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| Lu Liu |
For women, showing off a bit of leg and midriff has been known to bring short-term career advancement, but over the longer term, too much bared flesh may raise doubts regarding professionalism.
If you want to stay cool and look stylish this summer, ventilation and breatheability are important, and this is best achieved through fabric selection — linen, light cottons, and fresco-weave wools are preferred — rather than exposing flesh. These fabrics allow air to pass through and are best bought in colors that do not trap heat.
For most other key issues for summer attire, the two sexes must be treated separately.
FOR MEN
The drape and airiness of a linen suit are perfect for hot Chinese summers. Steer clear of the classic lighter colors and go for beige or light gray to prevent soiling from dust or pollution. A blend of linen with cotton, wool, or silk, can ensure better drape and less wrinkling. Italian and English mills produce lovely linens in pinstripes, checks, and houndstooth that are both stylish and distinctive. However, linen may be a bit too informal for meetings outside of more fashionable industries like advertising and media.
If you work in financial services, consulting, insurance, and other stuffier sectors, wool in charcoal or navy is probably still the only choice. Thickness is all-important: tropical weight wools (8oz/230g) in porous fresco weaves, perhaps in a mohair blend, are essential for staying cool. Whether the suit is linen or wool, a half or quarter lining in rayon or silk is best. The polyester full linings used by most Chinese tailors will transform the lightest weight suit into a furnace of sweat and stickiness.
And naturally, if your male colleagues are relaxing the rules, then you can too. A light-colored cotton poplin suit is a good standby option. On a 40 degree-plus day, a lightweight shirt and cotton slacks should be enough. Just be sure to keep a sportscoat stashed in the office in case you are suddenly called to an outside meeting.
To accompany your lightweight suit, you should go for shoes that offer a slightly more casual, less solid look. Suede shoes are the preferred option for summer. These are best as cap-toes in tan, light, and dark brown. White bucks are tough in China, while spectators would be out of context. If you are reluctant to depart from the tried-and-tested dress shoe formula, opting for a tan or light brown pair in slimmer Italian lasts should force even the most conservative of male dressers out of out his black comfort zone.
Even with the men wearing such comfortable suits, air conditioners should be set to around 20 degrees Celsius to ensure productivity stays up. Evidently more ecologically minded Chinese white collars wear short-sleeve dress shirts to avoid melting in their 26 degree offices. Western men tend to regard the short sleeve dress shirt as best buttoned up to the neck and accompanied by a pocket protector, trousers jacked up to the armpits, and white cotton socks. If you do choose to go down this route, at least go for the rolled-up rather than short-sleeve look.
FOR WOMEN
There are strong indications that volume is a key trend for summer ’08. To survive summer in China, a retreat from tapering and tightness can only be healthy – not to mention modest. More relaxed trousers are gentler on the anatomy for both sexes, especially in humid conditions. Wide leg trousers are back in style, fitting summer’s relaxed vibe, but these really only flatter taller women with narrower hips. More democratic is the current waistline, after having risen for several seasons. High-waist skirts can obscure the true whereabouts of the waist, meaning even those with short legs can appear to have more favorable proportions.
The geometric prints and bright yellows that have recently appeared on fashion catwalks are best left outside the office. Although summer is conventionally regarded as a time for patterns, these can be distracting in a work context.
If you want to go for a special pattern, pick one accessory that will be the highlight of your outfit. This could be a silk scarf, belt, broach, or even a handbag. Other accessories can accent the color of this main one. Working women should lean toward soft pastels and lavender, blue and faded pinks. As a general rule, tone down the colors. Instead of purple or lilac, for example, choose a light lavender. Take coral over bright red. Winter is for more saturated colors because the heavy fabrics and accompanying dark grays and black can balance them out.
Unlike men, women can and should steer clear of the classic dark business colors which weigh down an outfit, making the wearer feel hot and often a bit dejected. Medium-to-light grays, beige, and cream are good suit colors. White suits and pants, beloved by so many women, appear perfect for summer, but are really best left for weddings and other special occasions. White makes fellow diners nervous that the oil from their dish might splash. Medium blue should be the darkest color for stockings.
It is hard to stay light, cool, and comfy in summer without turning to flip-flops. In China, women are lucky enough to have access to inexpensive pedicures. Still, these should only be worn on the way to the office, unless you’re off to meet the chief representative of Quicksilver or Roxy. Even sandals that reveal the entire toe are iffy, except for on dress-down Friday; a peep toe is fine. With capris or knee-length shorts, flats are best but round-toe heels work too. Those delectable ankle-length, nylon “pop-socks” so favored by female Cadres are good for protecting leather shoes, but should only be worn with trousers.
In addition to the pop-socks, women face countless potential attire-related pitfalls in the office. Summer is the season to embrace dresses and skirts, displaying sun-kissed skin. But don’t wear anything too revealing: all the lustful glances will count for nothing when you catch a cold from the icy air blasting from your office’s air conditioning system. Thus it’s best to keep a blazer or cardigan in the office.
With all of the thin trousers and tops, panties and bras should be skin-colored rather than black or white. And for those who really want to be sexy, showing collarbone is much more modest and alluring than cleavage or thighs.