India, April 10 -- In our better summer fantasies, we've booked into a cliffside coastal villa. We're chilling by the private pool. We've slathered on the expensive sunscreen. We're actually reading the book we kept saying we would. It's a scene out of Call Me By Your Name. Reality, however, is harsher than the April sun.

Record heatwaves are already here. The economy is tanking, again. There's a fuel shortage, a cooking gas shortage, the stock market needs a confidence coach. International tourism has stalled as the threat of war looms. So, how to dress for an uncertain future? By doing more with less, picking natural fabrics, dressing for domestic vacations, and extending the summer wardrobe to the later months (in the hope that the pl...