Open Weave & Easy: Dressing for Unpredictable Summer Weather
While much of the Northern Hemisphere has been sweltering lately, here in my corner of Los Angeles we’ve been locked into a “sunny one minute, foggy the next” weather pattern for the past few weeks. Dressing for fluctuating temperatures is always a bit of a puzzle — and open-knit sweaters are one of my solutions.
The Outfit: Open-Knit Sweater + Linen Pants
My sizes: Sweater – Small, Pants – Petite Small
This open-weave cotton hoodie (gifted) is lightweight and breathable while still providing coverage and gentle temperature regulation — exactly what you need when the weather can’t make up its mind. It also comes in red and navy. The linen pants are from Eileen Fisher, a couple of years old now, and honestly better for the wear — the fabric has softened beautifully. Linen creases, yes, but the comfort more than makes up for it. For a similar look, try these from Madewell or these from Banana Republic. (And if linen is a no-go for you, try this similar style in a Tencel-cotton blend.)
The bandana is tied with a Four-in-Hand knot — for more scarf tying options, visit How to Wear a Scarf: Easy Techniques for Every Season.
More Breezy Open-Knit Sweaters
👉 Scroll right to see additional selections.
Fun Summer Bags Worth Swapping In
Summer is the perfect time to have a little fun with accessories. I love swapping out leather bags for lighter materials — canvas, raffia, straw, rattan — and I’m enjoying this beauty made from wooden beads (also gifted). I tuck a colorful cloth pouch inside to keep smaller items corralled.
More Fun Summer Bags
👉 Scroll right to see additional selections.
Speaking of summer pleasures — can we talk books for a moment?
Summer Reading: What Are You Reading Right Now?
It’s that time of year when I’m looking for book recommendations. In addition to fiction, I love history, biographies (especially of women), culture, and art history. So please share in comments, what have you been reading lately and what do you recommend?
Stay in touch
Sign up to be notified of new posts and updates from une femme d’un certain âge.
I have enjoyed reading The Correspondent and Land by Maggie O’Farrell. Whistler by Ann Patchett is on my to read stack.
A very good book that I’ve read recently is an incredible true story “A Woman Of No Importance” Sonia Purnell. This was an account of Virginia Hall an American heroine during the French Resistance of WWII. I think you would like that. She also wrote a fabulous account of Pamela Digby-Churchill-Hayward-Harriman’s life called “Kingmaker”What a character she was and what an amazing life. Also any Kristan Hannah books are great – “The Women” and “Nightengale” based on real lives and historical circumstances. Enjoy!
I agree with Debby on “A Woman Of No Importance”; I especially enjoyed it because Virginia Hall grew up in Maryland (where I live) and was from an upper class background, so her life choices were especially unusual for the era!
Debby, thank you for book suggestions and Marilyn as well as I’m also from Maryland and will make it even more interesting.
Have a great day everyone.
I liked the Virginia Hall book very much. She was a trooper! She had a prosthetic foot due to a hunting accident which left her with a distinguishing limp, so she had to be careful not to be recognized. She escaped from France to Spain by hiking over the Pyrenees, hiding the fact that she had a wooden foot from the person guiding them.
Early in my career I worked with a number of Persians who had come to the US after the fall of the Shah. I recently read “The Lion Women of Tehran” which reminded me of the journey those co-workers must have had to end up in the US.
Recently “Taiwan Travelogue” won the International Booker Prize. It’s the first book translated from Mandarin to win the award. Having been to Taiwan, I found the book, set in the late 1930s to be interesting. The story had a focus on travel, food -it’s a miracle the main character could still fit into her wardrobe by the end of the trip!, colonialism and relationships.
I’m reading Ann Patchett’s “Whistler” and it’s very good so far. Just finished “Theo of Golden” for our book club, but was a bit lukewarm on that one. (Many readers loved it.)
Love the look of the new site! Just finished Atmosphere which was great.
That golden ochre color always lights you up!
I am reading & highly recommend Victoria Johnson’s “Glorious Country” (2026). It is a biography of the 19th-century American artist Frederic Church whose landscape paintings brought “The world to America & America to the world.” If you read it, let me know yr thoughts.
“The Things We Never Say” by Elizabeth Strout (wonderful), “This is Not About Us” by Allegra Goodman and “Homeschooled” by Stefan Merrill Block.
I just finished The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall and loved it. It is about twins, a brother and sister, separated by World War II. The brother is a pilot in the RAF and the sister goes under cover to assist the French Resistance. They both have secrets kept from each other. I didn’t want to put this book down!
Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart is a thought provoking book about a moment in time of our history that isn’t widely known. It details government overreach on the lives of independent women, labeled as promiscuous, but are institutionalized primarily for being independent during the first half of the last century.
A subplot in the fabulous The Calamity Club deals with this issue also.
For your history/women’s biography fix, American Beauty by Shana Abé is the story of Arabella Huntington of the Huntington Museum and Gardens fame. Fictionalized history but nonetheless tracks her amazing rise from poverty.
Also, The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, the story of 18th century midwife Martha Ballard. Again, fictionalized but based on the real life diary of Ballard.
I recommend an autobiography of a living American, born in India. “This American Woman” Z. Garg. A great one to listen to in the audio version; as the author reads it herself & is really funny.
Thanks for your great posts.
The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett (author of The Help) – yes, it is long, and no, I did not love the financial solution, but the characters are great and I really enjoyed it. Also, Broken Country, These Summer Storms, The Paris Match, and Heart The Lover.
I’ve just finished reading the book “The Titanic Story of Evelyn” by Lisa Wilkinson. This is a true story of the only Australian survivor of the sinking of the Titanic. I like you enjoy historical books involving women, and this book was really well researched and written by one of our eminent Australian journalists.
Susan, It’s not a biography, but such a fun read if you love Paris— The Paris Novel, by Ruth Reichl. I love reading your blog.
Kathleen
Cute sweater Susan! I like that the hoodie has long sleeves. What size did you get? I’m loving my linen pants–I have several pair now from EF and JCrew. I’m not sure if you’re a Tana French fan but I just finished the latest in her series about a retired Chicago cop who moves himself to a small town in Ireland and gets involved with the locals. I’m about to start reading Mona’s Eyes, recommended by an artist friend who works in one of our local bookstores. I’m waiting (library holed) for The Correspondent which seems to be popular. I loved the book Still Life by Sarah Winman, and I confess I sometimes re-read old favorites like PD James, Ann Cleeves, Tony Hillerman and Elly Griffiths. Otherwise, I’m using delving into art books, books about artists, etc etc.
Hi Sally, thanks! I’m wearing a Small in the sweater.
I’ll second “The Things We Never Say” and recommend a far out series translated up to the 4th book so far. I’m on the 3rd. Solvej Balle’s “On the Calculation of Volume” is fiction about a woman stuck in one calendar day who has to cope and learn as she goes.
Theo of Golden!!,
Not to be missed
Try the historical fiction books by Ariel Lawhon-I have read two and intend to read all her books. They all feature strong interesting women who are all maybe a bit forgotten but lived interesting lives. All so far are well written and are page turners. I have enjoyed-Frozen River and Code Name Helene. Next up will be the Wife, the Maid and the Mistress. Enjoy!
Since you like art history and love France, I’d recommend “Mona’s Eyes” by Thomas Schlesser. It’s an interesting book in that it reads as both fiction and non fiction in one. I don’t think it’s a traditional quick, fun summer read but I’m enjoying learning more about the 52 pieces of art, and their artists, mentioned in the book that are housed in the Louvre, Orsay and Beaubourg. I read 2-3 chapters a day and then move on to a more plot driven novel.
Great outfit as usual.
Greetje
Thanks, Greetje!
Two books that have been universally well-received:
Theo of Golden
The Calamity Club
I see a few mentions of The Correspondent here, which I also enjoyed. Another good book is Lady Tremaine, a retelling of the Cinderella story from the stepmother’s point of view.
‘Empty Mansions’ tells the fascinating and virtually unknown story of heiress Hugette Clark, who owned huge mansions in plush locations but never lived in them. Her father was a swashbuckling adventurer who made several fortunes in the Gilded Age. His railroad company developed Lia Angeles and founded Las Vegas. He had as large a fortune as Rockefeller and Carnegie. Written by New York Times reporter Bill Dedman who stumbled on one of her homes in Connecticut. I saw Dedman speak at a local civic luncheon. Fascinating if you like history that’s more remarkable than fiction.
Those bandanas are really cute -am tempted to order one.
Have a huge pile of books to get through, but just finished ‘Queen James ‘(Gareth Russell) – an account of King James 1 England and his male ‘friends’. Enjoyed Antony Beevor’s ‘Rasputin and the downfall of the Romanov’s’. Just re read Betty Jeffrey’s the ‘white coolies’ an account of her time as a POW in a Japanese internment camp. There was a recent movie on Netflix about Virginia Hall and Noor Khan who were sent to France in World War Two. ‘A call to spy’.
Great look! Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson (British). Illyrian Spring
by Ann Bridge. Both excellent writing (Illyrian Spring-the botanical descriptions of the Dalmatian coast in spring are beautifully detailed).
Briar Club by Kate Quinn. Really any of hers. Women, history and a good story!
I’m in the middle of E. Strout’s latest and so far not loving it as much as her prior work. Jay McInerney’s new one is pretty good. Really doing a lot of knitting which I feel is reading adjacent. I like to dip into Anne MacDonald’s No Idle Hands: A History of American Knitting when I feel the need to slow down and read about less abundant , slower times.
Lane, thanks so much for the knitting book recommendation! I’m also a knitter and will look at this book.
I’ll add my vote for The Correspondent and Whistler. You might enjoy Susan Orlean’s memoir Joyride. She’s had such a fascinating career! Her book The Library Book about the Los Angeles Public Library is also very interesting.
This is the first time of posting a comment although I have followed and read, and enjoyed, your blogs for many years. I live in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. I’m an avid reader and I’m currently reading ‘ My Name Is Emilia Del Valle’ by Isabelle Allende. I’ve only read a few of her many books but enjoyed them all so far.
I just read ‘Dreaming in French’ by Alice Kaplan about Jacqueline Kennedy, Susan Sontag & Angela Davis and their years abroad in Paris. The women are interesting & so different in their unique relationships with France, but in addition, the descriptions of Paris from post-war to the late sixties are fascinating
I love to read. I could recommend so many but my newest rec would be Whistler by Ann Patchett.
As you enjoy history, you might like: The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, From the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by McMahon, Sharon—profiles 12 ordinary people who made significant, often overlooked, contributions to American history, from the Founding era to the Civil Rights Movement. The book, published in September 2024, highlights figures like telephone operators, schoolteachers, and formerly enslaved women, demonstrating how individuals without fame or wealth can drive extraordinary change through courage,resilience, and community, offering a “bottom-up” view of history. 320 pages but not a slog, by any means—most enjoyable!
Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton is a lovely book. Story of one woman’s unlikely friendship with a wild hare. Very tender story.
Loving this conversation! I enjoy Kate Quinn’s historical fiction, particularly: The Alice Network about a female spy recruited to the Alice Network in France during World War I; and The Rose Code — about female codebreakers during WWII. A few others that come to mind are This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger — the story of four orphans during the Great Depression; and The Personal Librarian — historical fiction about J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian, a Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white while becoming a powerful figure in the art and book world. I also second The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. 🙂
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn is a really good book I think. It’s historical fiction about a network of women spy’s in World War I in German occupied France and Belgium. Based on fact. I really enjoyed it.
North Woods by Daniel Mason is a fantastic (and fantastical) historical fiction read. Beautifully written. The stories from the colonial era to the future are all focused on a plot of land in western Massachusetts.
Two in the Far North by Margaret Murie. She grew up in then-frontier Fairbanks, AK in the early years of the 20th century and was the first woman to graduate from the University of Alaska. Her stories about growing up in Fairbanks have a bit of Little House on the Prairie feel. She married biologist Olaus Murie and together they traveled all around Alaska documenting wildlife for US Fish and Wildlife Service. They later founded the Wilderness Society. John Denver even wrote a song about them. Her granddaughter is married to my Husband’s cousin.
The Widow Clicquot by Tilar Mazzeo. About Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin who as a young widow in the early 1800’s took over the family champagne business and basically developed the modern champagne industry with her innovations. She and I share the same birthday, 177 years apart.
Thanks to everyone for the reminder about A Woman of No Importance. I started it a couple of years ago, but forgot about it. Just dug it out.
I just finished Becoming Madame Secretary, by Stephanie Dray. About Frances Perkins, the economist and architect of the New Deal. It’s historical fiction and the author did her homework. It’s a great read.
My favorite book so far this year was Not Bad People by Brandy Scott. If you liked Big Little Lies you will like this! Very character driven and escapist.
Currently I am reading a political book: “The System: Who rigged it and how we fix it” by Robert B. Reich. He worked in three administrations and is currently a professor of Public Policy at U.C. Berkeley. It’s very interesting and thought provoking…
You knocked it out of the park with this post. Not only is the fashion great but the book recommendations are outstanding! What a well-read group of readers you have. I have read several of the books mentioned but there are many that are new to me. I recommendation is Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse, about a woman who finds strength in friendships and books after her husband’s death in the early 1900’s. It is a simple story of a woman trying to provide for her son in the Midwest at a time when teachers were supposed to be unmarried women.
Well done Susan.
Thanks so much, Cindylou!
A belated book suggestion.
CLAIRE MCCARDELL: The Designer Who Set Women Free by Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson. I did not know before reading this wonderful book about the American designer who introduced separates for women, pockets on dresses and ballet flats!
I know these have been around for awhile, but I’m hooked on the Outlander series! I’m on the 6th book. Historical fiction and nonfiction are my favorites. I’ve read A Woman of No Importance also, and highly recommend it. I especially like the stories of heroes in the Holocaust.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid has me quickly turning pages!
So many wonderful titles to explore in these comments!
I’ll “third” your readers’ votes for “The Things We Never Say” by Elizabeth Strout.
Just finished it a few minutes ago and it may be my favorite of the author’s works – warm, wise and heartbreaking (but don’t let that deter you.) I especially recommend it to those living outside the U.S. who are curious about how many of us are struggling with personal issues while also grappling with the political changes our country is going through.
Also, I’m reading “So Far Gone” by Jess Walter, another well written novel about the current political schisms in the U.S. These two writers are bravely grappling with very difficult and important societal issues, while creating complex, flawed yet deeply appealing characters.
What a great conversation! I will add a few:
1) The Wedding People by Alison Espach – often hilarious, poignant book about grief, a destination wedding AND the importance of a good dress
2) London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe – gripping, non-fiction book about the secret life of a 19 year old London teen who gets in with the wrong crowd.