LINTICO: Doing Linen My Way
The Pieces, the Looks, and the Details

Linen seems to come with its own dress code. Neutral colors. Loose layers. Minimal accessories. Maybe a woven tote thrown in for good measure.

At least, that’s often how it’s presented. But when LINTICO invited me to choose three pieces from its collection, I wasn’t particularly interested in dressing like a linen advertisement. I wanted to know whether I could wear linen my way.

Initially, the collaboration invitation caught me off guard and left me wondering whether it was legitimate. I hadn’t heard of LINTICO before, and though linen isn’t new to my closet, it isn’t something I’ve built my wardrobe around. What interested me was the chance to choose pieces I could see myself wearing and figure out how they worked with the clothes and accessories I already own.

Since then, LINTICO has started popping up regularly in my social media feeds. If you’ve been seeing the brand lately too, you’re not imagining things. Quite a few LINTICO collaborations seem to be making the rounds these days.

I was provided with three pieces of my choosing for this collaboration. In return, I was asked to share an honest assessment of the quality, fit, comfort, and styling possibilities. The clothes were gifted, but the opinions, styling choices, and questionable decision to add yet another black top to my closet are entirely my own.

100% European linen is a hallmark of the brand. Since my experience with linen has been fairly limited, I was also curious about the fabric itself: how it would feel, how it would wash, and, yes, how much it would wrinkle.

A little something for Fine-Whatever readers. Use code LINTICOFWEB at checkout for a 15% discount.

Look One: A Hoodie, But Make It Linen

When I first started looking through the LINTICO collection, my plan was to choose a dress along with a top-and-pants combination. I wound up selecting a dress and two tops. Of the dresses I considered, the Rebecca Hooded Maxi Dress caught my attention almost immediately.

The hood was a big part of the reason. It’s an unexpected detail on a linen maxi dress, and I liked that it gave an otherwise simple silhouette something interesting without being too much.

The dress comes in two colors, Natural Linen and Navy Blue. I chose the navy because I could see myself wearing it throughout the year. Living in a fairly temperate climate means I don’t necessarily have to pack linen away once summer ends, and the darker color seemed particularly suited to stretching across seasons. I envisioned wearing it simply with sandals on warmer days or with a denim vest and boots in cooler weather.

I ordered my usual size, a large, and the fit was perfect. Style-wise, I wasn’t disappointed either. I still really like that hood, although I’m not entirely sure whether it’s giving cool or fool. There’s a fine line between interesting hood detail and wandering friar, and I’m still deciding which side of it I’m on. And did I mention that it has pockets?

Straight out of the package, the linen had a fairly stiff finish, and the dress had noticeable fold lines from shipping, so I decided to wash it before wearing it. The care instructions weren’t too different from my usual laundry routine: machine wash in cold water and tumble dry at a low temperature. I took mine out of the dryer after about 20 minutes and let it finish drying on a hanger. The washing made a noticeable difference, softening the fabric considerably.

Its first real outing was a trip to a nearby wine region to celebrate our wedding anniversary. That’s where these photos were taken. It was a rather warm day, which gave me an unexpectedly good opportunity to put linen’s reputation for warm-weather comfort to the test. Even with the long sleeves and full-length skirt, I was quite comfortable.

And this is where the my way part came in. Rather than leaning into a summery linen look, I treated the navy dress much the way I would any other long, solid-color dress.

My mother used to say that an outfit isn’t complete without a necklace, and apparently that lesson stuck. With the chunky hood adding a bit of visual weight in back, I wanted a necklace with enough heft to balance things out in front. For my footwear, I chose a pair of patterned sandals to carry some of that color down to the other end of the outfit. The tan bag? That’s simply the purse I’ve been carrying around all summer.

Not every styling decision needs a theory behind it. The end result felt much more like me than the loose, minimally accessorized linen look I so often see.

As for quality, the dress is nicely finished, and the fabric has enough weight that I didn’t have any concerns about it being see-through. After washing, the linen felt soft against my skin with none of the scratchiness that linen can sometimes have.

Does it wrinkle? Of course. It’s linen. I noticed some wrinkling as I wore it, but nothing I wouldn’t expect from the fabric.

Look Two: Not Just Another Black Top

My second choice was the Brianna Asymmetrical Hem Top. I was drawn to several of the details: the hi-low hemline, 3/4-length sleeves, and slightly scooped neckline. It comes in four other colors, and I was tempted by both the blue and green, but ultimately chose black.

Part of that decision was practical. I could immediately picture the black working with all sorts of things already in my closet. But I also liked that it wasn’t what I typically picture when I think of linen. Black seemed like another opportunity to take linen outside its usual summer wardrobe box.

The Brianna has a relaxed fit, so this time I went down a size and ordered a medium rather than my usual large. I was concerned that the large might look more oversized than I wanted. Having worn the medium, I think I actually could have gone either way. The medium gives me plenty of room without feeling oversized, while I suspect the large would simply have given me a slightly looser look.

Like the dress, the top arrived with a somewhat slick, stiff finish and noticeable fold lines from being packaged. I washed the two pieces together following the care instructions, and the top softened up nicely too.

For its first outing later in the day of our anniversary trip, I wore the Brianna with a pair of pants I bought earlier this summer. I was drawn to their mix of black and brown with pops of blue and thought they’d be an interesting piece to carry into fall. They also seemed like a good way to give this black linen top a very different look from the linen outfits I usually see.

The necklace has a story of its own. My husband gave it to me for an anniversary many years ago, and I’ve made a point of wearing it on our anniversary every year since. I especially like it against black, so choosing it for this outfit was pretty much a given. Between the patterned pants, necklace, and platform sandals, there isn’t much about this outfit that says “traditional linen.” And that’s exactly how I wanted it.

The quality and feel were much the same as I found with the dress. The fabric has good opacity, feels comfortable against my skin, and softened after washing. I was also happy with the length and fit. Going down to the medium gave me the relaxed shape I wanted without feeling like I was swimming in it, although I think my usual large would have worked too.

Look Three: Coming Soon

My third choice, the Kalista Wool-Blend Asymmetrical Hem Top, is a bit of a departure from the first two pieces. Rather than linen, it’s made from a wool-blend knit fabric. I opted to get it in the color Coffee because browns are really trending now, and the style seemed like an interesting choice for the cooler months ahead.

Unfortunately, the size I selected was too small. LINTICO offered to send me the next size up, but the replacement didn’t arrive in time for me to include it in this review. Once it arrives and I’ve had a chance to wear it, I’ll feature it in an upcoming post.

So, What Do I Think of LINTICO So Far?

Based on the first two pieces, I’m pleased with the quality. Both are nicely finished; the linen has a good weight and feel. And while neither piece is inexpensive, at $129.90 for the Rebecca dress and $79.90 for the Brianna top, to me these prices seem reasonable compared with similar linen garments I’ve seen offered by other retailers.

LINTICO’s sizing currently runs from S through XXL, although there aren’t separate petite or tall sizes. One thing I appreciated while shopping the website was the amount of sizing information provided for each garment. Rather than relying on one general size chart, the product pages include measurements specific to the item along with a description of the intended fit, such as slim, tailored, regular, relaxed, or oversized. Of course, even detailed sizing information can’t guarantee a perfect fit, as I discovered with my third selection.

So far, the linen pieces shown above have done exactly what I hoped they would when I first agreed to this collaboration: slipped into my wardrobe without requiring me to change how I like to dress.

You can browse LINTICO’s best sellers for yourself and save 15% using code LINTICOFWEB.

In the meantime, I’m curious: Are you a linen wearer? And do you embrace the loose, neutral linen look, or would you rather do linen your own way?

Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, follow, friend, pin … there are several options available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Photo credit: MMPerez.

Note: LINTICO provided the clothing featured in this post at no cost in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and styling choices are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through one of these links.