How to Wear Linen Over 50: Chic Summer Style That Keeps You Cool

Let me ask you something,

How many mornings have you stood in front of your closet in July, sweating already, thinking: I have nothing to wear.

You've got sweaters. You've got jeans. You've got t-shirts and even a jean jacket you haven't touched since March. And you've got that one dress you love but somehow can't seem to make work on a Tuesday.

Here's what you're missing: linen.

Not one piece of linen. A linen wardrobe.

I know, I know, some of you are already wincing. "It wrinkles." "It's see-through." "I tried it once in 1994 and I looked like I'd slept in my outfit."

Fair. But linen has come a long way since 1994. And so have we.

What Linen Actually Does for You (That Other Fabrics Don't)

Here's the honest truth: summer in Ottawa is no joke. We go from a beautiful 24-degree morning on the Westboro patio to a swampy 34 with humidity that makes you want to cancel every plan you have and sit in front of a fan.

Linen breathes. It genuinely, actually breathes, unlike polyester, viscose or rayon, which just traps the heat. The newer linen blends? They’re great. Look at the Linen French Linen Tunic. I love mine, I even wore it to one of our latest fashion shows. Linen Luv uses French Linen which is essentially a premium linen. Don’t get me wrong, it still wrinkles but not nearly as badly as some of the others.

The Linen Luv pieces have enough structure to hold their shape, enough give to be comfortable for all day wear, and enough polish to take you from a morning farmers' market to an afternoon lunch without looking like you made any effort at all.

That last part is the dream, isn't it?

The Wrinkle Conversation (Let's Have It)

Yes, linen wrinkles. This is true. But here's what I tell the women who come into the shop:

The wrinkles are the point.

When linen wrinkles, it doesn't look messy. It looks lived in. It looks like you've been somewhere. It looks expensive, actually! The way a beautifully broken-in leather bag looks expensive. Cheap linen wrinkles badly. Good linen wrinkles beautifully. And we only carry the good stuff.

A few tricks if the wrinkles are bothering you: hang your linen pieces in the bathroom while you shower. The steam takes care of most of it without you having to touch an iron. Or just embrace it. Honestly, the second option is much easier.

What to Actually Buy (and What to Skip)

Not all linen is created equal, and not every linen piece is going to work for every woman. Here's how I think about it:

Start with a linen pant. This is your workhorse. Wide-leg or straight-cut. Nothing fitted, nothing cropped too short. You want something relaxed that moves with you. Pair it with a great tank, a breezy blouse, or even a fitted tee and you have an outfit. Done. We love what Linen Luv and Dunes are doing this season. It’s got a great weight to the fabric and the colours this season are quite fun. 

Add a linen top or tunic. I personally love a longer tunic. It gives you coverage and it’s quite trendy these days to wear the tunic over a wide leg pant. I won’t be doing that but you can and let me know how it goes!

Wear it with your linen pants for a full look, or throw it over leggings when you don't want to think about it. The goal is to have a wardrobe of pieces that look like you planned them but feel like you just threw them on.

Consider a linen dress. If you haven't tried a linen dress in a while, try again. Deb said this the other day at one of our photoshoots,

“I didn’t think anything of this on the hanger and it’s beautiful on!”

 

The new silhouettes have midi lengths and relaxed A-lines and are genuinely flattering on real bodies. Not the stiff sack dresses of decades past. These move. Orientique does a beautiful linen-blend dress that I've watched women put on in the fitting room and immediately say "I need this." That happens more than you'd think.

The Colour Question

• • Summer linen tends to come in the obvious colours, white, cream, beige, navy. And those are beautiful. But this summer, we're also seeing a lot of:
  • Soft sage and dusty green: incredibly flattering on a range of skin tones, and much more interesting than plain olive.
  • Warm terracotta and rust: not as bold as it sounds. These earth tones wear like neutrals once you've got them on.
  • Washed denim blue:  not actual denim. A soft, faded blue linen that reads casual and easy without being boring.

Don't be afraid of colour in linen. The texture of the fabric softens everything. Something that might feel too loud in polyester looks completely at home in linen.

 

How to Build a Week of Outfits from Four Pieces

This is my favourite part to talk about in the shop, because women are always surprised by how far a small linen wardrobe actually goes.

Let's say you have:

• • A pair of natural/oat wide-leg linen pants
  • A white linen tunic or blouse
  • A sage or soft-coloured linen tank or tee
  • One linen dress in a neutral or soft print

That's four pieces. Here's what you can do with them:

Pants + white tunic: Classic. Elegant. You look like you're vacationing somewhere nice.

Pants + tank + a great scarf or necklace: Casual but pulled together. Perfect for running errands and still feeling like yourself.

Dress on its own with sandals: The easiest outfit you will ever put on. Zero effort, all results.

Dress with a denim jacket or linen topper: Immediately more interesting. Good for evenings when it cools down.

Pants + tank tucked in + white sneakers: Younger-feeling, still completely age-appropriate. Great for a Saturday in the Market.

And that's before you even start mixing in pieces you already own.

A Note About Fit

Linen that's too tight does nobody any favours. The magic of linen is in the ease. The way it skims rather than clings, the way it creates a silhouette without forcing one.

When you're trying on linen, look for pieces that sit at the waist without pulling, that move when you move, and that you can take a deep breath in. If you have to wrestle with it, it's not the right piece. There are a thousand other pieces waiting.

Come in and try things on. That's what we're here for. We've got women on staff who have been dressing bodies like yours  and honestly, bodies like ours  for years. We'll find you something that actually fits and actually flatters.

One Last Thing

I had a woman come into the shop last August. It was one of those brutal Ottawa heat days, you know the ones  and she walked in looking defeated. Said she'd spent the morning trying to get dressed and giving up and had just thrown on whatever. She was hot, she was frustrated, and she was convinced she had nothing that worked for summer.

We put her in a pair of wide-leg linen pants and a breezy tunic. She stood in front of the mirror and went quiet for a second.

Then she said: "Oh. This is what I've been looking for."

That's linen. When it's right, it's really right.