What does it mean to say that “wrinkles have character”?
There are still times when I do not quite understand it.
Where, exactly, is the “character” in the wrinkles that form in linen?
When talking about linen clothing, I often hear people say, “The wrinkles are part of its character.”
But what exactly is that “character”?
Do wrinkles become character simply by being there?
Does a garment become stylish simply by being worn until it is limp and softened?
Sometimes I find myself thinking about such things.
Hello.
I am Tomioka from cliché.
What does it mean to say that “wrinkles have character”?
I do not think the wrinkles themselves are what give linen its character.
If the wrinkles themselves were what made it good, then merely becoming wrinkled would be enough.
But surely that is not quite it.
As someone wears it, bends their arms, sits, and walks, the things gradually etched into the garment over the course of a day remain there as wrinkles.
The phrase “linen wrinkles have character” may express something that includes the wearer's life.
That is why I do not simply think, “It is good because it has wrinkles.”
Why do I think those wrinkles are good?
What is it about those wrinkles that draws me in?
I feel that only when I think about it for myself and discover its merits within myself can I finally say, “I like the wrinkles in linen.”
Rather than taking words I have heard from someone else and making them my answer as they are,
I want to wear it myself, look at it myself, and discover its merits in my own way.
That is what I believe.
And recently, I came to like linen shirts.
Even so, I have never thought linen shirts were especially cool. I do not often think, “I’ll wear it in summer because it’s cool,” and at least for me, coolness is not why I came to like them.
So, why did I come to like linen?
When I think about it, the reason again lies in the “wrinkles” I have been writing about here.
That said, it is not the wrinkles themselves that I like.
By wearing it, a person's movements remain in the clothing.
Bend your arms and wrinkles form in the sleeves; sit down and character emerges in the body. Wash it, wear it again, and that character gradually changes.
Perhaps what draws me to linen is that these changes appear more honestly than they do in other materials.
Perhaps what I like is the “character” created by those wrinkles.
Even with the same shirt, its character slowly changes depending on who wears it and how they wear it.
Things that were not yet there when the shirt was new gradually emerge through wear.
I find the appeal of linen in the sense that the wearer's time remains in the clothing.
When I am actually wearing it, the sleeves are what I particularly enjoy.
As I bend and straighten my arms, fine wrinkles gradually overlap across the sleeves. Rather than appearing as flat lines, they create depth and shadow as the fabric gently layers upon itself.
I especially like how it looks from the side.
Perhaps the way its character changes little by little each time I wear it is another reason I keep reaching for this shirt.
And lately, what I have often been wearing is the Essential Linen Shirt.
<cantáte>
" Essential Linen Shirt"
COL : NOIR , BLEU GRIS , WHITE
¥60,500 TAX IN
It is available in three colors: NOIR, BLEU GRIS, and WHITE.
Linen made from high-quality flax grown in Normandy, with a smooth hand and subtle luster.
When you touch it, it has the substantial hand characteristic of linen. But it is by no means stiff; there is also a certain suppleness to it.
Because it has this strength and suppleness, the wrinkles that appear when it is worn do not simply crumple the fabric. Fine shadows and highlights emerge, and its expression gradually changes the more you wear it.
The “expression created by wrinkles” I mentioned earlier is also possible precisely because of this fabric.
When new, the fabric’s smoothness and subtle luster are easy to appreciate.
But this neat appearance is not the finished form.
As you repeat the cycle of wearing and washing it, the fabric develops not only fine wrinkles but sometimes an expression in which the entire cloth seems to form broad waves.
As light catches on those undulations, shadows and highlights emerge, and a once-flat shirt gradually begins to look three-dimensional.
I think that kind of change is probably what I like.
The relaxed silhouette and easy collar line are made possible by the material’s inherent substance, allowing the construction to be intentionally soft and the overall appearance light.
The shoulders are not dropped too far, while the body retains a proper amount of ease.
It is not simply oversized; it is room for the fabric to move.
Because there is an appropriate distance between the body and the fabric, the fabric moves with you whenever you walk or move your arms. Each time, the way the wrinkles form and the shadows fall changes little by little.
I think the silhouette of this shirt includes not only how it looks when standing, but also the expression it takes on when you move.
The collar is a regular collar, but because it is not heavily reinforced, it never looks stiffer than necessary.
Buttoned all the way to the top, it looks refined. Leave the top button slightly open, and it naturally takes on a more relaxed expression.
It does not lean too far into linen’s casualness, while retaining the clean beauty of a shirt.
I think it is this balance that allows its appearance to change with the mood of the day, without dictating how it should be worn.
It retains the shirt’s refined form while remaining relaxed and effortless to wear straight from the wash.
Of course, it is perfectly fine to iron the shirt and wear it neatly pressed. But I also like the way it looks when you put it on straight after washing and drying it.
Wrinkles created by washing are layered with new wrinkles formed through wearing the shirt and moving the body.
Different people move their arms differently and wear a shirt with different frequency. Naturally, the wrinkles that remain will never be the same.
That is why even the same shirt gradually takes on an expression unique to its wearer.
Now, I feel I understand a little better what I was thinking at the beginning when I said, “Wrinkles have character.”
It is not the wrinkles themselves that create character; what makes them interesting is that the time someone has spent wearing the shirt remains in those wrinkles.
I think that is probably what “character” means to me.
And one more thing.
“You wear linen in summer because it is linen.”
When you think about it that way, the phrase “wearing linen in winter” may sound a little strange.
but perhaps we are simply too conscious of the seasons.
Not because it is summer, or because it is cool,
“I wear linen because I like it.”
Wearing the materials I like whenever I want, without thinking too much about the season.
For me now, I feel that is just about right.
cliché Tomioka
