Welcome to SIGNATURE STYLE’s August blog! I’m so glad you found your way here 🙏🏻 Sorry it’s a bit late, I’ve had technical issues 😬 and before you continue, please press on the blog title NOW if you think you’d like to comment, and that option will appear at the end 😉 And please be sure to read what my blogging buddies Cindy and Kim have to say afterwards.

Linen and me go way back. Not the thousands of years it’s been around, but most definitely back to the 1980s. First it was the linen suit 🤍 I had them in skirts/jackets and pants/jackets and in a myriad of colours. You think it, I wore it… hot pink, elephant grey, embellished racing car red to name a few. Then it was dresses and then in 1995 when we decided to elope, you guessed it… I married in a hand selected cream linen, made into a dress by my seamstress and my husband just happened to wear all linen too (Country Road by memory) 😊 and then when I had my daughters, I remember covering my belly before and after with his big boxy linen shirts! And my love of it continues on to this day. I just wish I had photos of all my linen looks over the decades because, (with the exception of my wedding dress and one Emanuel Ungaro cream linen pantsuit), they are distant memories. But fond ones (as I’m sure you can tell) which is why it’s so lovely writing this post 🙏🏻 But the more I reminisce, the more it becomes apparent that the very looks I’ve described could actually appear current. And I think that’s because the simplicity of linen and the styles it attracts are incredibly timeless. Not to mention extremely chic. So what better way could there be for me (and you) to dress moving forward ? Let’s take a look together…

Embracing the looser, more relaxed version of the fabric, Bisque Traders sells an array of upmarket European sourced garments that have me wanting to uproot and move to where I can wear them and no shoes all year around 😍 which, if that is where you live, I’m a tad envious 😂 don’t you just love the frayed details of this Italian made linen shirt dress? It is currently waitlisted only… so tempted … going to put it on my wishlist and wait 😉

And another very cool, open weave brand is Estilo Emporio. Italian linen, made there, but run by a family based business in Sydney. How lovely is this Frangia jacket? My only dilemma wearing it with the dress above, would be should I wear it open or tie 😉

But if you prefer something loose with a tighter weave, I can’t recommend the Greek Linen Tulip dress by Kiitos enough. I have had mine in the Stripe for 3 years and have found it washes and wears so well. The great thing is it comes in so many colours, you are bound to find one that suits.

And this is me in mine. I actually dyed it to a Teal using half a Dylon Emerald Green Front loader Pod last Summer. So if you have 100% linen (or cotton), keep it in mind, as you could updated yours that way too.

In fact, I am so thrilled with all the linen I own, it really is a wardrobe staple in my closet. Here are some of my pieces :

But if there’s one garment that currently eludes me, it’s the linen blazer jacket. I really would like one in natural to go over all the garments above. I recently saw the two below on Etsy…which has me thinking 🤔 I adore the colours and styles, but as I know from experience that there is such a variation in the quality of linen, should it be something I always try before I buy, especially if I plan on keeping it as long as I do 🤔 🤔

The other way to keeping linen looking timeless, is to look after your garments. I wash all mine with an eco friendly detergent on a gentle cycle in cold water. And often inside out. And I never use anything with a whitening agent in it as that only fades them. And no softeners as this coats the fabric affecting it’s breathability. And they get lined dried. Tumble dryers may shrink, fade and create a fuzzy film on the outer. I press when damp. That way it’s easier to iron out the creases, and on the reverse, so it doesn’t flatten the yarn which can create a sheen. All just common sense really. But that way, they stay soft, in fact, linen softens with every wash. Which is why I rarely dry clean (although those with structure may require it).

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little blog, again, apologies for it’s tardiness. Let’s go see what Cindy and Kim have to say…If you haven’t already 😉

CINDY HATTERSLEY DESIGN

NORTHERN CAL STYLE

Sarah xx