The instinct to size up in linen comes from a real thing, which is that raw, unwashed linen can shrink meaningfully on its first wash. Untreated linen is generally quoted as losing somewhere between three and ten percent, and most of that happens in the very first cycle. But almost all linen clothing sold now is pre-washed or garment-washed at the mill, which leaves only about one to three percent of residual shrinkage. On a pre-washed piece, buy your usual size.

What is more likely to catch you out is the opposite. Linen has very low elasticity, so it does not stretch the way jersey does, but the weave relaxes with body heat and wear. A shirt that feels snug in a fitting room will feel roomier by lunch. That is the second movement, and it is why sizing up on a whim usually leaves you with something that fits nobody by the end of the day.

Below, linen in three shapes: the top, the trouser and short, and the dress. Frank & Eileen, Faherty, La Ligne and Joseph turn up, and DÔEN takes the Label Love.

A linen shirt or top is where the fabric is most flattering and least demanding, because the shoulders carry the weight and nothing has to sit close to the body.

The fit points to check are the shoulder seam and the sleeve length, since linen shrinks more along the length of a garment than across the width. Reported ranges put length shrinkage around three to five percent and sleeves around one to three, so if you are between sizes on a fitted shirt, the risk is a sleeve that ends up slightly short rather than a body that ends up tight. Look for a heavier weight if you want it to hold a shape and a looser weave if you want it cool. Joseph and L'Agence are the tailored end here, Faherty and Splendid the relaxed end, and Jenni Kayne sits comfortably in between.

This is the category where sizing genuinely does need thought, because a waistband is the one place linen's lack of stretch is unforgiving and its tendency to relax is most obvious.

My rule: buy for the waist you have at the end of the day, not the morning. Linen absorbs moisture, so in humidity it can feel temporarily tighter, and then relax again once you have been wearing it a few hours. Choose a style with some give at the waist, whether that is a drawstring, a paperbag tie or a pleated front, and you remove the problem entirely. Avoid a flat-front trouser with no ease unless you have tried it on. Splendid's paperbag style and Faherty's pleated shorts are the low-risk versions, A.L.C. and La Ligne the tailored ones, and Cinq À Sept's suiting shorts are the pair I would wear to something that has a dress code.

A linen dress is the easiest linen purchase because the fabric hangs away from the body, so small changes in fit disappear. It is also where creasing becomes a feature rather than a fault, and I would rather lean into that than fight it.

A few honest notes. Linen creases where it folds, so a dress will crease at the lap and the back of the knee, and no amount of money spent prevents that. What does help is weight: a mid to heavy linen falls in soft folds rather than sharp lines, and a linen blend with a small percentage of viscose or silk creases noticeably less. If you want no creases at all, buy a blend and accept slightly less breathability. Staud and A.L.C. do the structured versions, Frank & Eileen the performance linen that genuinely recovers, and Splendid and Rails the ones for a hot week where you do not want to think.

DÔEN gets the section this month because it has built a whole visual language around exactly this kind of fabric, and because the fit is consistent enough to buy from a screen once you know it.

The cuts run soft and slightly full through the body, which is the right approach for linen and cotton, and the tops in particular are generous through the sleeve. Sizing is true to size for the relaxed styles and worth taking your usual size in, since the ease is designed in rather than accidental. The dresses are the pieces the brand is known for and the tops are the sleeper picks. One warning that will save you a return: styles with Little in the name are the children's line, which is easy to miss when you are shopping quickly.

This month's linen edit, all of it on my radar.

A.L.C. Winston linen pinstripe short, the tailored short that works with a blazer.

White & Warren linen blend shirt, the layering piece I reach for over everything.

Staud Paddle linen short, a cleaner cut than most.

Cinq À Sept linen suiting Aldi short, for a day that has a dress code.

L'Agence Cody cropped linen pant, the crop length that works with a flat.

Frank & Eileen Ireland dress in navy and white stripe, in their performance linen, which creases far less.

DÔEN Lavon linen pant, the pair I would live in.

Splendid Stella linen midi dress, the cheapest thing on the list and the one I would pack first.

How I buy linen now, after getting it wrong more than once.

Check the label for pre-washed or garment-washed. If it says either, buy your size. If it says nothing and the fabric feels crisp and dry, expect a little shrinkage and size accordingly.

Wash cool, dry flat or on a line. Heat is the only real lever on shrinkage, and the dryer does more damage than the wash.

Choose give at the waist. A drawstring or pleat solves linen sizing more reliably than going up a size.

Buy the crease. If creasing genuinely bothers you, buy a linen blend rather than being disappointed by pure linen.

If you take one thing away: do not size up in pre-washed linen. Size up only in the waistband, and only by choosing a style that has ease built in rather than by buying a bigger number.