Living With Linen

Make peace with the crease

The first thing to understand about linen is that it wrinkles, and that this is not a fault. The same fibre stiffness that makes linen cool and crisp is what gives it its relaxed, characterful crease. Once you accept the crease as part of the fabric's charm, linen becomes one of the easiest fibres to live with, because you stop fighting its nature and start enjoying it.

Wear it a little rumpled and it looks entirely right. That is how linen is meant to look, and a garment worn with its creases reads as effortless rather than unkempt.

Linen is not a fabric to press into submission. Its gentle creasing is the point, and a garment worn a touch relaxed reads as easy, not careless.

Wash it and let it soften

Linen actually improves with washing, growing softer and more supple over time. Wash it in cool or lukewarm water on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent. Avoid overloading, so the fabric has room to move freely, and skip harsh treatments that would stiffen the fibres rather than soften them.

• Wash in cool or lukewarm water
• Use a mild detergent and a gentle cycle
• Give it room rather than crowding the load
• Let repeated washing soften it naturally

Each wash leaves linen a little more pliable, so a piece that felt stiff when new becomes more comfortable the longer you own it.

Dry it gently

High heat is hard on linen, weakening the fibres over time. Air drying is kindest: hang or lay the garment out and let it dry naturally, away from strong sun that can fade the colour. If you like a smoother finish, take linen off the line while it still holds a little dampness, since it is far easier to smooth when not bone dry.

Letting linen dry naturally also preserves its lovely hand, the particular way it feels between the fingers, which harsh heat can dull.

Iron only if you want to, and while damp

Ironing linen is optional, a matter of the look you want rather than a necessity. If you prefer it smooth, iron while the fabric is still slightly damp, on a warmer setting suited to the fibre. Pressing a bone-dry linen is a losing battle; a little moisture in the cloth makes it cooperate at once.

• Iron while the fabric is still slightly damp
• Use a setting suited to linen's tolerance for heat
• Leave it relaxed instead if you prefer the softer look

Many people who love linen never iron it at all, and the fabric looks entirely at home that way, so the choice is yours to make.

Store it with air

Linen likes to breathe. Store it clean and dry, folded loosely on a shelf or hung with room around it, rather than crammed tightly or sealed in plastic. Trapped damp is the one thing linen genuinely dislikes in storage, as it can mark the fibres and leave a musty smell.

A little air keeps a linen garment fresh and ready, so it comes out of storage needing nothing more than a shake before you wear it.

Let it age

Perhaps the loveliest thing about linen is that it rewards use. Where many fabrics degrade, linen softens, hangs better, and takes on a lived-in beauty that new cloth cannot fake. Caring for it well is less about protecting it from wear than about letting it wear in.

Handle it gently, dry it kindly, and let time do the rest. A well-loved linen only gets better, which makes it one of the few fabrics that genuinely improves in your keeping rather than slowly wearing out.

Linen in everyday wear

Linen rewards being worn rather than saved, and treating it as an everyday fabric rather than a special one is the surest way to enjoy it. Each wearing and washing softens it further, so the more it lives in your rotation, the more comfortable it becomes. Fretting over its creases keeps you from the very ease that makes linen a pleasure to own.

• Wear it often rather than saving it for occasions
• Let the creases be part of how it looks
• Refresh it with airing between wears rather than frequent washing

The relaxed nature of linen suits a relaxed relationship with it. A linen piece worn comfortably, creases and all, reads as easy and unfussed, which is exactly its charm. Reserve it for careful occasions and you never quite let it become the soft, lived-in favourite it wants to be. Let linen into your ordinary days, handle it lightly, and it repays you with a fabric that only grows more pleasant the longer and more casually you wear it.