How to Wear Linen?
In Malaysia, a lot of people think that linen is an old man’s fabric but it is not true. It is a great fabric to wear in our tropical climate and has a cool and soft feel against the skin.
Linen is a natural fibre made from the stalks of the flax plant Linum usitatissimum. In our latest Cruise Collection, linen featured heavily as we wanted a collection that you can wear out and also in the house with ease. We used one of the best linens in the market to craft out latest designs from Solbiati, which is owned by Loro Piana Fabrics of LVMH Group.
Solbiati Linens are inspired by sartorial elegance and with an attention to detail that satisfies every taste. The finest linen in the world is used to produce Solbiati’s limited quantity fabrics, which is exclusively available to the best bespoke tailors in the world.
Linen – The Benefits
Breathability
Linen is highly breathable, much more so than cotton due to its comparatively lower thread counts. A fine Egyptian cotton fabric will start at about a 200 thread count, while a similar quality linen sheet will have a thread count of between 80 and 150.
Absorbency / Hypoallergenic
Linen has a very high moisture absorbency rate, making it the ideal summer fabric for hot and humid climates. It’s also hypoallergenic, which means sweat is less likely to break down its fibres. Combined with its lack of elasticity, this ability to quickly absorb and wick away moisture from the body accounts for the ease with which linen can crease.
Better with every Wash
Linen is 30 per cent stronger than cotton, making it much more durable. Although a brand new cotton shirt will feel smoother and silkier to the touch, linen only really starts coming into its own after multiple wear. So the longer your linen shirt is, the better the feel of it.
It tends to get softer and shinier with each wash. Flax fibres don’t stretch a great deal and are resistant to damage caused by abrasion, which generally speaking is a good thing.
How to Wear Linen
Linen Suit
Linen is a fabric that is great for your next travelling or smart casual suit. It’s all about embracing the relaxed crumpledness of the linen fabric – it gives the suit is laid back style and character.
Finish with a polo t-shirt or a crisp white shirt. Linen suits are surprisingly versatile when it comes to shirts you pair it with due to its aloof style.
Linen Jacket
Every gentleman should own at least 1 linen jacket that you can throw on when you need something dressy but not too stiff for an evening soiree with friends or when you board the airplane and don’t want something too stuffy.
Linen Trousers
The perfect pants for tropical weather and warm summers – linen breathes well so it is extremely suitable for the nether regions of a man in tropical climate. However, given linen’s absorbency, trousers can become crumply and misshapen looking. For trousers, stick to dark colours like navy that does well to hide this. If opting for brighter shades, seek out a linen-blend instead, which will keep everything looking smart.
The Gurkha Linen Pants
The Gurkha pants originated from British military tradition for use by the Nepalese soldiers – hence the term Gurkha. The pants is defined by its double pleated front and high cummerbund-style waistline with buckle fastenings on the side. These Gurkha trousers are extremely versatile – you can dress it up with a cripst dress shirt and a jacket or wear is simply with a t-shirt for a more laid-back approach.
Linen Shirts
A linen shirt is an excellent all-rounder when it comes to summer dressing. Owing to its laid-back appeal, a well-cut version in sky blue can slide under a suit to tone down a more formal look, or sit over a T-shirt and shorts to take a casual combination up a notch.
How to Select Quality Linen
Given that linen can be a bit rough to the touch before wash, it may be hard to determine if it is good quality linen. There aren’t any hard and fast rules to identifying superior linen, so more often than not you simply have to trust the integrity of the brand you’re buying.
One aesthetic consideration is to look out for any ‘slubbing’. Slubs are tiny knots in the threads, and while they are not viewed as a defect, the best linens will be completely free of them.
