I have found that ironing linen is a fool’s errand as it immediately wrinkles afterwards. Consequently, my linen pieces will always live rumpled. Live with it.
the j.crew baird mcnutt linen dress
I wavered on this J.Crew Baird McNutt linen dress for the longest time. Finally, I took the plunge in order to bridge the time between the onslaught of warm weather with the arrival of my summer clothing from Asia. Aside for the sheer necessity, I got positive feedback regarding the J.Crew Baird McNutt Linen collection from my husband who sports the Baird McNutt linen shirts from the men’s line on the regular. It came down to the fact that I knew that neither pair of my black corduroys from my capsule wardrobe experiment just would not do the job for the weather that June would bring.
Do you know what does the job? Pale blue linen! This dress was a total workhorse between casual Fridays spent in my DC office and Sunday brunch in Rittenhouse Square. I wore it on rotation not only in the delta of time between warm weather kicking in and my warm weather clothing arriving but even after Labor Day. Fun fact: I wore this dress the day I got a positive pregnancy test. Great vibes for this dress!
Baird McNutt is a linen factory based in Ireland; the Design Studio is located in Downings in Donegal and the weaving studio is located in Kells, County Antrim. Baird was established in 1912, and acquired the 1798-established Shankbridge dyeing and finishing works in 1991. All this is to say that it is a heritage brand. While J.Crew no longer carries this exact dress in Baird McNutt linen, it does carry other styles in the textiles:
I am wearing this dress in a size medium tall. My feedback is that it fits swimmingly, although it is slightly more fitted around my bottom.
Must be the squats.
dress: J.Crew • sandals: Hermès (budget option) • sunglasses: Rayban • earrings: J.Crew Factory • initial necklace: Maya Brenner via Baublebar • beaded necklace: Gabrielle’s • necklace worn as a bracelet: Fry Powers (also here) • ring: J.Crew • watch: Cartier (also here) • nail color: Essie
22 linen shirtdresses to wear to the beach, or to brunch, or to both