Everybody loves linen…
Or not. Maybe it’s more of a love-hate relationship… I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.
Yes, it’s cool and comfortable on a hot day. But it also wrinkles the second you put it on. And who wants to wear wrinkled clothes? More to the point, who wants to spend hours ironing wrinkled linen clothes?!?
OK, let’s pretend wrinkling is part of the ‘charm’ of wearing linen. We ‘accept’ wrinkles on linen clothes as a sign of ‘authenticity’ and ‘quality’ (natural fibres, high-end material etc). Never mind that we end up looking like we slept in our clothes…
You know what I think? Linen only works if it’s thick enough. Now good luck finding that.
The sad truth is that most linen clothes are not made of thick, high-end linen. Instead, they’re made of that cheap, see-through fabric that wrinkles even if you just breath in its vicinity. There’s nothing ‘high-end’, ‘quality’ or ‘luxurious’ about it.
And you have to iron it when it’s still humid, if you want it to look halfway decent. Which is a total waste of time, considering it will not look pristine after you put it on.
So, about this old linen shirt I’m wearing here… No, I did not iron it (my policy on linen is just hang to dry, maybe spray with water if it feels stiff before I put it on).
For starters, I hate ironing, and I have hidden my iron so well that I’ve no idea where it is. And to be honest, by the time these photos were taken (after a few hours of wearing the shirt), I don’t think this shirt would have looked any different even if I had ironed it. So, why bother?
As for that love-hate relationship… I hate linen. I just forget that periodically. Until I wear a linen shirt, that is. Then I remember, and resolve to hide my linen clothes at the back of the wardrobe. Until the next time…
Outfit details:
linen shirt: Marks and Spencer (old) / trousers: Ril’s / sunglasses: Prada /
shoes: Clarks (old) Bag: Marc Jacobs
What about you? Do you love or hate linen?
Tiina
Linking up with:
Not Dead Yet Style, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, High Latitude Style, Style Elixir, A Labour of Life, Curly Crafty Mom, Fashion Should Be Fun, Color and Grace, The Wardrobe Stylist, Not Dressed As Lamb, Style Nudge, Living on Cloud Nine, A Well Styled Life, Elegance and Mommyhood. Posh Classy Mom, Nancy’s Fashion Style, Shelbee on the Edge, A Pocketful of Polka Dots Style Splash, The Fashionista Momma, Tina’s Pink Friday, Away from the Blue, Mummabstylish , Mutton Years Style and I
mwhaha, I totally love your attitude because you nailed it, as usual. We’ve been told that we have to love linen because it’s so cool and breathable, which is nice, but not nice enough to justify the ironing.
I love my light sundresses and tunics and many of them have to be ironed. The difference is that these pieces keep their crispiness through the whole day and make me feel fab. Flowy and fresh clothes like viscose are way better!
Anyway, I like your striped trousers, so elegant and cool, and the light blue/lavender shirt. And you look fabulous in these pictures on the white chair. Summery!
besos
Author
Thanks!
Yes, viscose is a good alternative, and it drapes so beautifully. I have a a couple of dresses made of viscose, and I never iron them (just hang to dry and they’re good to go). But linen… On the other hand, I really like linen knits (maybe because there’s no ironing necessary).
I love linen and I never iron it. I hang as soon as it’s out of the washing machine and leave it to dry in my tiny laundry room. As you say it creases as soon as you look at it so forget the creases and enjoy the coolness. I have shirts and trousers no dresses they might need more care.
Author
I have quite a few linen t-shirts, and I love them. It’s the perfect material for lightweight knitwear: cool and comfortable.
Such a great look! Love how you added a pop of color with the red shoes!
Ellie
Ellibelle’s Corner
Author
Thanks, Ellie!
I know exactly what you mean about your love/hate relationship with linen. You are spot on about the quality of the linen that is sold now. I am rather fussy about wrinkling and admit to being one who irons . I do rather like your striped pants, they look so cool and comfy.
Author
Thanks, Jill. These trousers are silk-viscose mix, so they’re feather light (no ironing needed, either) and really flowy.
I love my pair of white linen pants but you are white they are probably not the best quality since they are quite thin but so nice for summer!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Author
Linen pants would be so nice… But made of thick linen, especially if they’re white. That is so incredibly difficult to find, isn’t it?
I bought quite a few linen pieces over the last couple of years, as I do like the coolness in this heat we get in NC. I used to hate it because of the wrinkling. I get both sides. And I do love your blue linen shirt here 🙂
thanks for linking!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
Author
Thanks, Jess.
Yes, wrinkling is annoying. I’ve seen some linen dresses and trousers made of heavier fabric, and they wrinkle a lot less. They’re just not that easy to find, unfortunately.
Ah that is the problem with linen-the wrinkles. However the fabric is so cool for summer for me it overrides the wrinkling.
http://www.ruthyannie.com
Author
I love my linen t-shirts: cool and comfortable, and no need to worry about wrinkles. And they also look great.
I feel exactly the same about linen. It feels nice to wear but the creasing puts me off…unless it’s so hot that I really don’t care about the wrinkles. I’m not a fan of ironing either so I deliberately look for fabric that doesn’t crease. Thanks for linking up!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
Author
I know what you mean. I love linen knitwear, though.
Haha! I love it! No…wait…I hate it! Why does it have to wrinkle? The outfit looks great on you anyway!
Ruth
http://www.VogueFauxReal.com
Author
Thanks, Ruth!
I do love linen in the heat but I can’t stand the wrinkles undoing all my hard work of ironing, haha! I hate ironing! I’ve compromised and only keep the linen dresses in my wardrobe that are printed – the print disguises most of the wrinkles 😉
Hope that you had a great weekend! I had a fun night out with some Insta friends in Brisbane which was awesome 🙂
Thank you so much for joining the #weekdayWearLinkUp 🙂
Author
I hate ironing, too. That’s why I hardly ever do it. Or it might be because I’m just lazy…
Thanks, Mica!
I love linen also but hate ironing. Good quality cotton irons well (ok so I do iron occasionally) and stays looking good when linen doesn’t, yet I still love the feel of linen on the bod. Go figure! Linen/cotton is a great mix …