How to avoid looking like a hot menopausal mess

It’s been the warmest October on record and November is continuing in the same vein. But if you’re a woman over 50 going through the menopuase, you’re probably already warm enough. So how do you stay cool?

It’s too mild, I’m menopausal … you just want a cold wind up you,” said the divine Kathy Burke on Have I Got News For You, last week. We had the hottest October on record and Burke was voicing what every woman over the age of 50 has been thinking for the past four weeks. When oestrogen has left the building, this unseasonably warm weather means that both our internal and external equilibrium feels chaotic. This autumn is a full-on, hot-flush fest; the temperature inside and out just doesn’t feel right. At the swimming pool the other day, I noticed a woman about my age sustaining a handstand underwater; it might have been synchronised swimming but I’m convinced it was the only way she could think of to cool down.

Embrace layering (take your clothes off)

Choose lightweight items that are not restrictive and suffocating and are made from natural fibres. Sitting at the computer in my bra is fine when I’m working from home, but not ideal in a room full of people. Layer-up in lightweight garments that can be removed when a hot flush hits and make sure the base layer – perhaps a vest or camisole top – is something you are happy to be seen in in public.

Culottes suddenly seem like a good idea

It’s not just me, it is hot out there and with temperatures above average, cropped trousers and culottes have suddenly become appealing. Me & Em’s tailored crop jeans would look fab with flat pointy shoes or heeled mid-calf boots, Boden’s cropped trousers that come in both denim and pinstripe fabrics and Hobbs has navy culottes in cotton and elastane. If you like your ankles, try going bare – fashion editors love to flash a sliver of skin as part of otherwise wintry outfits for purely aesthetic reasons, but it can be brilliantly chilling, too.

No jumper required

November magazines planned months in advance are filled with chunky cable knits and faux fur scarves. Just looking at a polo neck jumper makes me break out in a sweat. Give me an easy-breezy cotton tunic dress or shirt, any day of the year. For tunic dresses, go straight to COS, and the best cotton shirts are MHL by Margaret Howell. A real splurge but you wait till the sample sale and buy in bulk, if you can bear the crowds. When it comes to outerwear, a lightweight blazer or military jacket is all that’s needed right now. Zara has a good selection of styles(the loose fit, pique blazer and double fabric blazers) and I’m even coming round to the idea of the sleeveless jacket …

Lounge around

The NHS website suggests exercise is a good way to ease hot flushes so this is not literally lolling around on the settee but wearing loose-fitting loungewear, lightweight jumpsuits and my new favourite thing: pyjama dressing. Like turning the pillow over in the middle of the night, this is the perfect way to keep your cool. I’m practically living in Hush’s rayon jumpsuit at the minute and pyjama-style tops look chic as both day and eveningwear. The ultimate posh pyjamas come from Restless Sleepers at Net-a-Porter and Kate Moss’s favourite brandOlivia van Halle. And if you’re worried that going out in pyjamas will make you look like a menopausal mess, check out Winser London’s silk v-neck top for amore grownup take on the trend.

The finishing touches

The statement necklace is over, which is good news because having a big piece of plastic around your neck is a surefire recipe for overheating. If you’re into accessories, a skinny scarf of the kind celebrities buy from Rockins, or a pair ofshowstopper earrings will have no such side-effects.

Be prepared

I find it’s best to treat the menopause like travelling on the London Underground in a heatwave – only this physical journey can last 10 years. Carry a bottle of ice-cold water, straight from the fridge, and hold it to the forehead in times of peak flush. Have something at hand to fan yourself with (the best use for free newspapers in my opinion) and use hair elastics to tie long hair back, as no one wants to feel as if they’re wearing a woolly hat when they’re not.