Five fabrics for hot weather, ranked

Not all natural fibres behave the same in heat. Ranked by how they actually feel on a thirty-degree afternoon rather than by what the label claims.

1. Linen

Hollow fibres, high moisture uptake and a loose weave that moves air. It creases, and that is the trade. Nothing else is cooler.

2. Cotton voile and seersucker

Seersucker holds itself off the skin by construction rather than by fibre, which is why it works even in humidity where plain cotton clings.

3. Tropical-weight wool

Counter-intuitive and correct: an open-weave wool at 230 grams breathes better than a dense cotton and recovers from creases on the hanger overnight.

4. Silk

Lovely in still air, poor in sun, and it marks with sweat permanently. Reserve it for evenings.

5. Anything synthetic

Polyester does not absorb moisture, so it has nowhere to put your sweat except against your skin. Blends dilute the problem rather than solving it.