“When Should I Stop Wearing Linen?”
Photo by Cora Pursley via Dupe
It’s a question I’m often asked.
More accurately, the question is, “When should I stop wearing <fill in the blank>?”
Linen is just the now because of summer’s looming end (lest you thought it ended at Labor Day—it did not). But women frequently ask me some flavor of this question, and in the blank is usually an item she believes (falsely) she’s too old to wear anymore, she’s concerned might be dated or she’s curious when to retire for the season due to the fabric make-up.
And the answer?
Whenever it feels right. For all of them.
I know that makes this feel like clickbait, but there truly isn’t a specific seasonal retirement date for linen. Nor is there an answer as to when you’re too old to wear something (although I’d argue probably never) or when something’s dated.
Let’s take the linen example. When to stop wearing it depends on several factors—the climate you live in being one of them. For example, in the decade-plus that I lived in Austin, Texas, I’d usually wear linen well into October, if memory serves, past the official arrival of autumn. It was still hot and the linen did a pretty good job of keeping me somewhat comfortable, so I wore it.
But in Berlin, I’m almost ready to move linen to the back of the closet, and that’s been the case since the end of August. The weather has already been wet and cool, and I know that will only continue. So jeans feel better to me on most days now.
If you have a beloved linen piece or another summer-centric item you’re not quite ready to pack away just yet, know that you can make it work a while longer.
Intentional styling is how you make it happen.
Let’s use my favorite linen pants as an example.
Summer-Styled Linen Pants
Paired with a light, airy, white cotton shirt and accessorized with pops of fiery red and tropical turquoise, this outfit screams summer. All that’s missing is a crisp glass of rosé.
But just because the calendar flips to September, that doesn’t mean you have to retire the pants in favor of corduroy quite yet.
Autumn-Styled Linen Pants
Same pants, totally different feel. I swapped the white shirt for a short-sleeve merino wool sweater in chocolate brown, a fall favorite. The classic denim jacket with updated styling and a fall-centric corduroy collar is the obvious choice to layer the look, which is finished with an earthy olive handbag and textured loafers. This version easily takes you through fall until the temperatures dictate otherwise.
And that’s the point: it’s not an arbitrary date that decides what you wear and when. If linen still makes sense for the weather, the outfit and how you want to dress that day, then wear it. Trust your gut and you’ll know when it’s time to move it to the back of the closet.
