My observation from today: if you want to look good, keep away from nasty polyester...

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I think this applies always but was particularly evident today in the hot weather: all the women I saw today who looked good were wearing cotton/linen. Saw some lovely cotton dresses on women of all sizes and ages. I have concluded that cheap polyester never looks good.

Not everyone can afford to buy only cotton/linen clothing though. Also, linen is a bastard for creasing.

Absolutely agree, I would love to afford linen and silk but my income doesn’t stretch to it.

Silk is not very good in heat actually. It’s sweaty and it creases.

Polyester is everywhere, it’s really hard to avoid it.

Linen and silk are not in the same price bracket !
For those saying they can't afford linen, you can get linen shirts for under £25 in most supermarkets, and dresses/ tunics for similar cost in places like TKMaxx. It's much cooler to wear than polyester and feels much more comfortable. It does crease, but I prefer that than man made fibres sticking to me when it's hot.
Problem is, most shops sell mainly polyester. I was in one of London's biggest shopping malls the other day, desperate to buy a looseish cotton summer dress. I had in mind something a bit floaty in a a fllowery print- lCould not find a single one . Had to come home emptyi handed!

I am going to break ranks here. I love quality cotton tops and dresses, but l would rather have something in polyester or a poly mix than cheaper nasty cottons, where all shape goes after the first wash and stitching vanishes. There are cottons and cottons.

Other Stories usually have flowy cotton dresses.

A fair bit of polyester as well, though.

Toast? It used to be expensive and still is, but most other brands have caught up with their prices.

I wore a lovely linen shirt and looked like I'd been dragged though a hedge by the end of the day!

There are so very few nice cotton dresses around. I know: I spent most of today looking.

I'm not a big fan of linen - never think it looks very nice and most linen things tend to be on the 'baggy and shapeless' lines in terms of shape/style.

I think linen tends to look shapeless, it also creases so easily it generally just looks scruffy.
Hard to avoid polyester. Good quality cotton is very expensive and out of a lot of people's budget.

I hadnt realised until recently that polyester was plastic. My black work trousers are made of this. What alternative could I get?

I've got black cotton Boden trousers for work. M&S do them too, but theirs go shapeless at the knees.

Like others on this thread, I love linen clothes. To minimise creasing, I steam iron first, then use spray starch and iron over again.

I find all-over linen just looks rumpled and messy in no time. While I like it, I using just wear it on my top half, and try to wear something with more structure on the bottom.

I have lots of lovely linen trousers and shirts, all of them from charity shops or eBay. I don't always bother ironing them as they get creased so quickly but I don't care anyway, they still feel nice!

When you say polyester, do you mean rayon aka viscose?

I think linen looks horrible - it creases too easily and the creasing always highlights the arse area most and it goes baggy very quickly. I much prefer a heavy jersey or good quality cotton. So hard to find in this country though.

Next have managed to make some of their cottons look and feel like polyester. Recently bought a 100% cotton kaftan for my DD and it smelled of vomit out of the bag. It felt stiff and scratchy and my DD said it was really itchy. I can only imagine it's made of cotton dust that has been processed to an inch of its life.

I opt for natural fibres. Polyester traps body odour.

Jigsaw sells lots of lovely linen pieces. At a lower price point, H&M's L.O.G.G. range.

Two things:

1. Linen blend or mix - cool like Linen, smart like almost anything except pire linen.

1. Polyester is not kryptonite.

1. (So I lied). I have four cotton dresses from Sainsbury's.

*pure linen

My mum always used to say she wouldn't wear linen because it creases and looks a mess. I've decided though that to be honest in hot weather, who cares anyway? The point is that it's cool to wear and more comfortable and people know linen creases, so it's all just part of the charm! 🤷

Another here who finds most linen baggy and shapeless. I wore a loose rayon midi dress today. I go for things that touch the body in as few places as possible when it's hot. My dress had short batwing sleeves, long loose skirt. It fitted lightly at the waist and that was it. Kept me much cooler than the cotton trousers I wore the day before!

Completely agree OP.

Oceans of horrible viscose floral tops and poly black skirts were on display today. It looks so uncomfortable.

Viscose and Polyester are not the same - viscose is breathable and quite nice in the heat.