Embrace Lazy Girl Summer with Linen This Season

While linen’s signature lightness offers endless benefits, especially during the warmer months, there’s also a very tricky aspect to it: some linen pieces are extremely see-through. And this may not be the biggest problem when throwing on a linen dress on top of your bikini during a summer getaway, but it can make things a bit complicated when wearing your linens to the office or other formal settings. It's important to know this sheerness intensifies in bright lighting, and therefore should be taken into consideration when attending daytime events. Plus, white linen items usually tend to be more sheer than any black or deep-colored garments. 

But this issue shouldn’t stop you from buying linen items you truly love. Luckily, there’s a number of solutions to prevent that sheerness from ruining your summer outfit. Firstly, wearing skin-colored undergarments can take you a long way. Although this will not fully stop the sheerness, it will make this transparency a bit less evident and smooth out your look. And this doesn’t only mean wearing a nude bra and panties set, but also relying on bodysuits and shapewear for a more cautious (and snatched) look. Additionally, high-waisted or box-typed briefs are also a safe underwear choice when wearing linen in the summer. Alternatively, if you are looking to reduce the sheerness as much as possible, you can always count on slip dresses and slip shorts to add an extra layer of fabric and guarantee a discreet look. And although adding an extra layer of clothing doesn’t sound like a very fresh alternative for the hot months, it will help prevent sweat stains that could ruin your linen look.

Time to address the elephant in the room: linen has earned its reputation as one of the most wrinkle-prone fabrics out there. While this light texture certainly exudes the ultimate summer-getaway vibes, its tendency to crease makes it a challenge when it comes to packing for your travels. And although you always hope to have a clothing iron or a garment steamer in your hotel room, you can’t always count on that.

While you can always embrace the effortless and relaxed look of wrinkled linen—at the end of the day, that casual feel is what makes this airy fabric so charming—fashion experts know one or two tricks to avoid those stubborn creases. Not overloading your washing machine when washing linen is one of the first steps you can take to tackle this issue. Not only is it very important that linen clothing has plenty of space in the washer, but also that it gets taken out of the machine immediately after the washing cycle ends to avoid giving the clothes time to twist. While not very practical for small apartments, drying your linens flat on top of a towel will also allow the fabric to smooth out naturally. Despite some false beliefs, it’s vital to avoid drying linen clothes on a hanger as this will stretch your garments and likely leave unnecessary dents. Plus, the more impatient fashionistas would be glad to hear that ironing your linens (in medium heat, please) while they’re still damp guarantees a smooth finish in minutes. Finally, applying some wrinkle-reducing spray could save you from some last-minute steaming.

Despite taking all of these careful precautions, you may also need to be extra careful when going out and about in your linens. It’s small habits like straightening-up your pants or skirt before sitting down and unbuttoning your linen jacket before bending over that will guarantee an immaculate look all day long.

From feminine linen dresses to fresh pleated shorts, there’s endless possibilities when it comes to purchasing linen. That being said, it’s extremely important to consider wearability and think of versatile styling options before adding linens to your cart. “My favorite linen piece for summer is a pair of tailored linen trousers, they will go with everything from a simple t-shirt and sandals to a more elevated shirt and flats. I love a linen set, too. We saw lots of those suit vest style linen tops with matching midi skirts last year, such a good outfit formula that you can wear to work or more casually,” said London-based Olivia Wayman on this topic. At the end of the day, high-quality linen pieces are meant to last forever, so it’s worth taking some time to find the perfect addition to your curated closet.

And although there’s plenty of fashion houses that offer the most adorable array of pieces crafted in pure linen, there’s also a lot of brands currently offering low-quality blends that may lose their charm after a couple of washes. Lucky for us, some of L’OFFICIEL’s favorite fashion experts were happy to share their favorite brands to shop linen at.

As for Lisbon-based Vicky Montanari, some of her favorite brands to purchase linens from are Posse, Everlane, Alemais (specifically for linen dresses), and J. Crew. For the stylish Olivia Wayman, the best linens come from down under. “Australian brands do linen so well. Some of my favorites are St. Agni and Posse, they do some great summer sets.” Curiously, Chicago’s Ilana Torbiner also recommends an Australian-based brand as one of her go-to places for linens. “Deiji Studios makes some of my favorite linen sets for summer. They're versatile and great to travel in, but can also be dressed up with a little heel.”

“I feel like the high-street and mid-range brands also always nail linen pieces, I live in my Reformation Olina Pants in the warmer months. I recently visited Massimo Dutti and they have some amazing linen pieces, too. I recently found a pair of cream tailored trousers in their store and the fit felt so expensive. They’re the perfect effortless yet put-together piece for summer,” Wayman added. New York-based public relations expert and stylist Lilly Sisto had extremely similar opinions to her peers when it comes to purchasing linen, “Reformation, Donni and J.Crew are the best! My favorites are the Olina Pant from Reformation and Donni’s Linen Simple Pants.”

Lastly, vintage lovers would be glad to hear that the fashionable Ilana Torbiner relies on unique thrift finds when it comes to linen. “I love Etsy for one of a kind, romantic linen dresses. Some of my usual search terms are: antique french linen dress, antique linen chemise, and vintage embroidered linen dress”. Similarly, Sisto bets on circularity and reusability for her linens, “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel or buy something new—I bet you can take an old linen shirt from your dad or boyfriend. I also love wearing an oversized linen shirt as a dress.”

And although after reading this guide you can basically consider yourself a linen expert, we are happy to give you one final push to live your best lazy girl summer in linens. Keep scrolling and discover a few of L’OFFICIEL’s must-have linen items for the hot months ahead.