Almost every question we receive about care is about linen, and almost every one comes down to the same misunderstanding: people treat linen like cotton. It is not cotton. It is stronger, it dries faster, it loves water, and it is at its best when it is a little creased. Here is how we look after ours.
1. Wash cool, wash inside out
Thirty degrees, a gentle cycle, and the garment turned inside out to protect the surface. Use a mild liquid detergent — powders can leave a chalky residue in the weave. No bleach, ever, not even on ivory: it yellows the fibre over time.
2. Do not overload the drum
Linen needs room to move. A packed machine creases the cloth into hard folds that are difficult to relax later. Half a drum is right.
3. Skip the tumble dryer
Heat is the one thing linen genuinely dislikes. Shake the garment out, pull the seams straight with your hands, and hang it on a wide hanger or lay it flat. In the Riviera sun it is dry inside the hour. If you must use a dryer, low heat and take it out damp.
4. Iron damp, or not at all
If you like a crisper look, iron while the cloth is still slightly damp, on the reverse, with steam. If you like the shirt the way we like it — lived in — hang it in the bathroom while you shower and let the steam do the work.
5. Store it breathing
Never in plastic. A cotton bag or an open shelf. Linen that can breathe in the wardrobe will not carry that closed-up smell into the summer.
Follow these and a good linen shirt will outlast the trousers, the loafers and probably the holiday itself. Ours are cut from long-staple European flax for exactly this reason: fewer fibre ends, less pilling, a cloth that gets softer for years.
