Shalwar Kameez

[Magpie]

I wants one. (I promised my husband I wouldn't wear it as such - the top would be worn with leggings, and the bottom with more fitted tops. He says it's too obviously Indian otherwise. Personally, I think that white people deserve pretty clothes too, but I digress).

The temperature here is in the mid-thirties. The humidex is in the low forties. (To adjust for when you are reading this: http://weather.uwaterloo.ca/). It is bright and sunny. I do NOT want to be wearing jeans.

Why does no one around here sell summer appropriate clothing? I am NOT skinny enough to wear short skirts or the really short shorts without pain. Nor do I want to be the idiot walking around with exposed skin in the sun. Aside from the fact that doctors have a really good point about health, it's cool enough here (this is incredibly hot weather) that staying out of the sun makes you cooler. Even my long skirts are questionable in this weather, especially since the plain skirts (and one of the dresses) aren't in good enough shape to wear to work, even as a grad student. And all the dresses are sleeveless.

[KiaKat]

Linen.

Seriously. It's wonderful stuff.

If you have an H&M around, they have a ton of linen pants, for not very much, and in a lot of different colours.

Pair those with an open, loose, elbow-length-sleeved shirt and a tank under that, and you'll be pretty comfortable.

[trailerparkmedic]

Do you have Old Navy? They have shorts that are not skanky hooker short. I love them so much I bought 4 pairs.

[Magpie]

See, I'd love linen. It's just that no one seems to carry it. Because around here, it seems, we don't so much have "hot weather" as "it's finally warm enough for me to not bother wearing as many layers, but I'm going to keep doing it, just with smaller layers" weather. So the fabric is still just as heavy, the clothing is smaller. I want the opposite.

As for Old Navy - do they believe in the existence of hips? There's one close, but I have a sinking feeling I'm not going to find anything that fits. Having a pair of shorts to wear when I'm inside might be nice. (I can wear it outside too, but that's as second best. Not only are shorts not good for sun, but if I head south they won't do a thing for poison ivy or ticks).

[AccountingDrone]

I wear salwar kameez. What size are you? Deva has the nicest souarelles [as they label them] and sell assorted different tops in assorted styles in the same fabrics. I like this top, it is very comfy.

The problem with buying indian or pakistani made outfits is the sizing is odd, and they seem to like a lot more embellishment and fabric color/combinations I dont like. I have some very plain US made ones that I will have to dig out from my SCA gear to see the manufacturer of.

[Magpie]

The Indian stores I shopped at in Mississauga seemed to have normal metric sizing (with perhaps a tiny bit of vanity sizing thrown in - I'm not sure because it's a more snug fit than I normally wear). That site looks promising. I'm slightly confused by the fact that I'm a small there...

[Bella_Vixen]

I love looking at Indian-type clothes becuase they're rather pretty.

And then I get depressed because they're made for super skinny women.

[Magpie]

I know they're modelled on super-skinny women, but I've seen larger Indian women wearing them. What do the Indian women in your area wear? I know that not a lot wear the more traditional clothing for everyday anymore, but around here you still see the occasional old round grandmother waddling along in a sari or whatnot.