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What to wear with linen pants?

lupin23rd

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Hey guys, I'm thinking of looking for some linen pants this weekend, probably a white but possibly a brown (I've been wearing some older brown corduroy pants on cooler spring/summer days this season). I've never looked into linen so I'm curious if there are some rules as to what I can/should be wearing with it. I don't own anything linen and have no real interest in building up a linen collection this season so hopefully it's not something you only pair up with linen
smile.gif
Can I throw on a polo with the pants (eg. Lacoste)? Cotton dress shirt (unbuttoned)? T-shirt? A light sweater? I'd assume a tank top would be out but it is a summer item... Thanks in advance for the help guys. m
 

montecristo#4

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Can I throw on a polo with the pants (eg. Lacoste)? Cotton dress shirt (unbuttoned)? T-shirt? A light sweater? I'd assume a tank top would be out but it is a summer item...
Just about any cool summer shirt, polo, sweater, or tee will do. The only thing I'd avoid is wearing a linen shirt with linen pants. Too much linen can be a bad thing. Better to mix textures.
 

arkirshner

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Brown pants in the summer? No.
White or cream linen pants with cotton oxford cloth shirt  YES
White or cream linen pants with cotton oxford shirt and sweater? YES YES
Brown shoes with white or cream linen pants? YES
 

gorgekko

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The only thing I'd avoid is wearing a linen shirt with linen pants. Too much linen can be a bad thing. Better to mix textures.
Boy, did I make that mistake last summer. A white linen shirt with off-white linen pants. I've never done that again.
 

Smooth Jazz

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The only thing I'd avoid is wearing a linen shirt with linen pants. Too much linen can be a bad thing. Better to mix textures.
Not sure if I agree.  Personally, I find linen to be the most comfortable shirt fabric for the summer and I consistently wear white linen shirts with cream linen slacks.  No one has ever suggested that it looked off -- in fact, I have always received numerous compliments on the combination.  Good quality shirt linen is quite smooth looking and sheer and seems to pair well with 14 oz. Irish linen (Holland and Sherry's, incidently) trousers.  To take your logic further, should one conclude that one mustn't wear cotton shirts with cotton trousers?
 

johnnynorman3

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That is sort of a red herring argument. For example, I have no problem with people wearing black head to toe -- though it ain't my thing -- but it'd be totally unacceptable to wear lime green head to toe.

Looking a bunch of linen and a bunch of cotton is a bit different.
 

stache

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It depends on whether you want to dress for comfort. In a hot stickey climate, linen is the ideal choice.
 

seanandnik

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I recently wore to a party a pair of drawstring white linen casual pants wit a very summery striped lime ,navy,white,cream,beige and brown short sleeeve casual linen shirt and a pair of white leather espadrilles and received many compliments. I think as long as they are not too similar looking the two linens together are fine.
 

BjornH

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As I type this I'm wearing white drawstring pants and a light blue sport shirt with white overcheck, both linen. Nothing wrong with it - the textures match and the color combo is interesting.

B
 

lupin23rd

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So white or brown shoes are the ideal choice for white linen (or whatever) pants? Or can it depend on the shirt or on the function?

I already have some white cotton pants but not sure what I have for footwear that looks good.

m
 

RamNYC

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I almost always wear leather slides or flip flops with linen pants. I also only wear linen shirts with linen pant when I am at the Jersey Shore or Palm Beach. In other settings, I will wear a cotton button down.
 

VictorC

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Is it best to leave shirts untucked with linen trousers with drawstring?
And if i do tuck i guess i would need a belt on show, so what type with creamy or stone coloured linen with drawstring pants.?
 

thinman

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Originally Posted by lupin23rd
So white or brown shoes are the ideal choice for white linen (or whatever) pants? Or can it depend on the shirt or on the function?

I already have some white cotton pants but not sure what I have for footwear that looks good.

m


Light brown suede loafers, no socks, depending on the function, your mood, and the phase of the moon.

I also wear linen shirts with linen trousers. As long as the patterns and/or colors differ, then similar textures on top and bottom looks OK to me. Today, I'm wearing light blue linen trousers with a navy/light blue pindot polo shirt, untucked (with EG Ashby monkstraps, since I forgot about my suede loafers when I got dressed this morning).
 

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