Canicule clothes

It’s been a while since I updated the Blog. Not because I’ve been away on holiday, rather more I’ve been estivating. This is a great new word I’ve only come across recently; similar to hibernation, it means shutting down for the summer to escape the heat. That pretty much describes my activities, or lack of them, here in France in the last few weeks. France has been suffering (or enjoying, if you prefer) a canicule throughout July with temperatures over 40^{o c}. The countryside here in the Limousin is parched and dry, with drought conditions and water restrictions in force.

I can’t remember the last time I wore socks or long trousers. Shorts are the order of the day, or a skirt if we are venturing out. The Craghoppers long skirt that I’d placed on the ‘watch list’ as I hadn’t worn it for over three years has come out of hiding. Getting dressed in the morning is easy. Unless we are going somewhere special I just take a t-shirt/shorts combo off the drying rack – washed and air-dried overnight. The capsule has been reduced to about ten items!

The one thing bugging me was that I just don’t feel comfortable going shopping in shorts. You can always identify the holidaymakers and the English in the supermarket, not from the wine boxes but because they are usually wearing shorts. It was fortunate then that the Rohan sale coincided with the heatwave and I decided to treat myself to a pair of Tangier Capri trousers. I’ve never worn three-quarter length trousers before and tended to avoid them, as there’s a particular ‘French crone’ style of tapered baggy three-quarter length trousers worn with pop-socks and heeled shoes I’m anxious to avoid. Does my bum look big in this? Answer – affirmative!

The Rohan Tangier capris finish just below my knee, so I’ve avoided the ankle-grazing look. The fabric is a mix of polyamide, polyester and elastane, so they’re nice and stretchy and the special Rohan Dynamic Moisture Control^TM finish makes them surprisingly cool even in the hottest temperatures. There are plenty of pockets too, including the usual zipped security pocket. They were smart enough to wear for a trip into Limoges and also a 6km walk on one of the Haute Vienne way-marked footpaths we have started to explore. As someone brought up with crimplene and nylon I’m always surprised by the ability of technical fabrics to keep you cool and comfortable in all conditions. I’ve been converted to the ‘long shorts’ style too. It’s just a shame the Rohan Pacer capris – the more technical walking version, with zipped pockets including a mobile phone pocket – were out of stock in my size. These are on my shopping list for next year.

Overall, the summer capsule is working well. I’ve even worn the Rohan linen trousers at long last. The only casualty has been the lovely dark rose zipped microgrid fleece – the sleeve sustained a large hole when it was accidently caught on the BBQ and melted. Unfortunately, the colour isn’t available at the moment, so I’ve put it to one side whilst I decide what to do. In the past I would have relegated it to ‘wear around the house’ but that doesn’t really fit the ethos of the capsule wardrobe and the ‘love it, wear it’ motto.

And finally, a shout-out for Rohan's customer service. I usually add a pair of their fantastic Serene knickers to any order. Eventually I will have replaced all my old underwear with these comfortable, fast-drying gems. When I opened the new packet I found a slight manufacturing defect where the fabric had not caught into the waistband. This is the first time I have ever found a fault on any Rohan clothing. A quick email to customer services and a replacement was posted to me the same day. Another satisfied customer.