purple label RL linen dress shirt

[auto90403]

walking through neiman marcus this afternoon, i saw a RL purple label dress shirt in white linen. a beautiful shirt.

the linen was a bit thin giving the shirt a sheer quality. it would require a t-shirt in an office setting. but would anyone wear a linen dress shirt in an office?

anyone here own any linen dress shirts -- and do they wrinkle as easily as linen pants?

 

[Mike C.]

It would wrinkle easier than linen pants. Also, never wear an undershirt with linen. It looks dorky because linen is too sheer. I wouldn't recommend it for the office if you're concerned about these things.

 

[auto90403]

re: the no undershirt advice. i agree. but w/o a t-shirt, it's too sheer for the office. or is there a heavier grade of linen?

 

[Mike C.]

re: the no undershirt advice. i agree. but w/o a t-shirt, it's too sheer for the office. or is there a heavier grade of linen?

There is, but you'd need a heavier grade then available for a non-sheer look in white. A darker shade like navy or black would do the trick. However, it would wrinkle like crazy.

 

[Shirtmaven]

Linen is great.

No t-shirt.
The problem with ready made linen shirts is the need for dry cleaning. Linen is not sanforized and will shrink if sent to a laundry.

I prewash and dry linen before cutting so that you can launder a linen shirt. I wear linen all summer. But in a casual way. I do not bother to make linen shirts with dress collars because I stop wearing ties in the summer.

One customer is about to ask me to make him a linen bib front shirt. It should be beautiful.

 

[imageWIS]

I have this (well 2 and not in white; tan and black) casual RLPL shirt:

And boy does it ever wrinkle. Even if I could wear it with a tie, I don't think I would though. Shirtmaven: If only more companies pre-washed linen, my life would be easier. How much are you charging for shirts these days? Jon.

 

[kabert]

I have two linen dress shirts made by Barba, one in very dark blue and the other in white with medium blue stipes. They most definitely wrinkle alot (gradually through the day), but for business casual I think they are perfectly appropriate. They are much dressier (and fuller cut) than the RL pictured above. I also have one from Donna Karan Signature in beige/brown which doesn't wrinkle quite as much as the Barba's. By the way, the dark navy Barba is from "The World's Finest" on Ebay -- highly recommended.

 

[norcaltransplant]

Minor hijack...
How do people feel about the 70/30 cotton/linen fabrics that are used in highend RTW? (IMMSC, I think Borrelli and Isaia both offer shirts from this fabric). Does it wrinkle as much? I own a short sleeve shirt by Davide Cenci that holds up fairly well, while my Polo RL LS linen shirt looks horribly rumpled after 20 minutes of NY summer.

NCT

 

[j]

I have a few linen shirts and none of them wrinkle THAT badly. I have one from Donna Karan (@ Loehmanns) in a lightweight but opaque spring green, a black one in a heavier weight from Express (on clearance at Marshalls for $10), and a white medium weight Irish linen one from BR by way of a thrift store that I haven't gotten to wear yet. The black one is one of my go-to shirts in summer - I can steam it out and iron if necessary. I just throw them in the wash, and iron them out (inside out for the most part, to help avoid fading/shininess). Granted, these are not dress shirts, and none of them have collar stays or heavy interlining, but for a more casual setting in warm weather they are great.

BTW, I usually wear undershirts with these - I don't like sheer fabrics, and I usually wear a Coolmax undershirt with these for maximum ventilation. I often actually get cold in hot weather if there is a breeze.

 

[uriahheep]

The 70/30 cotton/linen fabrics used in high-end RTW are 120s, maybe some 140s.
The 170s and 180s versions usually have a cotton/linen ratio of 40/60, 45/55 or 50/50. These fabrics will probably never be found in RTW form regardless of the maker.

 

[Mike C.]

Linen is supposed to look wrinkled. When it's pressed and starched, it looks geeky.

 

[imageWIS]

Linen is supposed to look wrinkled. When it's pressed and starched, it looks geeky.

Yes it is. RL used to have (still has?) a label inside their linen jackets that said:

"100% Linen: Guaranteed to Wrinkle"

Jon.