A particular linen developed by Solbiati has generated a fair bit of buzz in the last couple of years. Finished with a matte effect and washed to give it an unusually soft feel, ‘Art du Lin’ has become popular with a lot of people who don’t naturally take to linen.
I tried it first in a pair of dark-brown trousers, pictured here. I’m now having a jacket made up with Sartoria Pirozzi to complete the suit. The Anthology did a whole lookbook around it called ‘sueded linen’.
I can see why suede is used as a reference. The material has more surface texture than regular linen, and the colours are soft and muted, much like suede. It also doesn’t form hard wrinkles and drapes beautifully as a result.
The flip side is that it doesn’t hold a sharp crease. But that’s a plus for using it in a piece like our Linen Harrington, which is why I decided to use that same dark, dusty brown colourway in this year’s version of the jacket, which is on sale now. The navy from last year has also been restocked.
The muted shade of the brown actually means it slots naturally into the ‘cold colour’ wardrobe we’ve discussed a few times in the past. It is not a warm brown, and so it’s particularly nice with colours like stone, beige, black and grey.
In the pictures here I’ve shown it with soft blacks: a PS T-shirt, which is such a soft, washed black that some people think it’s green at first; and Bryceland’s jeans, which are now approaching charcoal after several washes.
But it’s also good with more regular colours of denim, like lighter blues and darker indigo. And with a white linen shirt and a pair of khaki chinos.
The point of the Linen Harrington, of course, was to make a real summer jacket – something for the warmest of weather – that was sportier than something like the Linen Overshirt.
The linen makes it cool, and it has ingenious ventilation between the two panels of the back (below). It sits tightly on the waist, with a lot of drape in the back that helps airflow as well as being flattering (see image above).
But it can be worn open, and this year we’ve reduced the length slightly (2.5cm) so it is a little shorter when worn that way.
We’ve also made a change to the internal pockets, moving down and enlarging one of them following reader feedback, so there’s more space for a larger wallet or phone.
Both the navy and the brown are made by Private White VC in Manchester, and have distinctive copper rivets on the back of the neck. We prefer gun-metal hardware elsewhere, and this is used for the delicate teardrop-puller on the zip.
Both linens are made by Solbiati (part of Loro Piana), so the highest quality for something of this weight (as well as taste – the area Loro Piana always excels on). The Art du Lin is more expensive though, which is reflected in the end price.
Both colours are also good for summer, but the brown has less of a pure-summer look and so could be worn transitionally – in Spring and Autumn, perhaps with a fine knit.
Other aspects I like are the fact the sleeves have a placket and button, so they can be rolled back like a shirt if you want to. And the fact the elastic is only in two panels at the back, leaving the front clean and more elegant.
You can read all about the design – including the Hermes and vintage pieces that inspired it – on the original article here.
Other shop updates
We’re trying to reduce the number of articles on PS that cover products (or at least keep them the same, even while the number of products increases). I don’t want product updates and events to swamp the editorial.
So recent restocks to the Finest Polo, Linen Overshirt and Reversible Bomber (with new colours in each), have largely been communicated by email. If you want to make sure you don’t miss out on these, I suggest signing up to the Shop Update newsletter.
If you already subscribe to other newsletters, you will have to update your preferences via a message sent to your inbox. Apologies this is a bit of a fuss – it’s just how Mailchimp works.
Here are the product updates from the past few weeks that haven’t been included on the website:
The Dartmoor
This ultrafine merino collared knit, made to sit well under a jacket, was restocked yesterday in mid-grey and cream (above). Unfortunately there was a mistake with the charcoal order and we got mid-grey instead, but I know plenty of readers were waiting for that as much as the charcoal.
The Finest Crewneck
The partner to the Dartmoor, made in the same cashmere-like merino but of course higher performing than cashmere. This was restocked yesterday in navy and grey.
Reversible Suede Bomber
The button-up suede jacket, made to reverse to a water-resistant option, was restocked two weeks ago. It is still in the original brown, but a new navy was added (below). The navy is not quite as dark as a traditional blazer colour, which makes it feel a little sportier.
Linen Overshirt
The most popular product over the past couple of years. It was restocked in navy, brown, black and pale olive, plus a new tobacco. We ordered a lot, so these will be good for the rest of the summer hopefully.
Finest Polo
This super-cool merino polo, with a collar made to sit well under tailoring, was restocked at the beginning of the month. We brought back the navy and the cream, and added a dark brown (below). Most of the former have sold out, but we have reordered and expect them in July.
Other updates:
Oxford shirts and cloth – Restocked in white, blue, blue striped, green striped and pink striped. Available now
Suede overshirt – Coming next week
Undershirts – Coming next week
Shorts – Coming next week
T-shirts – Later this month
Chambray and denim shirts – Later this month
