Ask Lisa: ‘Help! Any warm weather fashion tips for stylish midlife women?’

Lisa Armstrong is The Telegraph’s head of fashion. She began her career in fashion at Vogue. She has written four novels, has an honorary doctorate from the University of Arts in London, and was awarded an OBE in 2022 for services to fashion.

Each week, she responds to your queries, lending her expertise to help you shop smart. Have a question for her? Submit it below.

Dear Lisa,

I am looking for warm to hot weather tips for a stylish midlife woman. I’m 50, tallish (5ft 8in), a size 12 with boobs. I like good brands like Max Mara, Soeur, Frame, Mother, Aspesi – and (apparently) don’t look my age. I like tailored clothes with a bit of boho thrown in.

It’s easy to dress for cold weather but the hotter it gets, the worse I manage! Shorts don’t suit me any more (even Mother / Ralph Lauren) and the worst thing is that T-shirts don’t either. I bought four James Perse ones for the holidays last year but they didn’t keep me cool and looked cheap and dull, as if I had made no effort. 

– Lydia

Dear Lydia,

This is my kind of problem. My legs never tan so I don’t love skirts above my shins. I haven’t worn a round neck T-shirt in about three years. And those cute short suits? I’d feel less awkward in an 18th-century court dress.

So yes, summer can seem challenging, especially if you approach it with trepidation. If, on the other hand, you see it as an opportunity to wear the things you love from winter, but in lighter fabrics and more gorgeous colours, the fear goes. Keep your tailoring, but look for linens and cottons. How’s this for a gorgeous summery look that would take you anywhere? And in a colour that would look sensational on you.