Creasing in cotton / linen mix fabrics

[Pappa Piccolino]

Hi everyone. I am thinking about purchasing a suit, which is a 55% linen, 45% cotton mix. I understand that for some folks, the natural creasing you get in a full linen suit is considered one of its charms, but I'm not so much a fan of creases.

I'm just wondering if anyone has experience with this type of linen/cotton suit, and if they could comment on how it performs with respect to creasing. I'm not looking for wrinkle free nirvana, but something approaching the minimal creasing you get in a wool suit would be preferred. Or even the creasing you get in a full cotton suit would be ok.

Many thanks.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I’ll assume by saying creasing you really mean wrinkling.

A cotton/linen blend will be a bit more wrinkle resistant but it will still do so. Certainly more than you’ll get with 100% wool.

My advice, if you don’t like wrinkles then stay away from that fabric. Otherwise, just embrace the wrinkles as it’s a natural characteristic of both.

 

[Pappa Piccolino]

Hi Phileas Fogg. Yes, I do mean wrinkling.

I appreciate your advice.

Thanks for that reply.

 

[dieworkwear]

A cotton/ linen blend will wrinkle a little less than pure cotton. But the biggest difference between wrinkling and rumpling will be in the weight of the fabric. When you're buying ready-to-wear garments, manufacturers don't typically tell you the weight of the materials. In custom tailoring, however, you generally want to aim for linen or linen blends above 12 or 13oz per meter if you want that rumpled, rather than wrinkled, effect.

The difference between rumpling and wrinkling will be big as you get into heavier weight fabrics. Lightweight fabrics wrinkle like tissue paper. Heavier fabrics just look a little rumpled. In a jacket, you will mostly just see this around the elbows; the body will be relatively clean. In trousers, it will obviously show up more at the lap and the back of the knees, But you'd be surprised how well heavy linen hangs.

For RTW, it's hard to communicate what feels like a heavy linen. Easier if you're working with a good shop who can guide you. But the short answer is: aim for heavier materials.

 

[Pappa Piccolino]

dieworkwear, thanks for that great reply.

The suit is most definitely ready-to-wear. It is a black and white houndstooth weave, or perhaps mini houndstooth, depending on how one defines such things.

Custom tailoring, MTM, bespoke etc., are all pipe dreams, that for me, are a long way off.

 

[dieworkwear]

I would be careful of patterned linens, especially as a suit. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Would be safer to go for a solid colored linen suit in a color such as tan, cream, or tobacco brown. Linen or linen blend, either way.

 

[Pappa Piccolino]

dieworkwear, thanks for that. I'm not exactly sure what you mean when you say "Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't."

 

[dieworkwear]

dieworkwear, thanks for that. I'm not exactly sure what you mean when you say "Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't."

Sometimes the pattern is too sharp and vivid. Just depends on the cloth and outfit. If it were me, I would probably stay away from a black/white houndstooth linen suit. It sounds tough to pull off.

 

[Pappa Piccolino]

dieworkwear, thanks for that. Perhaps you're right.