Dressing for success is important in every season, but when outdoor temperatures soar, choosing appropriate clothing for work gets tricky. You want to look professional once you arrive at work without showing up in a sweaty mess. After all, it's no wonder sartorial blunders multiply during hot weather. From flip-flops to T-shirts, employees wear clothes during hot-weather months they'd never dream of wearing in winter. Use the following strategies to keep your attire looking polished and professional.

Well-Executed Layers

It's tempting to switch out heavier fabrics for lighter materials when the weather turns warm, but unfortunately, lightweight cottons, silks, and linens tend to wrinkle easily. Instead of risking appearing unkempt, wear a short-sleeved shirt or a sleeveless blouse in these cooler materials underneath and layer it with a crisply structured blazer or tailored cardigan. It's fine to place winter items like coats, hats, and knitted scarves into storage, but keep your best suits and jackets on hand for important business meetings and work-related functions.

Cool Colors

Light-colored attire keeps you cooler and is a fashionable choice for warm-weather seasons too. Wrinkles and stains are more apparent in pale-colored fabrics though. Therefore, pay extra attention and keep everything clean and pressed, so that you always look your professional best, even when the weather outside is sizzling hot.

Stay Loose and Natural

Choosing looser-fitting clothing is an easy way to stay cooler without compromising your company's dress code standards. Women can swap out pencil skirts for high-waisted circle skirts and trade skinny pants for loosely cut trousers. Men can wear slightly larger suits or unlined jackets. When possible, choose natural fibers over synthetics that don't allow your skin to breathe. What’s more, lightweight wool not only holds its shape, but can keep you surprisingly cool as well.

Look to Your Boss

The adage "dress for the job you want, not the job you have" applies in every season. Look to your company's top executives as examples for what's appropriate to wear in hot weather. If your boss isn't making fashion concessions when temperatures rise, it may be a sign that you shouldn't sacrifice professionalism for comfort either.