Love Your Linen

Nothing shouts “Summer Wardrobe” any more than a beautiful piece of clothing crafted from Linen but it can be a tricky thing to look after!   Many a time have we bought a gorgeous top or beautiful linen trousers, worn once, hung up for another day only to find it full of creases!  Or maybe you have popped it in the wash, dried on a sunny day washing line for a bit too long only to find that your beautiful item now has laundry liquid “stripes” to it and is as stiff as a board and a nuisance to iron so you leave it in the ironing pile ….. and never get round to wearing it!!! Sound familiar??

Linen is a gorgeous fabric, often used in sustainable fashion as the linen flax needs less water in the growing process than cotton.  It’s a quick drying and super breathable fabric for warmer weather but you need to look after it!  As a sustainable fabric its also one of the oldest known fabrics with linen flax being used to make clothing in Egyptian times right through to the present day.

You can keep your cool in our linen Macrame Maxi Dress in Storm Grey.  The dress is sleeveless with a v neckline at the front and macrame inlay features at the front and upper back as well as a macrame layer to the bottom of the dress and side slits.   The straight cut is perfect for dressing up or down to suit your occasion and is made from a linen viscose mix for wearability and comfort.

When it comes to washing, we suggest using a laundry bag for your linen garment and always use a cold wash on a delicate cycle with a short spin.  Never tumble dry as this could cause shrinkage to your linen item – instead we recommend line drying in the shade to avoid sun fading of your garment …. unless a washed out colour is the look that you want.

Definitely hang your linen pieces in your wardrobe as no matter how good you are at folding there will inevitably be creases to deal with which can be stubborn!  Ideally use a padded hanger for linen tops/jackets to avoid getting the hanger line across the shoulders and if you do have to fold then make sure you put your folded piece on the top of a pile of folded pieces to avoid compression creases – even better avoid the folding altogether and roll up your item instead, this is especially important if you are packing it into a suitcase.  Unpack and hang up your linen items as soon as possible so that any creases gained from travelling have a chance to drop out.  If you do find creases are being stubborn, then hang your item in the bathroom so that the steam from your shower or bath can help relax the material and encourage the creases to drop in their own time.

Our Short Macrame Dress in Aniseed a super holiday staple.  The bright colour pop oozes tropical style featuring short sleeves and a v neckline.  The shoulders and back yoke of the dress feature beautiful macrame inlays for a little elegance.   Crafted from a linen viscose mix it will help you keep your cool whilst still being comfortable.   Go plain and elegant in the aniseed version or add some tropical fun in our colourful print version instead!

Ideally don’t iron your linen garments as the heat and pressure from the iron can crush your linen fabrics if your iron is too hot.  Steaming is a much better option but if  you really need to iron your garment then use a water spray mister first or iron whilst your garment is damp and not fully dry.

If you spill something on your linen it is always best to deal with it straight away – don’t wait for the stain to dry or it will be harder to remove as the linen will have absorbed the stain into the fabric.  Most of the time a wipe with a damp cloth and a little detergent can do the trick but make sure you rinse off and pop on a wash cycle as soon as possible to avoid a paler patch appearing in your linen garment where the stain once was.  If a stain is stubborn you can use a baking soda paste made from baking soda and water to tackle your stain but make sure you test your paste on an inside seam first to check there is no colour fading before washing again and definitely don’t iron over where your stain was as this will draw more attention to the area that you really want to conceal instead.

At the end of the day, like a lovely comforting cup of hot chocolate, the creases that naturally occur when you wear linen should be embraced.  Like a favourite pair of shoes that have moulded to your feet, your linen will mould to you as you wear it and just as you can’t stop the tide coming and going from the shore you can’t totally stop those creases – they are going to pop up one way or another somewhere!

Linen clothing is not just for relaxed holiday dressing it can be a great option for a smarter look too!  Our luxurious Asymmetric Shirt Dress comes in two colourways a beige/neutral version or black with contrast stitching.  Crafted from lightweight linen viscose mix with asymmetrical seams and a shirt collar it looks fab when you pair it with our fab wedge sandals and raffia bucket bag!  Alternatively, add heels and a fascinator and you are ready for more formal occasions or Ladies Day at the races.

If you can’t stand the faff or the inevitable creasing from a 100% linen garment, look for pieces that have a linen mix and may be less prone to creasing.  Linen/Viscose mix fabrics are a good option as they are still breathable and sustainable too as Viscose is also a plant based material.

Recently we spotted Fiona Bruce on Question Time wearing a very similar jacket to our Linen Jacket In Sand Colour with faux leather pockets.  We all did a double take, paused the TV and really scrutinised!! It wasn’t ours but it was virtually identical!  You can steal her style by opting for our version which is made from a linen mix fabric with a bonded mesh lining to keep its shape whilst still being soft and comfortable to wear.  The neckline is circular  and there is a metal front zip fastening if you don’t want to wear it open and it looks especially fab-u-lous with the beige or black Asymmetric Dress and equally at home dressed down with beige or black jeans too!

Our Embroidered Jumper comes in two colourways – Poppy Red or sky Blue.  Being a loose fit fine knit jumper it will give you just enough warmth to combat the breeze on a sunny day without getting too hot!  The boat neckline features embroidery for a little extra touch and dropped shoulders for a relaxed fit.  The straight cut back of the jumper is slightly longer than the front which is handy if you like to cover things up at the back but tuck in your jumper at the front!   Made from a cotton, linen and nylon blend for ultimate softness and minimal creasing!

Our Macrame Detail Trousers come in two colourways – aniseed and  aqua blue.  The waistband is elasticated at the back for a comfortable fit and gorgeous macrame cut out details at the bottom of the wide cut trouser legs.  Predominantly crafted from linen viscose, with the macrame inserts being crafted from a cotton polyamide mix material and available in sizes 8 to 24.  

The aqua blue colour in particular are super versatile as it is a similar colour to a lightwashed denim.  This is a great option if you get too hot in jeans in the warmer weather but still want that denim look.  Being quite a neutral colour you can pair with so many other colours to create your outfits too!

View the collection online at Tortue.uk – remember – if you see a little turtle logo in our pictures/content it means that the garment is part of our Planet Tortue sustainability range and you can be sure that piece is created from eco-friendly materials. 

Contact your local Tortue Stylist to see and try your favourite pieces.  We love helping you with friendly sizing and colour advice along with which pieces will suit your body shape too!  

Enjoy the sunshine!

Angela

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