I love wearing natural fibers. I have a long work commute and love to travel, so breathable clothes that are easy to mix and match are musts for me. I’ve been slowly upgrading my wardrobe to use less polyester, for both quality and sustainability reasons. So when summer started to heat up, that meant I was on the hunt for 100% linen clothes.
To my dismay, I found a lot of stores using deceptive linen blends. Our shopping editors and our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab have loved Quince’s affordable but quality cashmere sweater and stylish home goods, so I turned to its newest line of linen clothes looking for my summer wardrobe. These are my honest thoughts.
What I Tried From Quince
I tried Quince’s linen vest, maxi skirt, midi dress and fitted tank.
How I tried them
Over a couple of weeks, I put these clothes to the test in a variety of conditions, focusing on how they perform for travel and commuting. I took them everywhere, from the woods to the office:
- I sweat- and heat-trialed them on a Mediterranean cruise. Lounging by the pool? Check. Climbing medieval city walls in 90°F? Check.
- I packed them on a literary glamping retreat in the woods, where I slept in a tent and read by the fire.
- Lastly, I’ve worn them all over New York City, from my three hours of train commuting a day to styling them for the office to hitting my 10,000 steps.
On top of my rigorous testing, I also asked our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab to weigh in on the fabric quality, construction and sustainability claims.
Style and fit
The best part of all of Quince's linen clothes is the versatility (and pockets). The styles are cute and current, but they all have classic enough silhouettes to get multiple seasons of use out of them.
These are the styles I recommend:
I love that this vest is chicly androgynous. It doesn’t gap too much in the arm hole, and it pairs with skirts, tailored shorts and denim cutoffs for an easily polished look. This is my favorite of the pieces I tested!
I’m on the taller side (5’8") and the maxi skirt hits just above my ankle. The thigh slit is breezy and comfortable, it's high enough to be cute but not so high that I’m worried about coverage. The skirt is really versatile and has a thicker waistband that gives a snatched look. I’ve used it both as a swimsuit coverup on a catamaran and as an outfit at work, making it a great capsule wardrobe piece.
I love that this shirt is elasticated in the back to give it a tailored look. A lot of linen is too boxy for my defined waist, but this fit my curves snugly. It’s more cropped than it looks online, hitting at my navel. I’ve been swapping in tailored shorts and different skirts for new looks, and I haven’t hit the limit yet for new combinations.
This dress is heavier than I anticipated because of the cotton lining. I was hoping for a lightweight dress to wear on hot days, but this is better for office wear or nicer occasions. The print is beautiful and the pockets are super functional.
Sizing
The Quince pieces fit pretty true to size. I have a very defined waist and appreciated that several Quince options used elastic to be able to fit my curves. I sized down in the vest for a less boxy fit, and I liked that the straps on the tank and the dress have two adjustable lengths, though I still found them a little long. (I fixed this by adding a tighter buttonhole with my sewing machine or you can wear the straps crossed in the back.)
Quality
While we love the Quince cashmere sweater and several staples from curtains to scarves, Emma Seymour, the associate director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab, has noticed small stitching issues on Quince items she's tested, and I did see that with some of my linen clothes. These issues were typically minor, like loose threads or uneven stitching. This is worth noting but ultimately hasn’t stopped me from enjoying the clothes.
Fabric
I find that the fabric of the linen at Quince is softer and heavier than the linen blends or very thin linen I've seen at fast fashion outlets. I didn't find my pieces too see-through, but your experience may vary with the lightest colors like white.
Certain items come lined with 100% cotton to keep them opaque, and many reviewers praise that this lets them wear the tops without a bra. The downside: cotton is less heat-dispersing than linen, making the cotton-lined pieces too warm on hot days.
The website lists which products are cotton-lined in the fine print, but some of my fabric composition tags say 100% linen even though they are cotton-lined.
Is Quince sustainable?
Quince's website says the pieces are made of "100% linen, an eco-friendly fiber made from premium flax fiber sustainably grown in Western Europe." While natural fibers are typically more eco-friendly than polyester, our Textiles Lab can’t confirm the claim that the linen is sustainably grown and sourced.
Care & laundering
Shrinkage: Following the care instructions on my clothes (wash on cold and tumble dry low), I haven’t had any shrinkage in my linen clothes.
Wrinkling: Most linen wrinkles and creases, especially when packed into a carry-on. For me, the convenience of “wash and wear” is unbeatable, and I don’t mind the relaxed look of un-ironed linen. Rolling my linen pieces to pack them instead of folding them helped me keep major creases away when traveling, and I was happy with how everything looked out of my suitcase. You can iron if you prefer a crisp look, but it ultimately comes down to preference.
My final thoughts on Quince's linen clothing
Overall, I’m enjoying and getting a ton of use out of my Quince linen clothes. I love the look of them and have gotten lots of compliments on them both at work and on my travels. If I ordered again, I would focus on pieces that were not cotton lined to maximize linen’s cooling properties.
Quince linen is a great value, but GH Textiles pros found that the material wasn’t as supple as pricier linen clothes they’ve tested. Be aware of minor stitching issues and the sustainability claims, but overall my Quince linen pieces have become a staple in my suitcase and for my work outfits.
Sarah Vincent (she/her) covers the latest and greatest in books and all things pets for Good Housekeeping. She double majored in Creative Writing and Criminal Justice at Loyola University Chicago, where she sat in the front row for every basketball game. In her spare time, she loves cooking, crafting, studying Japanese, and, of course, reading.
