How to fold a linen suit

Linen is a fickle mistress. It seems like such an elegant choice for a warm-weather suit and it is. You will OWN that hot summer wedding Jay Gatsby or Mark Twain-style in a linen suit.

But, when you arrive at your hotel, your linen suit can look like a family of raccoons has nested in it, if not packed correctly.

Although linen suits have been around a couple hundred years, it seems that men still don’t know how to travel with them.

Case in point, a recent Facebook message: I’m heading to DC for a wedding this weekend and I have a brilliant 3-piece linen suit. How do I fold this thing so it won’t wrinkle??

All of my years in clothing retail finally have a purpose! The culmination of my personal history and research led to a decision tree, which should clean up this linen madness:

The first choice is always to carry the suit with you. Linen is GOING TO WRINKLE. You can wish and wish and wish that it wouldn’t, but wishing won’t make it happen.

When we are talking about packing linen, we are talking about how much it is going to wrinkle, not if it will.

If you cannot carry your suit with you or you don’t want to, the next question to answer is: lined or unlined?

If it is lined, you: Turn the suit inside out. Fold the suit as few times as you can. Place the suit in your suitcase last (on top of all other items). After arriving, take it out immediately.

If it is unlined, you: Stuff the sleeves with tissue paper or t-shirts. Layer the pieces of your suit between other non-linen items. After arriving, take it out immediately.

Rolling paper or t-shirts into your suit can seem counter-intuitive because you are making your suit bigger, but the bulk will help it wrinkle less.

Whether your suit is lined or unlined, you are likely going to end up ironing your suit at some point, so remember that it can take the hottest heat your iron can dish out.

The linen suit was a dope choice and I commend you for it. Now, take care of it and rock that party like only Samuel Clemens could.

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Linen suits are a favored choice of travelers due to their loose-fitting nature, which is well suited for warmer temperatures. They also offer a classy but casual look that is desirable. Though a comfortable choice, these suits unfortunately are prone to wrinkling, especially if they are folded too many times. To properly pack a linen suit, you will require a suitcase large enough to fold your linen suit correctly or else risk wrinkling or even tearing and ripping the suit's fabric.

Step 1

Lay the suit jacket face down, with the buttons closed, on a flat surface.

Step 2

Remove any folds or wrinkles in the jacket with your hands.

Step 3

Fold the right shoulder and left shoulder to the center of the suit until they meet up, making sure the fold is matched up on the same line all the way down to the bottom of the jacket.

Step 4

Carefully lay each of the arms completely flat on the suit jacket.

Step 5

Gently fold the jacket in half, lengthwise, by evenly placing the right half over the left half.

Step 6

Grab the bottom of the suit jacket and slowly fold it onto the top of the jacket.

Step 7

Gently place the jacket as it is at the bottom of the suitcase.

Step 8

Fold the suit trousers in half at the knees.

Step 9

Fold the left side of the trousers over the right side until they are even.

Step 10

Gently place the trousers on top of the suit jacket in the suitcase.

Linen clothing is a great choice for everyday and special events. Linen outfit emphasizes the personality and makes life much cozier. But not everyone knows how to pack linen clothes for travel or transportation. You should pack linen clothes carefully because this material is very vulnerable, it tends to wrinkle. Let’s discuss the best ways to pack linen clothes.

Use garment bag

Of course, the best way to pack linen for travel is probably a garment bag. If you have enough space in the car, airplane or other transportation, don’t put the clothes in the suitcase. Use the garment bag instead. First, hang your suit, shirt, jacket of another item on a padded hanger. Then store the clothes in a bag. In this situation, your clothing doesn’t interact with other items. It remains steady and untouched. On the other hand, this approach requires more space and it’s a little uncomfortable to carry this bag in your hands.

Folding approach

The most common way to pack clothes is folding. And many people think that it is the best way to pack linen clothes. It helps to prevent wrinkles and to use available space effectively. The classical way to fold shirts and T-shirts is a rectangle shape. Just put your shirt on the flat surface face down. Then fold the sleeves, fold the sides and make a rectangle shape. Make your shirt look tidy and compact. Now It is ready to be packed.

Use a plastic bag

When your shirt is folded, for additional safety you can use a plastic bag. Choose a new, clean, and dry bag. Carefully put your item inside. When all your items lye in bags separately, it’s a much lower chance to damage the fibers because garments don’t touch each other. Some people prefer to use cloth bags instead of plastic. Both of these options are suitable. Bag material depends on your preferences.

Use tissue paper to pad linen clothes

Another way to keep your clothes safe during the transportation is to use tissue paper. Put rectangle shape soft tissue paper on the back of your shirt. Then fold your piece of clothes around the paper. Now you have a piece of paper between the sleeves and other parts of your clothes. In this case, linen fibers don’t damage each other even if the bag is tight. Moreover, rectangular shape tissue helps you to fold the clothes correctly.

Rolling strategy

This approach works better with pants, trousers, and shorts, but suitable for other items as well. Rolling not only prevents wrinkles but also helps to save space. It’s an easy method. Put your trousers on a flat surface and start rolling them until you get a tight and accurate roll. This way helps to reduce pressure and keeps your things tidy and attractive.

How to pack linen clothes in a suitcase

To prevent your linen clothes from wrinkling, experts suggest to use a hard-sided suitcase. The explanation is simple. Hard and straight sides protect your clothes from the pressure of suitcases around even if a few suitcases are laying on your one. Nevertheless, don’t overload your suitcase, leave some free space inside. Always put hard and heavy items on the bottom. And put soft and light items, like linen clothes, on the top of the suitcase.

Soft suitcases also work fine in some situations. Make sure that your bag is not overloaded. There should not be other bags on top of it.

If you pack your favorite gorgeous dress, the strategy is the same. Fold it as carefully as possible, then put it in a small bag. Pack the dress on the top part of your suitcase and make sure nothing is making pressure on it.

Unpack your clothes shortly after arrival

When you reach your destination, unpack the suitcase and unfold the clothes. Hang it on the hanger or simply put it on the drying rack or another flat surface.

There were the main tips for linen clothing transportation and wrinkling prevention. What is the best way to pack linen clothes is up to your judgment. Follow these steps and your favorite linen outfit always will be good-looking and tidy.

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