Land sakes, it’s Hot Outside!

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In my latest book, Miss Verity, (The Brides of Fiddler’s Gap, Book 8) my poor heroine is staying with the hero’s family. She’s been wearing the same dress all week, which back then was common, but she comes from a wealthy family, so not so common. In short, the hero buys her some clothes and wants her to get everything she needs, which back then could be a lot considering the layers of clothes women wore.

This has been one hot summer for a lot of us, so the thought of wearing layers of clothing like they did in the old west makes one shudder. But even though people wore several layers of clothing, they weren’t as heavy or as hot (especially in summer) as one might think. Back then there were no synthetic fabrics, a lot of which don’t breathe very well. But natural fabrics like cotton, linen, and wool could be milled into either light fabric or thick and heavy material. Back then they made clothing according to its use rather than for pure fashion. Winter clothes required heavier fabric, work clothes too. The same thing holds true today for brands like Carhart, Dickies and Levis, who all make their clothes with heavier cotton fabrics. And of course, lighter fabrics are used for hotter months. Today, a lot of clothing is fashion based, not use based. And we don’t run around wearing layers of clothing as part of our fashion ensemble.

On the other hand, a fella in the old west might don long underwear of light cotton – also known as a “union suit” or a pair of drawers. He’d follow this with a cotton or linen shirt and a pair of trousers. These were usually wool trousers or maybe cotton canvas. He’d then top it off with a cotton, linen or wool jacket. Men might also put on a neckcloth with a collar. Some collars were removable. Women wore a lot of removable collars as well. For the men, a removable collar was made of white linen and stiffened to stand tall on the neck. And of course, we mustn’t forget one’s hat!

With the right clothes, (those made of wool, linen or cotton) you could be quite comfortable whether it was hot or cold out. All three types of natural fabrics breathe and are comfortable. Back in the day during the hotter months, they were more concerned about covering up to keep the sun off their bodies. People would often wear cotton undergarments to absorb moisture, and wool or linen as one’s outer clothing, as a breeze could travel through and keep you cool.

So many of our clothes today are a mix of natural fibers with things like polyester and other synthetics. As I mentioned, these synthetic fibers and polyester just don’t breathe the way the natural fibers do, so these fiber mixes aren’t as functional as natural fibers. I don’t think a cowboy would like a polyester windbreaker. I think he’d much rather stick with his duster!

Myself, I do love a nice cotton dress in the summer. I’ve owned clothes made from linen too, and of course wool coats. What’s in your closet? Clothes made of natural fibers or more a mix of natural and synthetic? I’m giving away one free e-copy of choice of my books to one lucky commenter!

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USA Today bestselling author Kit Morgan is the author of over 140 books of historical and contemporary western romance! Her stories are fun, sweet stories full of love, laughter, and just a little bit of mayhem! Kit creates her stories in her little log cabin in the woods in the Pacific Northwest. An avid reader and knitter, when not writing, she can be found with either a book or a pair of knitting needles in her hands! Oh, and the occasional smidge of chocolate!

43 thoughts on “Land sakes, it’s Hot Outside!”

  2. I love the silky-smooth, cool to the touch fabrics with a bit of stretch- so a lot of mixed fabrics are in my wardrobe. Wool irritates my skin so I mostly stay away from it.

  4. I have a mix of fabrics. I do some re-enacting and the multiply layers can get very hot! I have often wondered if on extremely hot days , women did work in their shifts.

  6. Since I’m not a fan of ironing, I like just enough synthetic material in my clothing to make them wrinkle-resistant, but mainly made of cotton or other natural fibers.

  7. I can tell you if I even own one piece of clothing with no synthetics in it. No wonder I go from hot to cold so easily! My clothing needs a good revamping since, in my mature age, hot flashes are most prevalent. Great food for thought, Kit. Thanks for the information. Many thanks.

  13. I liked mixed fabric. If you go straight cotton it tends to draw up a lot and you have to iron it most of the time.

  18. Most of mine are synthetics I think. Hard to find 100% cotton or wool these days, or I find it to be. Thankful we no longer have to wear thick, heavy layers of clothing in order to stay warm. And, we don’t have to worry about staying cool either.

  19. Like most, my clothing is a mix of fabrics. Even most T-shirts are thick cotton blends and are quite warm in the summer. My reaction the first time I saw Bedouin women, usually covered completely in black, I couldn’t imagine how they could manage to survive in the desert. They do wear other colors, but are still covered head to foot. Men also wear robes that cover them completely plus headgear. The robes look hot, but are made of lightweight, natural materials so can breath. It still looks a bit uncomfortable to me, but they have survived for thousands of years in the desert this way, so it obviously works. As for early American clothing, the layers are tight fitting in many cases and would seem too hot no matter what material they were made from. A flowing Bedouin robe sounds better all the time.

  20. Since we discovered our sensitivity to just about everything, clothing has been made mainly from cotton (mold is one of the allergies and fabrics can become moldy; synthetics are made from chemicals). I can relate to Patricia B.; tee shirts are for cooler weather, cotton blouses (short sleeved or sleeveless) are for hot weather!

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