Everyone knows the in-between seasons call for layering — a shirt under a sweater under a jacket, for instance, is a fail-safe formula for cold mornings and sunny days. But what you layer is as important as how you layer it, which is to say that choosing the right fabrics for the job is essential.
Synthetic fabrics are a no-go zone — they might warm you up but they also trap heat, which means you’ll go from freezing to overheating in a matter of minutes — which is why natural materials are the savvy sartorialist’s choice. Think cotton, fine wool or, our preference, linen.
Once seen as a fabric exclusively to be worn over swimmers, linen has evolved well beyond its summer associations, and you can thank Uniqlo for that. Over the years, Uniqlo has expanded its linen range to cover all capsule wardrobe bases: trousers and skirts to be worn to the office, boxy shirts for layering over singlets in summer and turtlenecks in winter and fitted ones to dress-down a corporate ensemble. Its versatility is the key to its charm. Well, that and its practicality.
As the weather warms, clothes that are breathable and moisture-wicking without feeling clingy take top billing in our wardrobe rotation, but that doesn’t mean we want to spend the hot season exclusively wearing voluminous dresses and mumus. Linen straddles practicality and put-togetherness thanks to the way it lends itself to relaxed tailoring and easy layering.
At the start of the season, it pays to invest in a handful of linen shirts and a couple of linen bottoms. For shirts, white is essential, then incorporating a couple of colours you gravitate towards allows you to mix and match with jeans or neutral trousers. If you’re colour-cautious, start with monochrome shirts — black, white and beige, for instance — and add some interest by layering a coloured singlet or T-shirt underneath.
Linen’s ease is what makes it such a good investment: it dries in a flash (making it perfect for summer holidays where you plan on wearing it exclusively with swimmers) and it hardly warrants an iron after you wash it. No such thing as buyer’s remorse here.
Elevate your wardrobe this season with essentials from UNIQLO’s linen range. Shop the collection now.
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