How to spot quality linen

Linen is one of the oldest textiles we have, and still one of the most misunderstood. The word on a label tells you almost nothing. Two duvet covers both marked "100% linen" can differ as much as a hand-stitched loafer and a molded one. Here is what to look for.

Start with the flax

Linen is spun from the stalk of the flax plant, and the best flax grows in a narrow coastal belt running through northern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The climate there is cool and damp, with long, even growing seasons, which produces long, fine, strong fibers. That is why so many serious linen makers say where their flax comes from. Look for "European flax," or for certifications such as European Flax® and Masters of Linen, which trace fiber from field to finished cloth.

Where the fabric is woven and finished matters too. Lithuania, Portugal, and Italy all have deep linen traditions. Good brands will tell you both where the flax grew and where the cloth was made.

Long fibers, fewer slubs

Linen yarn comes in two grades. Line fiber is the long, combed fiber, and it spins into smooth, strong, lustrous yarn. Tow is the shorter fiber left behind, which makes a coarser, fuzzier, weaker yarn. Some slubs, the small thick spots in the weave, are natural and part of linen's charm. But a fabric covered in irregular lumps, or one that sheds lint for weeks, was often spun from tow.

Weight tells you what it's for

Linen is usually sold by weight in grams per square meter (gsm). As a rough guide:

• 120–150 gsm: shirting and summer clothes. Airy and cool.
• 160–200 gsm: bedding and table linen. The everyday sweet spot.
• 200+ gsm: heavyweight bedding, robes, and upholstery. Substantial and nubby, and it lasts for decades.

Heavier isn't always better, but very light linen at a low price is usually loosely woven to save fiber. Hold it up to a window. Good linen is dense and even, and you shouldn't see clear gaps between the threads.

Washed, not coated

Most linen you'll want has been pre-washed. Stone-washing or enzyme-washing tumbles the fabric to break in the fibers, which is why good linen feels soft from the first night. Be wary of linen that feels slippery or unnaturally smooth in the store. That is often a chemical softener that rinses out after a few washes and leaves something stiff behind. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification is a useful baseline: it means the finished fabric was tested for harmful substances.

The hand test

Good linen feels cool, dry, and a little heavy. It wrinkles readily and relaxes just as readily. It should feel like it has body. Scrunch a corner in your fist and let go. Quality linen creases softly and starts to recover. Cheap linen holds sharp, papery folds.

Read the label twice

"Linen blend," "linen look," and "linen-cotton" are all different fabrics from linen. Blends aren't bad, and linen-cotton makes good, less-wrinkly sheets. But if you're paying for linen, the label should say 100% linen, ideally with a word about where the fiber came from.

Buy it once, wash it often, and skip the iron. Linen only gets better.