Become/ Third Love/ InStyle

“How are you?” Lately, it seems as if the answer to that question is simply “HOT.”

Be it the relentless scorch of rising temperatures, pregnancy, perimenopausal or menopausal hormones, medication triggers, chemotherapy and other medical treatments, disrupted sleep, travel, or the daily act of just getting from here to there, many women are in various stages of melting. Yet, while you may be daydreaming of stripping down (or, erm, flossing), the solution to this annoying problem surprisingly lies in…getting dressed. Tons of new cooling fabrics and advanced technology recently hit the market, joining the likes of fine-grade pima cotton and high-grade merino wool (which, yes, absorbs moisture instead of making you sweat).

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But what’s the difference between old cooling fabric that has been around for years and these new-and-improved options? According to Heidi Rauch, who founded maternity brand Belabumbum and is now working on Become, a brand geared toward cooling (peri) menopausal women, it all lies in the added “intelligence” of the fabric. Not only is there a need for these technologically advanced materials, there is also curiosity and overwhelming gratitude.

Molly Rogers, a costume designer for And Just Like That, agrees, telling me that clothes that come with added benefits, rather than just looking cute, are truly the way of the future.

“It makes me think of the movie Dune with my favorite actress, Zendaya,” she says. “The future is clothing that can protect you from global warming, severe climate changes, and — even more volatile — how one can feel with hormonal flushes! The name of the game in summer dressing is fabrics