Today, I am going to look at which 5 natural fabrics are best to include in your summer capsule wardrobe.
With summer in full swing, you may have already worked out which fabrics are best to wear on those hot summer days. And which will leave you feeling a hot, sticky and sweaty mess. As your trial and error has likely proven, it's incredibly important to choose the 'right' fabrics to wear during the summer so that you look and feel stylish and cool. Today, I am going to discuss which 5 natural fabrics are best to include in your summer wardrobe.
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Before we begin, it's time for Today's Question, namely: which natural fabrics do you like to wear during the summer months and why? Leave your comments below ~ I'm really interested to see which fabrics are the most popular.
#1. Linen
Ah linen, that perenial favourite! First, it's time for a few facts about this classic summer fabric.
Did you know that linen is made from the fibres of the flax plant, which is grown all over the world and notably in Northern Europe and North America? It is one of the oldest fabrics in the world - indeed, if we go back to Ancient Egypt, mummies were wrapped in linen as the fabric signified light, wealth and purity. And here's another fun fact for you: the English word 'line' actually derives from the straight threads running through linen.
Facts aside, what makes linen such a useful natural fabric? Well, it is very breathable and has a good moisture absorbency (around 10-20%) before it feels damp. This makes it ideal to wear on a hot, summer's day. It is also a very good conductor, meaning that it will conduct away your body heat if the air temperature is lower. Plus, it is dirt-, stain- and moth-resistant, stays lint-free and does not pill.
Wow, that's quite a lot of virtuous properties! How about the downsides? Well, as we all know, linen (while it keeps its shapes) does tend to crinkle because it has poor elasticity. If you do want to get those creases out, iron linen when it is damp.
So, all in all, it is an excellent fabric to wear during summer holidays or to the beach, where you may just want to enjoy an ice-cream or a cocktail sunset.
With that in mind, I've included some links below to some classic linen pieces. These may remind you of items that you already have in your wardrobe or provide you with some inspiration for one or two basic linen pieces that you might like to add to your wardrobe before the end of the summer or ready for next summer.
#2. Cotton
Next, the queen of all fabrics: cotton. It is very likely that the vast majority of clothes in your wardrobe are made from cotton.
Cotton is again a plant fibre, which grows in a boil and can be spun into a thread. While cotton has been grown for thousands of years, the invention of the modern cotton gin (which removes the cotton fibres from the seed) at the end of the 18th century lowered the production costs of cotton, leading to its widespread use.
So why is it an excellent fabric for making summer clothes? Well, it is cheap, light-weight, soft, comfortable, breathable and absorbant. These latter two properties in particular make it ideal for summer clothes when we want the heat to escape from our bodies.
Yet, like linen, cotton does crinkle and so will often need a quick iron. Cotton is also likely to show sweat patches so, if that is a problem for you, I suggest sticking to white and black cotton pieces which should mean that any sweath patches are less visible. Again, I've included some links below to some classic cotton pieces for the summer months.
#3. Lyocell
You may, like me, increasingly be seeing products made from lyocell in the stores. What, I hear you ask, is lyocell?
Lyocell (otherwise known by the brand name of Tencel) is made from natural cellulose found in wood pulp. It is a form of rayon and semi-synthetic (so only partly natural). The process used to make lyocell is more efficient and less wasteful than that used to make rayon viscose.
As for its properties, the fabric is soft, stretchy, breathable, long-lasting, durable, wrinkle resistant and 50% more absorbant than cotton. It is also 100% biogradable.
Compared to cotton or linen, it is more expensive to buy but you will probably find that it is worth the investment. I've linked below some useful summer pieces made from lyocell which you may like to add to your wardrobe.
#4. Silk
While several insects produce silk, generally it is only the protein fibre produced by moth catepillars which is used to produce this luxurious fabric.
We all know that silk is very beautiful (with a gorgeous sheen and available in an array of bewitching colours) but is it a sensible fabric to wear during the hot summer months?
Well, silk is very light-weight and can feel soft and cool to wear. However, it is less breathable than either linen or cotton. Silk is also a delicate fabric, which both sunlight and water will damage.
My recommendation is therefore to reserve silk for summer evenings (espeically on holiday when you want to feel special). If you opt for either a silk top or bottom, you can then pair it with an item made from linen or cotton to balance things. Some suggestions below for some stylish silk pieces.
#5. Bamboo
I feel that this is the new kid on the block. I think it's time to learn a little more about it. While bamboo has traditionally been used in construction and to make baskets, hats and shoes etc., you may have already noticed that we are now seeing the fibres being used to make clothing.
Depending on the production methods used, bamboo fabric can be very sustainable since bamboo is a fast-growing plant that is easier to grow than cotton.
That I understand is the case where mechanical methods of production are used (with a natural enzyme being used to crush the wood fibres). However, more commonly, bamboo fabric (called bamboo viscose) is made using chemicals (to break down the wood so that the cellulose can be re-made into fibres) and such production methods are very wasteful.
As for its properties, bamboo fabric is soft, highly breathable and stretchier than cotton. As well as towels, sheets and other household items, bamboo fabric is now being used to make clothing items, particularly under garments because of its softness. I've included some links below to a range of bamboo products that are currently available.
I hope that helps you to better understand some of the fabric options out there. If you want to stay cool this summer, remember to choose those fabrics wisely!
In the meantime, you may also like to check out my Summer Edit or some of my previous blog posts like Why create a capsule wardrobe? or Top 5 trends: Summer 2019 or How to shop the summer sales.
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