lightweight and breathable,” Ravenelle said. “Cotton dresses are really great for keeping cool in the summer.”
What happens if you’re tall and searching for a shorter dress? If you have self-respect, showing your butt-cheek folds probably isn’t an option. Rule of thumb: If the dress could qualify as a shirt, wear shorts underneath, or, Sowell says, try cotton leggings.
Can dresses alone be the be-all, end-all for summer sweating? Absolutely not. Certainly you know better than to traipse around in your furry snow boots, but to eliminate foot stink, open-toe shoes and sandals will do the trick.
There’s more than clothes to consider. Note the sweat-drenched hair phenomenon. Not particularly attractive, is it? Super-short cuts are an easy solution for the daring.
If your husband, boyfriend, or son is named Bob, turning him upside down will not help your sweaty situation. But an inverted bob will. Lyndsay Fukai, a stylist at Auburn’s Dimensions Studio, 164 East Magnolia Avenue, said this popular summer style is shorter in the back and gradually lengthens toward the front. Think R&B artist Rihanna or former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham.
Make the heat your friend — a sadistic and sometimes cruel friend, to be sure — by dressing to impress while keeping cool this summer. Whether you’re flashing the deuce in a long maxi dress, or showing skin in a skimpy skirt, keeping cool means you sizzle.