Green Linen Dress and Everlane Denim Jacket
Everything,  Sustainability,  Sustainable Style

4 Reasons Why You Need a Linen Dress This Season

April 24, 2018 / 78 Comments

Over the weekend, I went to a blogging event with a few local Connecticut bloggers. It was so much fun meeting everyone and learning what their blog is about. Even though all 15-20 of us were at different ages and blog popularities, it was so pleasant to see what people were really passionate about. For example, Courtney from Betty Juliet Diaries blogs about her incredible vintage vibes and the history of the era associated with it. Kelsey from Kelsey Lynn B finds the best sales and knows how to have a killer workout. Lastly, Caitlyn from Confessions of a Northern Belle, the one who brought us all together, blogs about her adventures with her adorable children. All completely different topics but it was so pleasant to see how much joy they have from blogging.

As I talked to a few bloggers and even a few coworkers, I found myself lighting up when I talked about sustainability and fashion ethics. When a coworker compliments me on an article of clothing, like these white jeans, I find myself spewing knowledge about how denim is made or who makes the product. Sometimes it gets to a point where I say to myself “girl, calm down before they frame you as a psychopath”. Green Linen Dress and Everlane Denim JacketGreen Linen Dress and Everlane Denim Jacket

Everlane Jacket | Artisan NY (Can’t find anything similar) |Giving Key Necklace | Shoes

Despite starting my journey to more ethical shopping, I still find myself wandering through Marshalls and T.J. Maxx line no one’s business. Sometimes I’m able to find “Made in the USA” or “Organic Cotton” shirts whereas other times you can see where the quality is missing out of the garment. A missed stitching here… a spaghetti strap that was just slapped on… or jeans that have that weird chemical smell that you can’t seem to get rid of. We’ve all bought these products in our lifetime. As a recovering shopaholic, I have tons of pointless fashion items in my closet that barely see the light of day. With challenges like the 10x10challenge, I’ve been trying to use the items I already have more but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I love shopping. Which is why I’m slowly easing into the sustainability world by focusing on the quality of the items I’m buying and how often I will wear it. Thus, the reason why this adorable linen dress came into my life.

So why the heck is linen so great? What makes it better than other fabrics and why is it so darn expensive?

Green Linen Dress and Everlane Denim JacketGreen Linen Dress and Everlane Denim Jacket

Linen as an environmentally friendly product.

When linen is made, the entire part of the flax plant is used to make the linen yarn. The by-product, Linseed Oil, is even used and can be used to preserve wood. Flax uses 13 times fewer pesticides than potatoes but is only approximately 1% of the world’s apparel fiber consumption.

It is easy to grow, but not easy to make the yarn. 

Although Flax seeds can grow in poor soil while using less water than cotton, the process of making the linen yarn is very laborious and time-consuming. This what causes linen garments to be so much more than other items. Although it is time-consuming, to spin the yarn it is more durable than cotton which is the big benefit of having linen clothing.

Unlike polyester or acrylic, it is 100% biodegradable when it is not dyed.

This dress is actually dyed so it is not 100% biodegradable. But if this is something that is very important to you buy linen that is colored in its natural form which is ivory, ecru, tan and grey. This means that if you grow out of the dress in a few years or it just isn’t the same style you fell in love with, you can actually compost the dress! So forget clothes piling up in the landfills, if we wore more linen we wouldn’t have this problem.

On hot days it will keep you cool. 

Even though here in Connecticut I don’t have to worry about the warm weather just yet, I know I have this linen dress to fall back on once it gets warm. Since the linen fabric is built differently than cotton, it actually allows more airflow. It also is less likely to cling to your skin because of the how stiff the fabric is naturally. It is the perfect fabric for the spring and summer because of this.

Green Linen Dress and Everlane Denim JacketGreen Linen Dress and Everlane Denim Jacket

So, be like linen. Be easy to adapt and stronger when things get you down. Okay, that may be stretching it but I think it works well.  Next time you’re walking through Marshalls and you pick up that adorable t-shirt, look at what the item is made out of. If it’s made out of polyester, nylon, or acrylic (otherwise known as straight up plastic), you might want to put it back on the rack. Hey, this trick has been helping me save up for this adorable jean jacket (check out the factory it is made in and you’ll be hooked on this company).

What do you think about linen as a textile? Do you like wearing linen in the spring/summer? Have you ever meet up with local bloggers in your area? Let me know in the comments down below. 

As always,

Screen Shot 2015-05-08 at 12.01.15 AM

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P.S. This week is Fashion Revolution Week where sustainable bloggers from all over the world are calling out big named companies and asking who makes their clothes. For more information about this week check out my Instagram to see how I’m raising awareness for the garment workers all over the world (40 million garment workers and 80% of them are female).

Double PS: Thank you for Amy from Amy Marie Blog and Lindsay from Lindsay Demo for making me laugh during these photos. We’re definitely going to have to back to Conspiracy to watch a drag show or hit up a cidery/brewery! 💕

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