dressing for the heat

I'm baffled about how everyone in HK dresses in summer. Don't all those girls walking around in the heat wearing thick synthetic fabrics get B.O./thrush/athlete's foot?? I know we all work in overly air-conditioned offices but why not just keep a cardigan handy?? Personally, a mere five minute walk from my office to the taxi stand turns me into a sweaty heap of pong. I've gradually acquired a collection of loose clothes made from light fabric, but not without lots of searching as most of the clothes in the shops here are what I would wear in British Autumn! Am I the only one who thinks it's a bit silly?! If you go to Indonesia etc. people know how dress for comfort.

in the summer, i mainly wear dresses in cotton, linen and silk -- breathable fabrics. i find dresses are much better "ventilating" than pants. sometimes i also wonder how others can handle all those body clinging synthetics. but again, some are willing to sacrifice comfort for looks, just not you and i.


but then with some corporate jobs, people are required to wear suits even in sweltering hk, so they aren't really left with much choices.


low-tech synthetics are low cost...versus garments made with high-tech breathable synthetics cost a lot more. i think cost is another issue.


i do find shopping in hk quite difficult: i just find most of the stuff unappealing and when i see something i like, it is very much overpriced in my opinion. that's why i buy in multiples when i see something i like and it's reasonably priced.

If people in HK wore clothes suitable for summer rather than winter, wouldn't air conditioning be less of an issue? We're all being told that turning our air-conditioners down just a couple of degrees makes a huge difference to how much energy we consume. Air conditioning in shops and restaurants is particularly ridiculous, and you can feel it blasting out of shop doors as you walk around central. My office is absolutely boiling because the offices and restaurants below use their air coniditioning even in winter when it's not hot, so then we have to use ours too because the aircon is transferring heat, then the people upstairs probably have to turn on theirs too...

Shorts with furry boots is my personal favourite. I certainly miss winter fashion, but I'm not prepared to sacrifice stinky pits for those beloved tweeds and furs. Meanwhile girls in England are walking around freezing on winter nights dressed in tiny little unsuitable clothes more appropriate for summer!