Dressing for a summer wedding
A mulmul kurta, a light jacket and the right trousers will see you through a May muhurtham in comfort.
What lea count means
The number on our labels tells you how fine the linen yarn is, and what the shirt will feel like.
Lea is the old measure of linen yarn: the higher the number, the finer the yarn. A 25 lea fabric is coarse and textured, good for jackets and trousers. A 60 lea fabric is fine and soft, good for shirts worn all day.
Most ready-made linen shirts in India use 40 lea or lower, often blended with cotton or viscose. That is not wrong, but it should be on the label. Ours are 60 lea pure linen for shirts and 44 lea linen-cotton for trousers, and the label says so.
Finer yarn costs more and takes longer to weave, which is why a 60 lea shirt costs more than a 40 lea one. It also breathes better and drapes closer to the body, which matters in humid weather.
When you shop for linen anywhere, ask three questions: what is the lea count, what is the fibre mix, and has it been pre-washed. A shop that cannot answer is guessing, and so are you.
