Linen suit too wrinkly for wedding?

April 6, 2009 2:12 PM

Linen suit wrinkle concern

I'm getting married outside in Chicago in late July. I've decided to wear a linen suit. However, my mom freaked out when she heard saying it would be all wrinkled for the pictures.

My fiance thinks it won't be bad if I'm not sitting down for an extended period of time. Something which I would not be doing until dinner, after most of the picture time, so no biggy.

Thoughts? Should I be considering something else? It seems like enough people wear them for weddings, and they are not always wrinkley.

Bonus points for any linen suit shopping advice! Thanks!

posted by patrad to clothing, beauty, & fashion (11 comments total)

Could you take the photos before the ceremony?
posted by bluedaisy at 2:21 PM on April 6

Bring the suit and change into it right before the ceremony. Wear very very comfortable shoes, because, to avoid wrinkles, you won't want to sit down at all, or at least to avoid it as much as possible.

Sounds cool!
posted by amtho at 2:27 PM on April 6

I have never had a linen outfit that didn't look kind of rumple-y pretty quickly after I put it on.

That said, maybe you can starch it (?), or maybe there's some kind of special linen blend that might look more polished after wearing it for a bit?
posted by KAS at 2:27 PM on April 6

maybe grab a portable clothing steamer for touch-ups?
posted by kidsleepy at 2:34 PM on April 6

When linen suit shopping, make sure your linen suit is fully underlined with something like silk organza to help reduce wrinkles.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:37 PM on April 6

That linen suit is going to wrinkle like a mofo in Chicago in July. Is this going to be a casual-ish J. Crew-type wedding? If so, then a wrinkled linen suit can be fine if it's the right one. But if it's a more formal wedding, and you want to look like you're wearing a nice, unwrinkled regular suit but are choosing one in linen in consideration of the heat, then yeah, you should listen to your mom.
posted by HotToddy at 3:16 PM on April 6

I'd consider a different material. I love my linen suit, but it wrinkles if I so much as look at it.
posted by lekvar at 3:20 PM on April 6

Jacquilynne is right about how underlining the linen with silk organza or something similar will help cut down on the wrinkles, but finding a silk-underlined linen suit off the rack might be difficult. A tailor could probably make you one, though. (But specify that you want it underlined when you have it made.)

Failing that, you might be able to starch an off-the-rack one a lot, which will cut down on wrinkles.
posted by Lycaste at 4:19 PM on April 6

What they ^ all said....

If it's the subtle shine of the fabric, coupled with the comfort in the heat, consider another fabric?

I saw a killer white suit when I was last in Seattle, and when I complimented the woman, she told me it was a mix of Ramie and Hemp (both spun from plant-fiber).
posted by reflecked at 5:12 PM on April 6

What everyone fails to understand here is that linen is supposed to wrinkle. It is acceptable to look wrinkled when you wear linen. It is not a big deal.

So don't sweat it. People who freak out over linen wrinkling most likely have no understanding of traditional clothing (what people call "preppie") or traditional style.
posted by Zambrano at 5:30 PM on April 6

Go for seersucker! Summer-appropriate and quite dashing!
posted by that girl at 5:40 AM on April 7