Wear a fine linen shirt to look dapper – not crumpled

Nothing beats a freshly pressed, crisp linen shirt for dapper summer days and balmy summer evenings, does it? If only it weren’t for the pesky creases. It’s a funny thing with us men and creased linen … It’s polarising. Some of us are happy to embrace the ‘it wouldn’t look this creased if it wasn’t luxurious linen’ idea and pull off the crumpled look with what I’d like to describe as a certain raffish aplomb. For the more crease-adverse amongst us, meanwhile, the ‘scruffy’ crumpledness is an anathema. If you’re in the second camp – and lots of the best dressed men are – our luxurious linen-blended-with-cotton shirts are made for you. You get to enjoy all the handsome and desirable traits of cool, slightly slubby linen, with its inimitable air of breezy sophistication. And all its rebellious wrinkly ways are kept in check by the shorter, softer, better behaved cotton fibres. The world’s strongest natural fibre Did you know that linen is not only one of the most luxurious but also the world’s strongest natural fibre? So strong, in fact, that it’s used in bank notes to increase their strength. Interesting! But not a reason to choose a linen cotton blend shirt, of course! Far more persuasive is the cut of the shirt itself… The pleasing selection of colours: And the choice of long sleeve or short: We’re not the first tailors to cut our summer shirts from a linen blend, of course. But, as with everything else we do, we pride ourselves on offering you something better than you’ll find elsewhere. All in all, a strong contender in the perfect summer shirt stakes. So, now that we’ve converted you, the impeccably turned out, ‘crease-averse’, to the joys of wearing linen … here are a few weird and wonderful facts you might not know about your new favourite – and the world’s oldest – natural fibre. Some quirky facts we bet you didn’t know about linen

• Linen was first produced in ancient Mesopotamia and mainly used by the wealthier class of the society. Its ‘manufacture’ from the stem of the blue-flowering flax plant may possibly date back as far as 8,000 BC!
• The resin in linen gives it a natural ability to prevent bacterial growth – as recognised by the Ancient Egyptians, who used it for mummification. (What that means today is that it’s hypoallergenic and extremely soothing if you have sensitive skin.)
• We think of linen as a summer fabric because of its ability to keep us cool in summer, but it’s actually a natural insulator. So its long, hollow fibres also retain body warmth in winter.

And finally Like great wine, linen improves with age. With wearing, washing and general handling, the fibres become softer – and less prone to crumpling. Check out our full range of long- and short-sleeved linen cotton blend shirts here *not all of these items are now in stock*