Yes magazines tell you to stick to white in the summer, but as someone whose wardrobe is 90% black I don’t like to follow that advice. Not only is white easier to stain, it also cooks the body because it reflects heat both ways: the heat coming from the sun and the heat generated by the body. It’s really the weight and type of cloth that makes you hot. Black linen clothing is one of the coolest things you can wear. The only time black clothes will make you hot is if you’re totally motionless in heavy-weight clothing someplace that reflects heat right onto you — like the beach. It also helps that the pieces below are summer essentials.