Linen -- how do you wear it while traveling?

I will also add that I have seen people who carry this insouciant linen look off well, and others that just look like a wadded up kleenex. (Note to self, perhaps best to avoid the white linen...)

You made me laugh as I was thinking, when I read the Kleenex comment, "hmmm, maybe avoid white linen" :D

I have an elderly grande dame friend who I complained to about linen wrinkles. Her response was, "then everyone knows you are wearing the good, 100% linen, my dear".:D

This is exactly my perspective! I am old-fashioned enough and enough of a "classic" dresser to appreciate the "good stuff:" 100% linen, silk, cashmere, etc., and wear them for their incredible hand. Yes I recognize the down sides of some of these fabrics -- linen wrinkles, silk clings, cashmere is just expensive! :eek: But I just can't help buying them and I wear them often.

A couple of suggestions when it comes to linen: I mist my linen garments with water and hang them on a hanger to eliminate at least some wrinkles. I do this after unpacking, and after wearing -- sometimes I mist while I am wearing the garments, just to freshen the look -- for example, if you return to your cabin after lunch to brush teeth or whatever, a little misting can help before you go back out. It takes some of the wrinkles away and of course the linen dries so quickly no one notices the misting. You can even carry a small empty spray bottle in your purse and make use of it on the go, when you have access to water to fill it -- such as when you make a stop at the ladies room.

I have also found linen/rayon blends to be much less wrinkle-prone and almost as cool and fluid as 100% linen. And rayon in general is wrinkle-free and makes a pretty good substitute for linen (or silk, or cotton, for that matter). I wash rayon gently and hang to dry, or it, too, can look horrible.

I believe linen items labeled "pre-washed" will give you a slightly rumpled, casual look without being as prone to the heavy creasing/whiskering mentioned by other posters. And there is no question that linen "bottoms" are going to look less tidy than tops -- they are subject to more stresses. Lined linen garments will hold their shape and look as good as linen can look, but of course lose the airiness that we all love about linen.

I think our negative perspective on the wrinkliness of linen has its origins in modern fabric technology which has pretty much eliminated wrinkles (and ironing!) from most peoples' wardrobes, so we come down harder on linen than travelers a couple of generations back did. If you are self-confident and wear linen because you love it, you will be proud and happy to be rumpled!

SeagoingMom, I appreciate your thoughts -- obviously they come from the heart of a real linen lover. It certainly sounds good. (In theory; in practice at least for me, it remains to be determined.....) But I am willing to give it a try.

I love good natural fibers as well, but my favorites are silk and merino wool. They travel pretty nicely. ;)

Thanks for the tips! :)

 

What about the 'yarn-dyed' linen big shirt?

It does not show wrinkles like the plain linen big shirt and it gets softer with each wash .

I have an elderly grande dame friend who I complained to about linen wrinkles. Her response was, "then everyone knows you are wearing the good, 100% linen, my dear".:D

This is what I picked up in Italy. Women in Rome loved their wrinkles because it meant it was real and not the new cheap stuff from China nor a blend. I just didn't need much linen except for cruising until recently. I just bought my first pair of linen slacks for our March Panama Canal cruise. I know how to pack them and they'll go to the ship's laundry a time or two as needed.

Thanks for the misting tip! In Europe I used a lot of fabric sizing spray when ironing linen and cotton and it kept most of the real creases away. Back then I loved cotton voile blouuses for the hot summers and with sizing not starch they would srill breath while not clinging allowing the thinner me to just wear a pretty color matched bra under the blouses instead of adding a camisole. And I also throw linen knit tops that want to stretch into the dryer near the end.

I was concerned more about the stretching/bagging aspect (especially for pants) than just the wrinkles. Wrinkles you can sometimes smoothe a bit. Not much you can do about stretching/bagginess except launder them.

I tend to wear loose linen pants so stretching/bagging isn't an issue.

As I stand here with my fabric sizing spray ironing my favorite linen outfits. I do hate looking like an unmade bed [emoji6]

If that is truly the case, then I think my linen can't look forward to traveling much with me. I don't take unlimited luggage when I travel and I like to know that I can wear some things (e.g., a dressy pair of pants worn for dinner) more than once, and/or that they are wash and wear.

I pack in a carry on, so I totally understand. I usually pack 4 pairs of slacks for a 7 night cruise and wear the linen ones one night. I just wore my white ones and have to agree with another poster that it seems the more they are washed that they are less prone to wrinkling.

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