A linen blouse is an easy garment to choose badly. It is usually bought for its colour, in a hurry, before a holiday, and the things that decide whether it will still be worn in three summers are not visible in a photograph. A woman who sets out to buy a linen blouse will choose better with five checks in mind: the fibre, the weight, the making, the fit and, last, the colour. This article goes through each, and then describes the PP linen blouse plainly, including what it is made of in each colourway.

Fibre comes first, and it is read from the label. The words to look for are 100% linen. A blend of linen with another fibre is a different cloth with different behaviour, as linen vs linen blend describes, and a name such as "linen look" describes an appearance and nothing more. Beyond the fibre is its origin. Certified Belgian linen carries a certificate that follows the flax from field to cloth; linen described simply as natural linen is pure linen without that certificate. Both are honest descriptions. A careful maker tells the customer which is which.

Weight is the second check, and for a blouse it is mostly a question of opacity. Linen is an open weave, and a pale blouse in a light cloth will show what is beneath it in strong sun. The test is simple: hold a single layer up to daylight with a hand behind it. Some transparency is normal and can be pleasant; the point is to know before the first lunch outdoors. A slightly heavier cloth also hangs better from the shoulder and keeps its line through the afternoon. The matter is examined in is linen see-through.

The making is the third. Turned inside out, a good blouse shows seams that are enclosed or neatly finished, with small, even stitches and no loose thread ends. Buttonholes should be dense and clean, since linen frays where it has been cut. Buttons are worth a second look: natural materials such as shell have a depth and a slight variation from one to the next, and they should be sewn on with enough thread to sit proud of the cloth. A hem that hangs level all the way round indicates that the pieces were cut true to the grain, and it is a detail that shows after the first wash if it was neglected.

Fit is the fourth, and with linen it has one particular rule: the cloth does not stretch. A blouse must therefore be right across the shoulders and the upper arm from the start, with enough room at the bust that the front lies flat between the buttons when the wearer reaches forward. Length is a matter of intention. A blouse meant to be tucked in wants less of it than one worn loose over trousers or a skirt. Between two sizes, the larger is generally the better choice in linen, because ease is what allows air to move and the cloth to drape.

Colour comes last because it is the easiest to get right once the rest is in order. Linen takes dye softly, without shine, and a colour seen on a screen is best confirmed in daylight where that is possible. Pale shades are forgiving of creases and cool in the sun. Deeper ones carry into the evening. A first linen blouse is often most useful in a colour that sits with what is already in the wardrobe, and a second can be chosen for pleasure.

The PP linen blouse is at present offered in four colourways, Orchid, Lemon, Pink and Sky Blue, in sizes XS to L. The fibre differs by colourway, and it is stated here as the house states it: Orchid is Belgian linen, while Lemon, Pink and Sky Blue are natural linen. The blouse is cut to the hip, with long sleeves, a curved hem and seashell buttons. It is handmade, as the rest of the women's garments are, and is shown with them in the women's linen collection. There is a full description in the PP linen blouse guide, and the Orchid colourway, which the blouse shares with the men's Vibes Linen Shirt, has its own note in the Orchid linen colourway.

It helps to know where the blouse sits beside its neighbours. The Amelia linen dress shirt is a different garment, a dress in itself, and is not a longer version of the blouse. The ladies linen set pairs a blouse with matching shorts and is the choice for someone who wants the whole outfit resolved. The PP linen blouse is the separate: it is worn with trousers, a skirt or shorts from the wearer's own wardrobe, which makes it the most adaptable of the three and the one that travels from a city summer to a resort without alteration.

Bought with those five checks, a linen blouse is a garment that tends to be reached for first on a warm morning for many years, and it softens with every wash; looking after it is covered in how to wash linen shirts. The current colourways can be seen together in the PP linen collection for her.

The PP Linen Blouse vs the Amelia Linen Dress Shirt  ·  The Linen Blouse for Women  ·  Buying a Luxury Linen Shirt for Women