How to care for linen so it lasts twenty summers

Linen asks for very little. Wash it cool, at thirty degrees, with a mild detergent and nothing else in the drum that could snag it. Skip the fabric softener; linen softens on its own, a little more with every wash.

Dry it on a line or a hanger, out of strong sun if the colour is dark. Never tumble dry. The heat breaks down the flax fibres, and that is what turns a dress that should last twenty summers into one that lasts five. Steam it while it is still slightly damp and the creases fall out in a couple of minutes.

And when it does crease while you are wearing it, leave it. That is what linen does.