AUSTRALIAN SUMMER ESSENTIALS - LINEN SHIRT

Hello dear friends,

It has been a very slow start for me.  Just I recovered from the NY party’s hangover and was getting myself organised, I was tested positive for COVID 😢and we all had to self-isolate.  For some inexplicable reason, I am the only one in our family of three who was tested positive, however Australian health regulations dictate that not only do I have to isolate for 7 days👍(recently reduced from 14😨) but all other members of our household should too so here we are, I am locked in our bedroom in the grip of boredom while my husband and my daughter are trying not to strangle each other in the rest of the house.   To tell you the truth, the Omicron strain is not too bad health-wise, it feels more like a common cold and if not for the pandemic ranging across Australia like a bushfire, I would’ve totally ignored it and carried on regardless but these days one can’t be to careful or ignorant.

Luckily, in anticipation of my husband’s upcoming radiotherapy, we managed to stage a few photoshoots so I will be able to continue my blogging.

So here it is, my first post of 2022.  If you read my last one of 2021, you might recall that it was about Australian summer essentials (a long-sleeve dress).  Today, continuing with this topic, it is about a linen shirt.  Although hugely popularized and commonly associated with everything Italian, the linen shirt in Australia has a totally different life. 

Here is worn over a bikini on the way to the beach to protect us from the sun while providing a cooling effect thanks to the lightness of the natural fibers of the fabric.   And once you are done on the beach, you can just tuck it into your skirt or shorts and go straight to dinner.

But on a cool summer day and we reach for it again, this time to keep us warm without taking away the feeling of summer. 

When we were travelling in Japan few years ago, the summer temperature in Tokyo was at its peak, yet the locals looked cool as cucumbers.  On closer inspection, I’ve noticed that rather than wearing a t-shirt or sleeveless tops, instead they were dressed in long-sleeve loose fit linen shirts or blouses.

So when I decided to get one for myself, I followed in their footsteps and went to Uniqlo, a Japanese manufacturer and retailer of casual clothing. Naturally, I was stunned by the variety of colours and styles of clothes made out of linen.  I stopped at the huge counter heaving under the stack of women’s shirts trying to determine which colour should I choose.  After a quick deliberation, I settled for the button-down classic shirt in a dark grey colour.  I figured that while it looks casual enough to be worn to the beach, with the help of appropriate accessories and clothes, it could do well beyond it.

Today I am pairing it with white jeans from J-Brand, white and black monogrammed sneakers from LV, light grey Furla handbag and silver earrings by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany.