Five Things I Liked This Week: May 24 — The Linen Edit
"Haul the sheet in as we ride on the wind"
Hi all! Took off a bit longer than anticipated because I needed a break, have traveled a lot, and frankly have put a lot of my time and energy into other spaces right now that needed them accordingly and didn’t have much in my tank for Substack. That changes, as I’m coming back this week with something I want to do a little more frequently: a specific style edit tied to the five things concept.
With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, what better time to take a look at some really good linen pieces to consider as the temps really start to heat up? Linen gets cast aside too often as a stuffy fabric that’s too much of a hassle to deal with. But it’s super easy to wear and really not that much more difficult to take care of than any other material. The pros far outweigh the cons here. So let’s dive in.
Wythe Cotton/Linen Twill Officer’s Shirt
Cotton/linen combinations are good because the blend of the two materials helps to bolster the effects of the other. You’re still getting the breezy benefit of linen but when intermeshed with cotton, the garment doesn’t get quite as wrinkled. Wythe’s take on a World War II style officer shirt gives this a bit more oompf to it than some standard linen shirts; the dual chest pockets are handy to keep a set of sunglasses in alongside some earpods or even a small face sunscreen. It’s a great vacation shirt, which can easily transition from the beach to a more formal dinner without missing a beat; this is the shirt I wish I had when I went to the Cape last year, as I could have used it as an overshirt on the beach and then just paired it with some lightweight trousers for dinner.
OAS Beige Cargo Linen Pants
Not unlike linen itself, cargo pants get a bad rep, so stick with me here. Really, the main offenders of the cargo style are cargo shorts — very specifically, the baggy, oversized ones with pockets deep enough to fit a water bottle in that I wore as a kid when I shopped at Old Navy. There’s a way to make cargo pants, dare I say, stylish. Which is what OAS has done with their linen pants. The key is to make them feel inherently utilitarian and militaristic. The overall silhouette here is closer to a military-style fatigue pant than it is a beach pant — but the real secret is that it’s both. Plus, the drawstring makes these super easy to wear.
Buck Mason Draped Linen Camp Shirt
Camp shirts gained popularity in the early 60s as Cuban immigrants fled from Fidel Castro to New York and Miami, skewing its origins as a piece of workwear in favor of becoming a vacation shirt, as the opening of the collar made it so you wouldn’t wear it with a tie. Despite being more relaxed, it’s found a new home in the rotation of many closets in recent years because it’s the perfect way to feel a little more formal in the middle of the brutal summer heat. This version from Buck Mason is cut boxy and crafted in linen, making it great to wear for a nice dinner out in the city or even as a layer underneath a suit for a summer wedding.
Alex Crane Kite Jacket
A linen jacket? In this climate? While we’re likely a little past the need for this, a linen jacket is a great transitional layer for spring/fall when it’s cool in the morning and warmer during the day. The Kite Jacket from Alex Crane — get it, it’s light as a kite? — is great for that specific sliver of weather, but can also be used as a sportcoat for dressier nights at the beach or in the city. Alex Crane has a few different colorways, but I like the “Dusk” color, which hints at the blue collar, workwear origins of the chore coat.
Todd Snyder Linen Beachcomber Short
Todd Snyder’s Beachcomber shorts are kinda the mullet of linen shorts. The exterior waist has belt loops on it if you want to add a belt and dress it up for dinner, but there’s also a drawstring on the interior for maximum comfort. The five-inch inseam is the perfect length. And it comes in just about every shade imaginable so you can have a variety of different options to consider. These shorts, along with the Wythe shirt, would probably be my go-to beach or vacation uniform, capable of handling just about every single occasion imaginable while away from home.
Odds & Ends
Two fun things for GQ I wrote during my time out: the first is a quick breakdown of the new Superman costume, which is a good summation of where James Gunn is going with the character. The second is probably my favorite piece I’ve done this year, which is a ranking of Ryan Gosling’s best cinematic jackets. This one was a blast.
Two movie reviews for you as well. The first is I Saw the TV Glow, which is probably in my top three for the year so far alongside Furiosa, which just dropped today and is both very different from Mad Max Fury Road but every bit a worthy successor to that genre-defining film.
Have a wonderful — and restful — long holiday weekend. Take a break. You’ve earned it.
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