How to Wear a Linen Shirt this Summer (4 Ways)

Do you ever wonder how to wear a linen shirt? I am a big fan of linen. I like the breathability of it and the fact that it screams “summer” to me! I know that linen wrinkles, but I try to look at that feature as part of linen’s charm.

For any of you who read my blog regularly, Talbots is one of my favorite retailers. I love how well-made the clothes are and how well they wash. I love the details on the pieces and I love how seamlessly I can wear pieces from year to year. I also love how much Talbots loves color. I really enjoy all the bright colors that Talbots carries, especially in the summer.

Imagine my delight when I arrived last week at my Chicago home with a gift package from Talbots. I received this gorgeous pink 100% linen shirt and a darling mini-wicker handbag! These items were gifted to me, AND I LOVED THEM BOTH! How lucky I am to be a blogger that loves Talbots! Let me show you four fun ways to wear this linen shirt. By the way, in case you’re not a “pink” person, this also comes in four other colors, so check out the links below.

In this post...

How to Wear a Linen Shirt

1. Wear It With All White Underneath

In this first look, I paired a white v-neck 100% cotton Amazon tank with a pair of Talbots white cropped straight-leg pants. Pro-tip: Wearing a matching top and bottom such as these white pieces really elevates your style. It also allows for other outfit variations that will also work. And when you travel, you can totally change your look, just by changing your top layer.

Here is a side view of how to wear a linen shirt. It's paired with a cute striped mini wicker bag, white jeans and a white tank.

I wore the pink linen boyfriend shirt open as a kind of duster. My sandals were flat gold ones (similar ones, here). My watch was gold as were my small gold hoop earrings.

Herr is a closeup of the mini wicker bag that has pale green and blue stripes on the bag and on the bag's handle.

The most fun purse in the world (!) was this mini-wicker bag which has a pretty pale blue and green stripe on the body of the bag as well as on the handle. There are several matching tassels hanging on to the handle and there’s even a hot pink leather cross-body strap for wearing the bag that way! It is just so dang cute! The colors remind me of a triple-scoop sherbet ice cream cone!

Here is a close-up of how to style a linen shirt. See the white V-neck tank, the shirt as a duster, gold jewelry and black sunglasses.

How to Wear a Linen Shirt

2. Wear It With a Pair of Shorts

Here's how to style a linen shirt with linen shorts for a hot day. I added a cute khaki colored woven bag that has a multi-colored tassel on the handle. My sunglasses are white cat eye glasses.

This second outfit shows how to style a linen shirt with linen shorts. I think this is the perfect summer look! I paired the “ultra pink” linen boyfriend shirt with Talbots’ last year’s blue drawstring linen shorts (very similar ones, here). This is such a comfy outfit for a summer lunch or barbecue. I added blueprint espadrilles to continue the very summery vibe. My bag is a great Amazon find with the neutral khaki color and the colorful tassels. For the last accessory, I had to add the white sunglasses. Aren’t they playful?

How to Wear a Linen Shirt

Wear It Belted Over a Pair of Cropped Pants

Here I wore the linen shirt belted over a pair of cropped summer pants. Again with the white sunglasses. The belt is a terrific summer accessory made of linen and trimmed in brown leather. My sandals are tan and flat. My purse is wicker and leather in a basket style.

This was another easy look to put together. I popped on a pair of Talbots last year’s cropped print pants (similar look, here) and to keep the proportions interesting, I belted the shirt with a linen and leather J McLaughlin belt that I love! Pro-tip: by belting the longer-length shirt, I effectively cut it in half. Then my legs looked longer, while my top looks shorter. By doing this, I avoided the outfit looking as if the top and bottom were each 50% of the look. An outfit looks more elevated when you divide it into thirds and wear one third on the top or bottom, and the other on the other body section.

Check out my darling J McLaughlin bag (similar, here). I love the timelessness of J McLaughlin’s belts and handbags. The mixture of wicker and leather is so classic.

Here the linen boyfriend shirt is shown unbelted over the cropped pants.

Here I show you the shirt unbelted over the cropped pants. It looks like the top and pants are 50-50 in their proportion. Then in the next photo, the belting gives me better proportions. It’s not the best example of the “rule of thirds”, but I think you can see that the belted top outfit looks more interesting and proportionate than the unbelted one.

Here I belted the shirt over the pants and made the outfit more proportionate.

How to Wear a Linen Shirt

Wear It as a Coverup Over Your Bathing Suit

Here is a close-up of the linen shirt over a black one-piece swimsuit.

One of my favorite things to bring to the pool as a coverup is a big linen shirt. This one is perfect. It looks cute open and is long enough to cover your backside. The cuffs are sharp and can be worn down or rolled up. This is the easiest way for how to wear a linen shirt.

Here is the pink coverup over the black bathing suit. My leg is peeking out and you can see the boyfriend shirt is easily long enough to cover my backside and upper thighs.

Here is a view of the bathing suit peeking out from under the coverup. This style of Miraclesuit is WORTH EVERY PENNY of the price tag. The way this style of suit is designed, the floral pattern is just along the sides of the suit. I could not believe how sculpting this is to my waistline. Miraclesuits fit me well (I am 5’4″) and are so comfortable while also being very figure flattering. My exact pattern is not available but I scroll to the bottom of this piece and see some of my other favorite Miracle suits.

Here is a photo of me in the bathing suit pointing to the flowers at the waistline which serve to whittle my waist.

Above, I am pointing to my waist where the flowers are the fullest. This design acts as a waist-cinching optical illusion that every woman would love. Miraclesuits are known for their incredible support, but they truly are comfortable. Most of them have some ruching which is also flattering to the middle-aged figure.

Here I a pointing at my neckline on the bathing suit which is sculpted with the wire usually used as an underwire in a bra.

Here I am pointing to the neckline. It’s a molded shape with a bit of wire at the edge. It really avoids the drooping (and cleavage over-sharing) that can happen when you sit at lunch in your bathing suit. You should definitely consider this perfect beach or pool combination of this linen boyfriend shirt and this terrific style of bathing suit.

Here you can see the back of the boyfriend shirt which has a curved hemline and a pleat in the back. Isn’t it so cute?

Conclusion to How to Wear a Linen Shirt

Have I given you enough inspiration to buy this pink linen shirt? Do you feel comfortable that you now know how to wear a linen shirt? I hope so because I love mine. Remember, it comes in five different colors if pink isn’t your jam. Linen is timeless, classic, and so wonderfully summery! BE SURE to scroll all the way down this post as I’ll show you some of my favorite linen items and Miracle suits. Happy Day!

XO,

Dr. Julie

PS Here are a few more posts for you to enjoy:

Cute Spring Looks from Talbots Friends and Family 2023

Four Spring Date Night Outfits

How to Wear a White Blazer Six Ways

A Recipe for Shakshuka

Have you ever been to the La Quinta Farmers Market? Let’s go!

Delicious Lemon and Garlic Hummus!