Linen: Timeless Creasing

On April 29, 1896, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who would later become the founding father of Pakistan, became the youngest British Indian to be called to the Bar in England. At the tender age of 19, he was utterly enchanted by the manner, delivery, and attire that barristers displayed in court. His evenings would explore London's coveted West End theatres, a hobby that his father feared was in grave danger of becoming a vocation. Jinnah did in fact embark on a stage career with a Shakespearean company, only to heed his father's disapproval in the form of a letter, and he returned home to Bombay where, now only aged 20, he was the only Muslim barrister in the city.

In 1908, Jinnah handled the infamous “Caucus Case” at the Bombay High Court, and his victory saw him emerge as an outstanding lawyer in India. However, unlike his brief foray into acting in London, Jinnah was unable to contain his political ambitions, although this did not hamper his legal career for many years. In the summer of 1916, Sir Dinshaw Petit, who had founded the first textile mills in India and received his knighthood from the British Crown in 1887, invited the rising politician to his house in Darjeeling to escape the scorching heat of Bombay. It was there that Jinnah got to know his daughter Rattanbai ‘Ruttie’ Petit, who was also known as the ‘Flower of Bombay’, a little more personally. Despite Jinnah being 24 years her senior, they married two years later in Bombay's upscale Malabar Hill. In 1919, Ruttie conceived Dina, which further exacerbated the temper of the 1st Baronet Petit. 

In his 1984 biography, “Jinnah of Pakistan”, Stanley Wolpert  described Jinnah in the 1920s as ‘Raven-haired with a moustache almost as full as Kitchener's and lean as a rapier, he sounded like Ronald Coleman, dressed like Anthony Eden, and was adored by most women at first sight, and admired or envied by most men'. Despite Jinnah being a fifty Craven A cigarettes a day man, it was rumoured that he took real inspiration from Gerald Du Maurier in curating his own style. Born in Hampstead in 1873 and living since 1916 at 14 Cannon Hall, a grade II* listed building also in Hampstead, Du Maurier was idolised, not only for his delicate acting but also for his impeccable sartorial choices, which were only visually accentuated by his elegant draws on a cigarette. 

It is likely a coincidence, but when Jinnah returned to London in 1929 with his sister Fatima and daughter Dina as head of chambers at 11 King's Bench Walk, Inner Temple, he bought a three-story villa on West Heath Road after a stroll on Hampstead Heath. It is thought he borrowed the English chauffeur of the vendor to drive his Bentley, where one notable stop would be outside 15 Savile Row, the fabled tailoring house of Henry Poole & Co. It’s unlikely another British bespoke tailor can claim to own archival documents that exceed Henry Poole & Co.'s for their royal and aristocratic clients. For any scholarly research on iconic suits, one of the best places to start would be James Sherwood’s 2019 tome “Henry Poole & Co., The First Tailor of Savile Row”, and there you will find a picture of arguably the most important and magnificent white linen double-breasted suit that was ever made.

Even in the early 1930s in London, the willowy figure of Jinnah exuded discreet power and effortless sophistication, enhanced by his Western style and monocle; only the Karakul hat he wore was a sign of his increasing responsibilities in his quest for a sovereign Muslim nation and the end of colonial rule, a feat that was realised in August 1947, when the state of Pakistan was founded. Now, aside from the photograph of Jinnah wearing an exquisite linen double-breasted suit, how does this comprehensibly relate to a broader examination of linen fabric? The short answer is there's no other cloth in the same orbit as linen for its historical imprint, and Jinnah is a small yet seminal example of linen beholding immense moments of history, all intertwined with peerless design and style. 

Admittedly, details of the discovery and date of linen do vary a little, but the early artefacts found in Europe date back to around 4000 BC. Next, we accelerate to Ancient Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, c. 1332–1323 BC, during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. In 1907, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon first took refuge in the decadent Winter Palace Hotel, Luxor. As I write this, the temperature at the now-renamed Sofitel Winter Palace Hotel is 45 °C, and so to withstand heat of that ilk in the Valley of the Kings, he typically wore porous three-piece double-breasted linen suits, most notably with Egyptian officials and archaeologists on the Palace's terrace in 1922, after Howard Carter had uncovered the intact tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. It was a poignant discovery for a host of reasons, but with the mummified body wrapped in linen bandages, it further displayed linen’s style and resilience in the face of hot weather. Wearing a transparent garment of fine, pleated linen, the elegantly sculptured statue of the wife of Nakhtims, who was the heir-apparent to Tutankhamun, is another extraordinary example of linen’s multifarious quality, a legacy that is not lost today when thinking of its key attributes as a fabric for luxury clothing in the height of summer. 

Credited with the highest tensile strength of any natural fibre, linen is also breathable, absorbent, hypoallergenic, antibacterial, and ranks highly in the sustainability stakes. For the purpose of comfort, and to delineate that dégagé elegance at smart events or soirées, turn to esteemed Neapolitan bespoke tailoring houses such as Rubinacci, Sartoria Dalcuore, and Saint Gregory, whose famous Neapolitan "spalla camicia" soft shoulder style gives an unstructured body design cut in the finest Italian pure linen, sublime and optimal details for those occasions during a blast of solar radiation. 

The Italian Grand Prix, held at the fabled Monza track, is one of those yearly events not only for emitting superior speed, but also for representing the very best of Italian tailoring in a steaming atmosphere. And for when the green flag is waved to begin the race on September 1, it would be absolute to attend in a finely crafted linen Italian jacket, in the form of Stefano Bemer’s signature unstructured Camicia 500 jacket made in 100% linen in a herringbone weave, which arrives in either azure or rosé. Not created in the sartorial denizens of Naples, but in Florence, it portrays the ultimate disposition of smart casual, especially when sported with a white open-neck linen shirt. Or if you find yourself in a more noble setting, you might opt for a luxurious white Irish linen shirt from Fralbo, and if a tie is necessary, you can’t look further than the acclaimed Neapolitan tiemakers E. Marinella, whom to Londoners’ great advantage it is now possible to visit at 15 Burlington Arcade. And to protect the eyes whilst spectating the cars whizzing around the Monza circuit, Oliver Goldsmith offer an accomplished selection and, above, the head is adroitly shielded from the sun in a hat design from Hat of Cain. 

One August during the last decade, while on a solo expedition around Spain, I thought I would call in to see some friends in Madrid. Not tremendously acquainted with Spanish culture at that time, it turned out that they had fled to the beach, a tradition whereby for the whole of August they relieved themselves from the sweltering city temperatures. Thankfully, I found Casa Baranda, a magnificent 19th-century bar, and they served this unexpected draught ale; not very Spanish, but I indulged in this pint every evening as I wondered what my friends were doing in Cádiz, Asturias, and even Marbella. 

I don't believe they were staying at The Marbella Club, founded by Prince Alfonso de Hohenlohe-Langenburg. However, for a study on intoxicating and flamboyant summer attire that carried great taste, Alfonso in the 1960s would provide an unhinged yet fantastic lesson on how to dress in smart company and surroundings, but with real pizzazz and panache. His red lens aviators and shirt of the same colour were legendary, but it was his white linen trousers that acted as the anchor or his choices of accompaniments. It is true, white linen trousers that are neither ill-made nor overly tailored are scarce, but you will find a pant at Ralph Lauren providing that soupçon of leisure élan. As demonstrated by Alfonso with his white moccasin, the white linen trousers complement a variety of sandals, espadrilles, and even leather or raffia-woven loafers. One of those orientations is the traditional Fisherman sandal, and for this iconic shoe, Grenson, who were established in 1866, would be an apt place to start looking. 

Overall, linen's rich history surpasses that of any other garment fabric by a significant margin. However, if you use it wisely, choosing apparel from renowned brands and wearing it with artistic verve, you'll be strolling around revered resorts this summer with a real sense of cheerful contentment.