Sunlight protecting garments having convective ventilation

A ventilated garment system is described that removes heat and moisture from a wearer's skin during hot weather while furnishing protection from direct sunlight. The system includes a pair of air outlet shoulder seams, a pair of air inlet side seams, and selectively at least one back seam, each shoulder seam including a zipper slide and a zipper tape, attached along welts to the fabric of the garment, and an underlying panel of stretchable mesh fabric, having a pleat therein, whereby movement of the zipper slides in the seams causes them to open and expose the panels of mesh fabric. Ambient air then enters the side and back seams into ventilation spaces between the garment and the skin of a wearer, moves convectively upwardly within the ventilation spaces toward the shoulder seams while receiving heat and moisture from the wearer's skin, and passes through the shoulder seams, thereby exiting the garment system and carrying away the heat and moisture. Each of the air inlet side seams and the air inlet back seams may also be provided with a zipper slide and a zipper tape and an underlying panel of stretchable mesh fabric. These convectively ventilated garments are useful both indoors and outdoors and during vigorous sports activities, wherein much body heat and moisture are generated by the wearer thereof.