Quite a few people have asked about how the ‘Art du Lin’ linen from Solbiati performs, as it’s become quite a trend across different tailoring brands. Indeed, I hear Solbiati have now largely sold out of a lot of it and there are longer lead times on orders.
This is the suit I had made in the material recently, as a result of a new jacket from Sartoria Pirozzi and trousers I already had from Whitcomb & Shaftesbury, which were featured previously in a PS piece about sandals.
I think these images are a pretty good reflection of how this linen, with its version of a washed finish, performs. The thing that grabs the attention is the matte surface, but its softness is just as distinctive. This means it wrinkles a fair bit but the lines are soft, not hard, and so more subtle.
Traditional Irish linens are denser and usually heavier. They make up into a very sharp suit, with trousers that hold a great crease, but this also means the wrinkles are sharper too. My tobacco suit from Dege & Skinner is a good example.
The alternative has always been European (usually Italian) linens that were lighter and more loosely woven, basically so they were cooler. The downside of this is that they produce more wrinkles, and could be accused of looking something like a crisp bag (see my older tobacco suit here).
The Art du Lin is closer to those European linens, but the washing and treatment hide a lot of the wrinkles. It looks more like a suit that is already well worn and aged.
There have always been washed (often marked ‘délavé’) linens in European bunches, but they weren’t as matte as this, and so didn’t have that aesthetic half of the attraction of Art du Lin.
The softness of the material means it’s not great for trousers really – fine in a suit like this, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it just for trousers. A little bit more body is good in trousers even if you don’t want a super-sharp look. My other Solbiati ones here are a good example of that.
In fact, the easiest way to wear the material is probably in a blouson like the Linen Harrington. There the material simply drapes, without having to be shaped or wearing in the same way.
I’ve had this jacket for a few months, but only shot it recently at Pitti. (It’s always nice to take the opportunity to just shoot somewhere different.) In that time I’ve worn with a lot of different things, and I find it often looks best with a fair bit of contrast.
If you wear it with something subtle in colour and soft in texture, like a grey piqué polo, everything just blends together. White or black is better, and better still if it’s in a material with more sheen, like a fine cotton or even silk.
At Pitti I wore the suit as pictured during the day, with a black Finest Polo, as it was really comfortable, easy and cool. But in the evening I switched to a cream silk/cotton shirt and black knitted-silk tie (below). I also switched the footwear to Edward Green Piccadillys in black suede.
In the daytime outfit, the shine of the alligator belt and its brass buckle also help to create some contrast.
Note too the sunglasses in the breast pocket – I have the pocket bags made to this depth (or adjust them later) so that the glasses peak out. It’s like a pocket square but more subtle and functional.
As to the coolness of Art du Lin, it was high-twenties (celsius) in Florence and I was perfectly comfortable. There are European linens that would have been cooler, but I’ve been hotter in Irish ones.
Readers have also asked about Art du Lin in terms of robustness, and I’d say it’s been the same for me as those European linens too. It’s not a winter workhorse, even if it might be appear to be a colder-weather material in some ways, but I haven’t found it worse than other linens.
There are two weights of Art du Lin, a 270g and a 410g, twill and plain weave. Mine is the heavier, code NS20005. I don’t have any experience of the lighter weight but the finish is similar.
The other thing I’ve enjoyed wearing with the suit is denim, whether a lightweight denim-like linen shirt, or a chambray, or a heavier-weight western shirt. These aren’t particularly high-contrast but the fact they’ve got so much going on in terms of texture and design seems to make them work.
There’s a video of me doing one of our ‘Walkie Talkies’ in this suit and a denim shirt on Instagram, if anyone wants to see the suit in motion.
As to Pirozzi, they continue to be one of the very best Neapolitan tailors in my experience. Everything they’ve ever done for me has been well fitted, nicely styled, consistent and correct. Those who have used Neapolitans will know how unusual that is.
They’ve also happily evolved their style over the years, and remembered how I like mine. That first cord suit I made with Nunzio many years ago was pretty tight and short, even after I made a few changes, but this time around they started looser and had no problem going looser still.
It’s useful, actually, to have all those old suits broken down in the Tailors Styles series on PS. It means I can measure the new one and see exactly how it compares to the old. In this case, the jacket is a full 3cm longer, the shoulders 1cm wider, and the buttoning point 2cm lower.
Elsewhere in the outfit, I’m wearing Classic Sagans from Baudoin & Lange in black suede with a cheeky bit of suede alligator. This reflects the alligator of the belt I guess, but more importantly adds another point of interest in an otherwise plain outfit.
The watch does that too – my Cartier Tank but on a chestnut-brown strap, which stands out for its different and brightness but still feels complimentary.
The grey tote is the opposite: a colour and texture that is very much of-a-piece with the suit and fits in with it, rather than standing out. My Frank Clegg tote in a similar chestnut to the watch strap would have been an alternative and provided similar contrast.
Finally, no it doesn’t annoy me that much not to have cuffs at my wrist. Not when things are this casual and it’s this hot.
And I’m sitting down because I was knackered and it seemed like a nice way to reflect the soft, comfortable nature of the fabric.
All other questions below please. Thank you.
