Favorites Series: Linen Shirts - Topic of the day 3/28/24
What are your favorite linen shirts? Favorite brands at low medium and high price points? What do you look for in one of these shirts? What brands have been great for them and what brands have really let you down? Feel free to share a few of your favorite fits or inspo that feature these shirts, too. (Note: the Favorites Series will be running ~weekly as a new way of doing the "Best X for $X" threads from a few years ago on MFA.)
64 Replies
Commenting because I want to be able to easily see others recs
I'm a fan of loro piana which I would probably place in the high price point category
What I typically look for is how the shirt actually feels. Some are a bit scratchier than others and I like a softer feel. Banana republic and j crew (maybe these are low to medium price?) aren't bad. But I should also add that price doesn't equal quality so it really just kind of depends on the brand and build
I am in same boat. Looking to find a thicker white one, since the thinner ones are too see through
Alex Crane has a thicker one with nice material, but the fit was too tight even sizing up.
My favorite linen shirt that I own is from Portuguese flannel. I would recommend sizing up there too.
My two favs are used/thrifted, there is nothing nooooothing š© like how linen wears over time, it becomes so incredibly soft. Newly purchased, I've a couple that I quite like from Common Manufacturing and Magee 1866 and every summer I try to wear them as often as possible to accelerate the softening process.
I've thrifted a Banana Republic linen which is pretty decent, the collar is a touch short for my liking but it looks decent enough especially when it flares out from having some buttons undone
Brooks Brothers (especially on eBay) is also a good option, plenty of linen shirts in the $15-20 range. These have a bigger, more structured button down collar
tbh iām also putting a pin in here for recs
thereās some more femme linens iāve been looking at but some more masc cuts would be nice too
On the low end I've been served pretty well by the uniqlo linnen/cotton blend camp collar shirts
On the higher end I really like my barena linen popover: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1116800072093532191/1153689188449931295/IMG_9112.jpg
rare that i get to praise a mall brand but i like gap's; it's breathable without being transparent and the collar is sturdy as heck š
eta i got it on sale for like $40 and given how gap prices their stuff you should also buy it on sale
Once again plugging muji french linen shirts
Wherever. I an Allsaints black 100% two-pocket shirt off Grailed that's held up well. Versatile. Nice rich black color. Also, if you ever go to Florida, thrift stores there should have some good linen stuff.
I've got a Lands End shirt on the way from eBay.
G. Inglese is a $$$ option, but the linen is really nice and not scratchy at all. Splurged on one last year for a summer wedding and highly recommend on sale.
I really like swanndri. This is my favourite linen shirt, and quite possibly my favourite shirt I own: Swanndri fern green linen shirt. I love how thick the linen is and how breathable it is.
I know this is about the shirt but damn that background is incredible.
Where is that?
Queenstown NZ.
Swanndri is a NZ workwear brand for farmers/forestry workers. Everything I have had from them is sturdy.
Not sure this helps many folks but I visit family in Colombia frequently and there's some great brands there including Soloio (most casual, resortish), Martin Pescador (more business casual, structured collars) and Ketty Tinoco (fantastic guayabara style shirts)
I currently only have three linen shirts: one from Todd Snyder, one from Life After Denim, and one from Zegna. Theyāre all pretty old but they still get decent wear as linen seems to last forever. I love linen shirts and hope to get at least one more this year, probably from Blluemade
ooh yeah zegna is another good one - i've owned a couple of their band collar ones that were great
One of the brands that I just go ogle online because itās so nice but so pricy
A friend of mine scooped up a few G Inglese shirts during the NMWA archive shirt and sometimes when we hang he makes sure to remind me and have me feel the shirt so I know what I am missing in life š
He also got two of the De Bonne Facture shirts so he sucks
Itās me your friend, please buy De Bonne Facture and G. Inglese
:doit:
Ssssshhhh
curious, because i see other "favorites series" posts - what's considered low/medium/high in terms of price when it comes to these posts? and follow-up question: i'm also seeing a lot of recommendations for people to buy secondand, so would the price points be based on original retail or the actual price that you actually paid?
Spier and mackay all the way
This is a question that should be answered more on these type of threads tbh. Low/medium/high in terms of price seems very relative to me. In terms of secondhand, I would say the price you payed not the retail or resale value. Itās pretty easy to find secondhand clothing that had a very high retail price or could have a high resale price for not a lot of $$$. People here post amazing finds like that all the time.
Linen can be a pricey material. I would say that under $100 for a linen shirt is low, $100-$300 is medium and $300+ is high.
Best I can do is $30 on eBay
oh thats another thing too - low/med/high for linen vs low/med/high for a basic t-shirt could be way different. appreciate your response!
broke?
Ya
Ok to answer @justlooking the shirt was $120nzd and I bought it new.
I need this
soloio
linen shirt seal white
SoloioĀ linen shirt, featuring an exclusive design from our limited editionĀ Spicy and Poisonous IĀ collection. Crafted from 100% linen, it's soft, comfortable, and elegant, with adjustable buttons. Made using environmentally friendly natural dye processes. Thanks to our production methods and care, our linen garments mai
I think they do ship in the USA but it's more than 2x what it costs in Colombia so I'm hesitant to recommend it at this price š
It's the randomest brand I think they were Spanish or Italian at one point but now just have 3 stores in Colombia but their stuff is seriously fire
Gracias! Que perfecto
De nada
I'm kind of obsessed with the idea of bringing their stuff up to the USA but I don't know what I'd do with it at that point its not like I run a menswear store lol
Shipping is estimating at $15 to NYC! I am very tempted to buy this: https://soloio.com/products/azurro-linen-shirt-mc?variant=47442739953983
soloio
byzantium linen shirt mc
SoloioĀ linen shirt, featuring an exclusive design from our limited editionĀ ByzantiumĀ collection. Crafted from 100% linen, it's soft, comfortable, and elegant, with adjustable buttons. Made using environmentally friendly natural dye processes. Thanks to our production methods and care, our linen garments maintain their
Yeah I really want one of their Byzantium line too. I'm going back in August and will probably load up like I did last year lol
could be a good opportunity to be a broker if you find a shop in the US willing to purchase in bulk. then contact the company in columbia to get bulk pricing, tack on a bit of margin for yourself, rinse and repeat
My favorite linen shirts are De Bonne Facture
These are awesome. The mosaic prints are neat too
Glad you like them!
my personal hell with linen shirts is that there are always too long by default to wear untucked
recently got a beige linen shirt from Asket with short length and I'm happy it fits perfectly off the rack
The linen shirt I have that I like the most is from SEH Kelly but it's not really like most linen, it's quite heavy and thick but still airy and gettinf really soft with time.
I have actually started to prefer a little bit longer shirts for untucked wear and longer T-shirts as well.
how do you style them? i always look sloppy untucked so i partially tuck
I have a pretty simple style. For Summer, I will go:
Shoes: Low-top off-white canvas sneakers, Club Cās, Astorflex patnoflex loafers in nubuck
Pants: Five-pocket pants or chino shorts in Navy, Olive, Khaki
T-Shirt: Slightly oversized, flowy lightweight T-shirts. Still look relatively fitted since light-weight t-shirts seem to drape back towards the body more. Typically white/grey/olive with dark pants or navy with khakis.
Buttoned shirts: Either heavily textured (e.g. linen, seersucker, ) and/or flowy, so they are clearly meant to be casual and untucked. I usually stick to solid colors, mix in some brighter shades. Lots of Short-sleeves.
Accessories: I am way too into watches and sunglasses. Usually SPB143 on gray rubber Nato, Rolex OP 36 on metal bracelet, or vintage watch depending on setting. Sunglasses are a pretty easy place to go a little more wild with more out there shapes/colors. Sunglasses in front shirt pocket are just casual pocket squares but better. Dad hats occasionally.
For Winter:
Shoes: Chunky chelsea boots, Club Cās, plain toe derbies
Pants: Five-pocket pants in Navy, Olive, Khaki
T-Shirt: I often go heavily textured (e.g. thermals, etc.), substantial, and boxy. Often big enough to have a drop shoulder. My most-worn shirts by far are the field spec rugby crews and rugby polos from Buck Mason that are borderline sweatshirts. Also some normal heavyweight t-shirts as base layer. I wear too much gray on top.
Buttoned shirts: Flannel, Denim, corduroy, or Oxford Cloth Button Downs. Classic Fit. Not too slim and not boxy.
Outerwear: Iām in TX, so donāt need a ton of layers usually. Lots of crew neck sweaters/sweatshirts. Corduroy shirt jacket, wool quarter zip, hunting jacket, black patagonia nano-puff.
Accessories: More watches on leather bands than in summer. More subdued sunglasses than in summer. Sometimes, wool socks that show. Hats occasionally.
The Lands End shirt arrived. It seems like really nice material. Very light, airy, and smooth. Not the least bit scratchy. It says "dry clean", and I'm trying to decide whether I should respect that. Any opinions?
It's just 100% linen, no lining or anything?
It looks like there is interfacing in the collar and placket
But that's not uncommon for cotton dress shirts, and they can be laundered.
The standard advice is to follow care tag but imma be real there's no way I'd ever dry clean a linen shirt in general but especially a secondhand lands end one
Wash on cold (maybe delicate setting to be safe) and hang dry, you should be good
Yeah, that's basically my feeling too. We'll see.
Itās pure linen? I could maybe understand dry cleaning if itās a blend
Otherwise, just do what GSH said
100% linen
Ah yeah cold wash and hang dry should be fine then. One of my linen shirts says ādry clean onlyā and Iāve never done that and itās been fine
Generally I say follow care tag, but I think sometimes factories might just have like one care tag for multiple garments regardless of fabric
Dry cleaners gonna ruin it
You'll get a fucking stiff cardboard linen shirt back lol
I cold wash all mine ,hang dry, then iron
From what I recall reading, while linen is very tough and resilient, laundering it can potentially warp the of the garment. This probably isn't as true with modern washing machines on a cold/gentle cycle but a lot of companies would tell people to baby their linen to be safe. Especially if it's an older garment you thrifted, then it's likelier to have an overly cautious care tag.
Found the section: it looks like it's actually more about the dyes in the linen than the shape. I'd still say you're likely fine following standard gentle laundering advice (delicate, cold wash, mild detergent, and no dryer).
The shirt is sort of off-white. Not too worried about the dyes
My main issue with that shirt right now is the weather. Forecast says snow this week. Meanwhile, GSH is already linened out in So Cal. š„¶š„µ
wanna hear more about the femme linens!