Fabric is made from fibers made into threads or yards that are woven, knit, crocheted or felted.

Fibers for summer: linen, rayon, cotton. These all breathe. Wool and silk breathe too, but are both retain heat much more efficiently than linen, cotton, or rayon.

Best weaves for summer: loose weaves, or tighter weaves from thin threads, but the best of the later will be pricey. Summer weight wool is a thin weave of wool and can be a good choice for some summer clothing because of its draping properties. Silk can be woven to a gossamere weight, which is very thin and will not be warm. Gauze is a great summer weave, and crinkle gauze is one of the easiest-to-wear summer fabrics I know of.

Knits are almost always going to be heavier than wovens, but knits and crocheted clothes can be "loose knit" with big gaps, so these work well as a layer.

The tags will tell you what the fiber is. "Recycled fibers" will almost always be poly.

As for weave, just look at it and feel it. Does it feel heavy or light? Can you see through it? This is often the cas with light-colored plain fabrics, so then you may need a second layer. Darker colors and prints are can be much more user-friendly in that regard.

The absolute easiest hot-weather clothing to me is a crinkle gauze in a ditsy floral print; rayon may be the easiest to find. I love my bias-cut linens too, and they wrinkle much less than grain-cut. I would love it if white tank tops were not see-thru, but that cannot happen, so I frequently fall back on black and navy.

My late mother had her MS in home ec, with most of her studies in textiles.

I live in a very hot and humid place. Once summer hits I basically switch to linen dresses, wide leg pants, and body tops. You just have to lean into the wrinkles— it’s part of linen’s look to be rumpled.

My exception this year is a couple cotton/poly mix dresses from Muji that are “cool touch” and made for summer. We’ll see how they hold up.

Cotton, linen, poplin, seersucker are what I look for. Tropical weight wool if I can find it.

Just as important are the cuts of the garments - loose and breezy not formfitting or touching the skin. Skirts rather than pants, untucked top versus tucked in top, etc. The coolest garment I can think of would probably be a linen trapeze dress.

I have NOT had good experiences with those so-called cooling shirts. Just wore like smelly, hot polyester to me.

Modal, tencel, lyocell, rayon

If only they'd make cotton bras in all sizes

It’s so hard to find modest clothes in breathable fabrics they’re all polyester!

I asked for links to decent blouses the other day on here and it was tumbleweed 🥺

I might learn to sew just to fill a gap in the market at this rate

The reason why many abayas are made out of polyester is because the seller wants more profit. I have seen an influencer selling an abaya for €120 and their fabric is 100% polyester like 🤯

Linen, linen/viscose blend, viscose, my fav lyocell, silk (pricy), high thread count cotton

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Personally I stock up on most things when I visit Turkey, but modest clothes are thankfully easier to find in the West than they used to be!

I've actually had good luck at thrift shops like Goodwill in the dresses section. There are often long sleeved blouses and dresses there!

I've gotten a lot of clothes online from Modanisa and Sefamerve before; some of their clothes are cheap quality though so keep an eye on the fabrics listed (definitely avoid their polyester stuff).

My go-to in the summer is a long button up or blouse with baggy pants. Material can be cotton, poly-cotton, I even don't mind a thin rayon/polyester depending on how it feels on me.

Dresses are super fun but in my opinion, not as practical for every day, especially if I am being active or running around doing errands.

My favorite hijab material currently is "Medine Silk" (called medine ipek in turkish). I think I am alone in this, but cotton hijabs kinda stick to me in the summer and make me feel hotter? And wrinkle easily... But the medine silk ones are mostly iron free and feel cool to the touch. There's tons of different hijabs available online, just keep an eye on ones with good reviews.

I also always wear an undercap with hijabs, it's so much easier to keep flyaways under control and gives the pins something to stick to!

modal is great for summer hijabs tho tbh fabric doesn't matter TOO much- chiffon is also nice but focus on what best stays on. just avoid thick fabrics like pashmina and possibly jersey depending on the area.

clothing- just try to find natural fabrics and slowly clothing. 100% cotton, 100% linen, or a mix of the two. or try to get as much of it as possible. this is a slow wardrobe build i am focusing on. i wear flowy dresses but i also layer with leggings so i am options for cotton leggings or linen pants and button ups. the lesss layers the better

Lived in linen button downs with a tank top underneath/linen pants all summer. Just make sure that it isn’t see through!! I get my clothes from Australian brands so I can’t recommend you any unfortunately but I do recommend going in store to buy them, just to ensure it isn’t see through!!

For hijabs, modal is the way to go. When wearing it also use fashion tape so it doesn’t fly away in case it’s windy. Also carry a mini fan with you, it’ll come in handy!

Tank tops under shirts! Linen materials. Malaysian hijab styles!

Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah! I’m from a place where it’s summer year round. I’ve found that loose clothing is much more comfortable than tight clothing because there’s more airflow. I’ve also found that light cotton or chiffon headscarves allow for lots of airflow even when double wrapped for opacity. This might sound counterintuitive because of the layering, but a cotton tshirt under a loose abaya can actually be pretty comfortable and help with the sweating

Linen. It's moisture-wicking but doesn't retain moisture like cotton, so it helps pull sweat away from your skin and allows it to evaporate more quickly. Rayon/viscose/etc. is second best.

If you want something silky that will feel cooler than silk, you can find some lovely rayon and rayon/linen blends. Bermberg is often used as a lining fabric, but it's a special silky type of rayon. That'd work well, too. Silk will trap in heat. I wouldn't use it in summer.

Linen is best, by far.

Linen like others have suggested. That said, I used to have a silk sleep sack for travel (when you want that extra protection between you and the youth hostel bedding), and I used it in tropical climates and that was a game changer for staying cool in the heat.

I also wouldn't sleep on Ramie as a fiber choice if you can find it. Natural fiber with properties that I put somewhere in between linen and hemp.

Handkerchief linen, cotton lawn, lightweight rayon challis, printed voile

Natural fibers: Linen, cotton, and surprisingly wool (thin merino wool- I look in second hand stores for sweaters and serge edges where I want to cut and make stuff with it)

Bamboo dresses, linen pants. I pick dark colours to hide sweat and wrinkles.

Linen is my friend, it lasts ages if you have good quality. Though it's not super stretchy so it's worth it to get clothing in cuts that are adjustable if your body fluctuates.

It's a challenge! I live in the subtropics. Cotton and linen are generally the most suitable fabrics - some silk and viscose also work. Thicker natural fibres - denim, thick linen, high quality cotton, cotton, merino, or silk knits tend to hold their shape and disguise/absorb sweat. Garments that hang away from the body - dresses, more a-line skirts, looser cotton tops that can be tucked in; tend to make you less sweaty. Lining is a saviour as well - that barrier can be very helpful. Avoid greys and light blues, and light pastels as they show sweat. Black, white, cream, patterns, navy, darker browns, greens, maroons, etc. are generally fine. Brands are all hit and miss - I've had the most luck with Assembly Label. Saba, Witchery, Target, Boden, Mister Zimi, Veronika Maine, Sezane, Review, Country Road etc can have decent pieces - best to shop in store.

Linen if casual, tropical wool if formal. I generally get my trousers made in tropical wool as it's much cooler and more breathable than linen. Linen is for shirts. Heavier weight fabrics look and breathe better, especially in linen.

This is easy. Linen is your lightest option, but you can also get away with lightweight cotton fabrics (madras, seersucker). Loose fitting clothing will be much cooler than anything tight. Ditch the undershirts or stick to a ribbed tank with an unbuttoned top layer. Rethink layering: maybe you want to add in some accessories instead

You didn’t define sweltering heat, but I can’t handle layers in high 80s/low 90s with humidity. So it is linen all day, every day. I grabbed the first picture I found so don’t nitpick the details, but simple outfits like this look stylish according to me and minimize heat stroke:

https://preview.redd.it/tdfgmn1kbx7f1.jpeg?width=324&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd2ce45ca4c402d7f691dd1f617212fc61215788

One thing I will add to the conversation with linen & seersucker is that too many merchants use relatively high GSM fabrics to help it drape cleaner, and it almost defeats the purpose of the cloth. Sometimes it is easier to get really fine cotton shirting or really fine tropical wool trousers that wind up performing better than linen or seersucker. So don't just rush to the first linen shirt you find, because there is a huge spectrum of fabrics for every type of application.

Linen and looser fits.

I think 100% cotton jersey is great in hot summer months.

I also love 100% linen. If you can afford it, silk really feels like wearing nothing at all. The problem with silk and linen for your purposes, though, is that they have no stretch unless they are combined with other fibers.

The most important thing I think is to buy 100% natural fibers and not a blend. The blends of polyester or other man made fibers are what hold in heat and make you hot.

I lived in Texas for over two decades. One year the high was over 100f for something over 90 days --that is 1/4 of the year! Your pattern sounds like a tee-shirt version of the tank top style I wore.

My best dresses were plain weave linen in a loose tank-top style. Loose, but not sack-like, as most had shaping darts. Some had flippy skirts, a couple were longer with nice sweeps, one was long with a slit, two of them were bias cut, two had front button details, one had a tie back, and two were rayon, not linen. Prints are the best because, well --the lighter the fabric, the more see-thru it is. Anyways, I had many variations of the same tank-top style.

I question why you are using knits. If there is a knit as thin as a thin woven, I have yet to see it. As far as silk, it is s breathable and can be very thin, but is is a protein-based fiber like wool and is not as cool as linen in heat. Light weight plain weave linen in a medium color or print served me the best for two decades. One by one, my daughter has taken them, including two that I wore while pregnant with her!

Tencel …. Tencel ALL THE WAY! :) best heat regulation, much better than linen, softer too, and one of the most sustainable fabrics there are.

Linen and light-weight cotton.

Cali or Florida? (I live in FL but along the coast, Central FL is like a hot damp oven in September)

Cotton jersy is going to be the easiest to find. however sometimes you can find silk knits (like real silk) that are amazing in hot weather.

Do yourself a favor and do NOT do any poly knits. I would shy away from Rayon knit if you're going to be in FL (it will get waterlogged from all the sweat)

If you're going to be in FL, I would advise to sew up some woven linen shirt dresses because they'll be the coolest. I know, wrinkles, but you'll be too busy having fun and trust me, no one will care.

For some cheaper but still very nice shirt weight linen, FabricmartFabrics still has 60% off on linen today.

Okay here’s my pitch for linen as the best option since you mentioned it.

Linen is my ultimate go-to but it comes with stylistic choices that not everyone is a fan of - it is a non stretch fabric so it rarely is figure hugging (this is what makes it breezy for summer tho!). It is crisp and pristine when hung dry but easily develops wrinkles when you wear it. You have to be ok with that aesthetic. I personally think it’s very chic but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Oh and it is expensive as shit to buy new. (Though, I have thrifted 95% of my linen for $20 or less. There’s tons of it on Poshmark.)

That said I am extremely comfortable in the very humid summer since I have centered my wardrobe around linen. Nothing else compares. Truly. After wearing linen in the summer putting on some synthetic yoga pants or a polyester top makes me feel like I am suffocating and dying. Noticing the difference has made me so dramatic about my fabric content lol. Linen is also extremely durable in the wash and lasts forever. Pop it in the dryer for a few minutes to release wrinkles and then hang dry on a hanger or flat.

To give you a sense of some looks, my go-to outfit is billowy linen trousers or skirt, a stretchy cotton spandex crop top and a linen overshirt (usually oversized). I like long sleeves to get some sun protection. I find that the crop top prevents me from looking too “coastal grandma” or untrendy. I don’t love the lagenlook style where everything is oversized and billowy so I try to balance the oversized with tight or cropped items. Cropped loose linen t shirts are also cute! Especially if they have a wide neck so you can show off fun colored bralettes. I mix and match all sorts of colors! And of course the classic loose minimal linen maxi sack dress is great with a straw hat.

Some great companies for linen basics if you’re buying new are FLAX , J Jill, Artemesia , Quince (I’ve found that their linen quality used to be bad but has improved recently.

As a side note, linen button downs are great for men who are constantly overheating. I got my bf some dark colored short sleeve ones and they are all he wears for travel now. He’s somehow always hot on planes.

Anyway sorry for the ridiculously long post but I am just really passionate about linen and I can talk about it forever. I hope this helps a bit!

Ok so I'm gonna sound crazy. I live in southern California, the desert part that gets to 100 and fuck you out. I swear by wool socks and bras. I've noticed that they help manage sweat in those areas way better than synthetics do. 

I love linen for hot weather! I get most of mine second hand on Poshmark and EBay. Look for the brands Flax, Conscious Clothing, Not Perfect Linen, J. Jill.

Also Etsy has quite a few linen clothing makers! I got some cute wide leg pants on there for a good price.

I love linen! Really breathable and light, it does always need a good iron though haha

Linen, for sure. Silk itself doesn’t breathe very well, but loose and flowy can work.

I find silk to be the perfect winter fabric but for extreme heat (I'm in the subtropics) silk is just too warm.

Yea linen is pretty much regarded as the go-to for warmer climates. Surprised they left it off this list.

So, functional everyday advice: what type of clothes in general is better for cooling? What should i be looking for??

Ya, I do long distance bike touring, mostly in the Southwestern US deserts. A loose fitting long sleeve linen shirt is by far the best thing I’ve found to wear. It keeps the sun off of you, wicks moisture well, and allows for plenty of airflow to keep you cool. And it’s an incredibly tough fiber, much stronger than cotton, so it can be woven into much lighter fabric.

TLDR:
Summer is nearly here and this article talks about 8 materials they researched on which one feels cooler. The result was that 95% cotton 5% spandex was the coolest, followed by rayon spandex, etc. Pure cotton was in the middle and recycled polyester the worst.

While the article above is 2020, it seems the author only recently published it this year in February. The full research can be read here

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-92381-5_126

Question to everyone that wears linen:

So I wear linen on a hot day - I sweat through it, then I have to wash it, I'm careful to air dry it.... but still the linen shirt is instantly perma-wrinkled, i do a low heat iron, doesn't fix it. Is this normal? Am I buying cheap linen? What's the proper procedure?

I completely agree with your major criticisms, but I have one technical question: wicking may not be a thermal mechanism, in that it is produced due to mechanical capillary action, but you can’t deny that the physical process of transporting moisture from within a gradient to the outside of the gradient promotes evaporative heat loss. I would imagine you’d have trouble not associating capillary action, to open a system to evaporation, with heat loss. Not to mention, there is also the thermal energy retained or lost having moisture closer to your skin due to its increased thermal mass compared to air, which when this moisture is wicked further away and into the clothing, this thermal conductivity is further reduced.