Tips and Tricks: Professional Linen

I love linen in the summer. It's cool, breezy and adds interesting texture to an outfit. But linen wrinkles and has a tendency to look very sloppy as soon as you sit down. So how to avoid looking less than put-together while wearing linen? I'll share a few tips.

1. Drip Dry. Don't put linen in the dryer. Hang drying linen will prevent it from wrinkling too fast. 

2. Keep It Damp. Don't allow linen to dry completely. The wrinkles will release more easily if you iron while the clothing is still slightly damp. Remember to turn your heat to to the lowest setting to avoid burning it.

3. Starch, Starch and Starch Some More. Use a spray starch on the linen and an iron with continuous low heat. Spray and iron a few times on both the inside and outside surfaces. (Ironing will work better than steaming for linen.)

4. Downy Wrinkle Releaser. In my experience, this is not a miracle product, but I've read countless online reviews from people who swear by the potion. I keep this in my desk at all times, and while it does help a bit, it's not going to make your clothes wrinkle free like an iron or steamer will.