It was a wet bank holiday but it seems as though it will take more than a summer shower and chilly breeze to deter Londoners from donning their best summer clothes, as new research reveals that 38 per cent of us are happy to sport our sizzling summer wardrobe at under just 14° Celsius.
Commissioned by Pimm’s to celebrate the arrival of the Great British summer, the research has been released alongside a collection of images capturing some of the nation’s best loved historic statues in their natty pinstripe summer clobber. In London, summer style fans can join esteemed railway engineer, Robert Stephenson (London, Euston), the Golders Hill Girl (London, Golders Hill Park) and Welsh entrepreneur, Hugh Myddleton (London, Islington) in sporting their summer togs as part of the nationwide stunt. They join the likes of comedy legend Max Miller (Brighton), Lady Godiva (Coventry) and The Diving Belle in Scarborough, in dressing down – whatever the weather.
Over half (57%) of Londoners say they prefer their summer wardrobe to their dreary winter clothes because it makes them feel more attractive (26%) and a further 55 per cent said it is more fun and colourful to wear. Interestingly, it seems that men are the first to strip down to their T-shirt and shorts at the slightest ray of sunshine, with almost half (48%) claiming they switch their attire at just 14° Celsius or less versus just 41 per cent of women. Britain’s studs are also the first to don their board shorts at the beach during summer, with almost half (49%) saying they’d wear swimwear on the beach under 20° Celsius compared to just 30 per cent of women.
63 per cent of the people surveyed in London say they think Brits are quicker to embrace the summer than other countries, with 78 per cent stating that they like to make the most of the sunshine– no matter how few precious rays we get over the course of the year. Other patriotic respondents claim that they love getting into the spirit of summer as it is a key part of being British (31%) and over a fifth (21%) said they love to get involved in traditional outdoor activities in their area.
A quarter (25%) of weather-defiant Londoners say they would be happy to organise outdoor activities with up to only a 30% chance of sunshine and popular social activities such as barbecues (53%), hitting the beach (44%)and having a picnic (48%) topped the list of our favourite things to do during the summer months.
The message? Don’t let the weather get you down! Don your brightest clothes, bring out the barbecue and celebrate the arrival of summer…
