For this month’s Stuff We Like, what essentials and treats do you love or desire for the change of season. We’re headed to summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern, and sometimes, there are items that make the experience much more enjoyable.
So what do you recommend?
Me, I am cleaning up cicada corpses using garbage bags and snow shovels (not an exaggeration) but once they’re done screaming in the trees, I love sandalwood incense to keep bugs away.
I can’t find the brand I’m using now (EGADS) but many sandalwood incense retailer pages have reviews that mention how biting insects stay away from it. I put one stick in a planter for dinnertime and we enjoy a bug-free meal.
And after many recommendations in a few places, I bought myself a linen dress for the summer, to go with my growing caftan collection.
Caftans were a staple for me last summer – especially when it’s extremely hot and muggy. My neighbors thought I was dressing up. Meanwhile, I wasn’t even wearing a bra.
These are two of my favorites, from an Etsy shop called Silk and More:
Empire Waist Floral Dress from Silk and More, $45+
This one is my favorite, as I really like the drawstring waist.
This version (below) has an elastic waist, and I love it, but because it’s not adjustable like the drawstring, it’s a little more obvious that I’m not wearing any support up top. So I don’t tend to leave the house in it. Solved!
Butterfly Sleeve Empire Elastic Waist Dress from Silk and More, $45+
What are your essentials for summer or winter?
Amanda: Sleeping with bags of ice…..
Susan: Excuse me while I pour one out for Lindy Bop, because I miss being able to get cute plus size summer dresses.
Shana: Every summer I buy a Cherry Velvet cotton sundress in a fun print, and I’ve amassed quite a collection. I’m a June birthday so it’s a present to myself.
Sarah: Oh my gosh, I LOVE this one.
Shana: Now, if it was wintertime, I feel like I’d be stocking up on hot cocoa mix. Does anyone have a favorite?
Sarah: Penzey’s. My favorite hot cocoa.
Shana: I didn’t even know they had cocoa! I’m super excited now.
Sarah: Another thing I did for summer: I love my Spenco slippers that prevented me from getting painful plantar fasciitis, but they’re a little warm for summertime.
So I found Spenco flip flops and slides that have the same footbed and support, and am wearing them nonstop. Bonus – I found them new, but second hand, which makes me happy.
Also I cut all my hair off which is its own form of A/C
Lara: Purely practical one for winter – we break out the big blankets, the hot water bottles and the electric blankets.
Amanda: Oh, I have one! Jockey’s Skimmies for summer to wear under dresses.
Or if you’re wearing shorts, I love Megababe’s thigh rescue.
Sarah: I LOVE SKIMMIES.
Susan: Oh, I get The Big Bloomers Company’s anti-chafing shorts! They’re pricey, but so comfy.
And I have one of these in the fridge for emergencies: a Chillmax cooling gel pillow insert.
What about you? What season are you heading into, and what item is an absolute essential that you recommend?
Currently I am all about the feet. I am still in AZ, the land of cracked, dirty feet. No matter what you do -short of knee highs and hiking boots (and since the projected high today is 110°, no) – your feet are ALWAYS dirty. I am loving this: https://www.ulta.com/p/big-ceramic-foot-file-pimprod2004284 right now. The handle is nice and long, the pad is comfortably gripped if you need to apply extra pressure. And I have been applying a lot of pressure. Clean smooth feet – at least until I go grab the paper, or the mail, or go to the grocery store.
Brooks Greenlight Relaxed Capri Pants & shorts are a favorite for me— they don’t trap heat next to your skin. I wish they came in more colors.
The Asiya Sport hijabs are a must for me in summer, whether I’m exercising or not. They have several styles to choose from, depending on your personal preference.
I have both versions of the Asiya Fit Pearl, and it’s the first sports hijab I’ve ever found that is ACTUALLY cool and breathable and doesn’t make me feel like I’m melting the second I start to do anything outdoors. The fabric is super soft and the hijabs come with their own zippered washing bag. I want a tunic and pants or a sports abaya in this same fabric, because trying to find sportswear when you live in a hot, humid climate most of the year as a hijabi is a nightmare.
I also like that they offer more color options than black, dark gray, and white – it’s too hot for dark colors and I can’t keep white clean to save my life.
Those Cherry Velvet dresses are gorgeous
Susan, is there a particular model of Big Bloomers Company shorts you like?
I have been partial to Snag Tights’s Chub Rub Shorts — very lightweight, sustainably made, affordable, durable, and I like that the models are all sizes and gender presentations. They don’t roll up at the thighs or down at the waist. My only caveat is that they’re pretty high-waisted, which means they don’t work (for me, anyway) with shorter tops.
Jockey undershorts are the best. They have transformed the way I dress in the summer. Hot tip: they’re $12 at Target! (Tip #2: size up if you don’t want them to fit like shapewear. I hate the feeling of tight waistbands, so I go up two sizes.)