Linen instead of cotton as basic shirting

[alden]

Rob,



I only have one word to say..."Dreadful!"

And you can quote me.

BTW, I know exactly how Mr. Rodgers feels...you have to be careful with Jalapeno peppers.

Cheers

[Rob O]

Thank you all for the considered responses. As I am tall and have a relatively long neck I will heed Mr. Couch's advice. Either way I was not planning to squander my valuable LL linen on such a venture. My favourite shirt - a RTW Finamore - has a high stand button down collar and I will give this to Ms. Frittolini as a template.

Nevertheless I still think Lord Rogers has a certain signature panache. And Mr. Alden - as Richard's wife is Ruth Rogers of River Café fame I believe it may have been an errant peperoncino!

As an aside there's an interesting critique (http://www.spectator.co.uk/arts/archite ... tradition/) on Richard Rogers's achievements in the latest Spectator.

Cheers,
Rob

[robert_n]

"I would like to add to the secrecy by stating that really heavy linen (10+ oz.) trousers are great for colder weather too."

I am Spartacus, too!


460g/m² upholstery linen. I live in this stuff. Hangs something beautiful.

[robert_n]

I am Spartacus!

[robert_n]

I don't like the grandad shirts (Mr. Rogers should choose from a more subdued palette), but I have had some ordinary t-shirts made from 12oz Belgian linen. Actually the neck I see needs a good scrubbing, which just attests to how much wear they get.

[J.S. Groot]

Do you get your shirtmaker to make such t-shirts, or do you buy them RTW? If the latter is the case, I should very much like to know were you get them!

[hectorm]

I thought I was the only one who wore upholstery linen (550 gms plus actually used to line helicopter interiors )

460g/m² upholstery linen. I live in this stuff. Hangs something beautiful.

Well I see that my little secret was a secret only in my mind.
But it makes me feel good that those sharing this piece of wisdom are LL fellow members.
Meanwhile I have also found -in a local marine shop- flax sailcloth that is perfect for off-white linen jeans. Actually they told me that the flax sailcloth is no longer used for boat sails; everything is synthetic nowadays.

[robert_n]

@ J.S. Groot:
I think most shirtmakers would regard them as infra dig. I get the local seamstress who does my linen boxers, pyjamas, etc. to copy a t-shirt, obviously adding a buttoned neck-slit to allow for lack of stretch in the fabric.

I'm also interested in engaging a local knitting-circle in custom-knitting me a sweater/jumper/pullover from linen yarn (Louet Euroflax Sport). Ha ha, I've got it bad, this linen fixation.

[robert_n]

@ hectorm:
Thanks for relaying that. How heavy is this sail-cloth? I could easily countenance going into yet heavier grades.

[robert_n]

Whilst I'm riding the linen wave, here's my prototypical linen jacket, with no arm lining.



This shot shows the needle-work to secure the inside cuff at the end of the arm. (Actually my guy could have chosen a better match for the tacking-thread , but this is the midday sun, and it is not that apparent. I can't seem to size the image correctly, but shrinking the page brings the stitching into view.

[robert_n]

Too much linen is never enough. My "Fog" t-shirt in 12 oz linen with herringbone 460gm upholstery-linen trousers. The image fits only if I resort to "Control" and "-" and for this I apologize.

[hectorm]

How heavy is this sail-cloth? I could easily countenance going into yet heavier grades.

This is 610 grams per meter. The brand -or maker- is Royal Navy. Color is off white. It's made with duffel bags in mind (as I said before all sails are synthetic now). I was warned by the boat people that whatever you do with it, it will get baggy and very dirty.

[robert_n]

@ hectorm:
Thanks. I see they have flax in 950 grams as well, which is tempting but might be hard work for my tailor. I assume they're talking about linen and not hemp, which I also like but which doesn't have the same moisture-wicking.

[internationalist]

@ hectorm:
Thanks. I see they have flax in 950 grams as well, which is tempting but might be hard work for my tailor. I assume they're talking about linen and not hemp, which I also like but which doesn't have the same moisture-wicking.

Where can I find a good, honest comparison of linen vs. hemp - as basic shirting fabric?

I guess in general cotton - linen/hemp blends are the way to go rather than raw, aren't they?

Quote - http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/in ... 939AABTGrB

The biggest advantage of hemp clothing is it's durablity. Hemp fiber is at least 8 times stronger than cotton fiber. So clothes made of hemp will just not wear out. Most hemp clothing is actually a blend of hemp and cotton. 55% hemp and 45% cotton. The hemp cotton blend is more comfortable and more affordable. Another big advantage of hemp clothing, and this applies primarily to 100% hemp clothing is that it is more breathable. The hemp blast fiber is hollow and has a more open cell structure, so in the summer time, hemp clothing can feel very cool. In the winter time, the open cell structure acts as an insulator. But the biggest effect on whether the garment is more comfortable in the summer or winter is the thread count or weight. A 240 gram tshirt is going to feel much warmer than a 160 gram tshirt. Another huge advantage of hemp over cotton is the fact that it's not cotton. Of all the pesitcides used in farming in the world, 2/3's go to maintain cotton. Hemp requires very little if any pesticides. Even better, hemp is often used as a rotation crop with wheat or soybeans because the hemp root is a very strong and deep root. It kills off weeds, so the following year, the wheat field needs much less pesticides and herbisides because the hemp plant has killed most of the weeds. This was explained to me by a Canadian farmer first hand. Hemp is also blended with many other fibers including bamboo, silk and linen. The disadvantages is that hemp is a course fiber, so it ususally needs to be washed a few times. Often manufactures will garment wash the fabric to soften it and will often use softening agents which are bad for the environment. Just about all hemp fiber for clothing is grown in China, some is in Romania. But the fabric is often shipped to the US or Canada in spools and the garments are frequently cut, sewn and finished in the US or Canada. Just to clarify an earlier comment, hemp is not illegal. It is only illegal to grow it. The US is the only industrialized country that does not allow hemp to be grown commerically. But that may change soon. Hope this helps.
Source(s):
Hemp-Sisters.com

For a pant fabric can linen beat hemp? http://www.thelondonlounge.net/forum/vi ... 908#p71908

[hectorm]

I assume they're talking about linen and not hemp.

This "Royal Navy" sailcloth is 100% linen (flax).