Wrinkle-Free Linen from Chico’s

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Wearing Chico's No-Iron Linen in 2020

Way back in 2018 (which feels both like a year ago and a decade ago) a reader in the Wardrobe Oxygen Community asked me to review the wrinkle-free linen from Chico's. Was it truly a no-iron linen? And if so, how did it look, feel, and wear? Here is the link to my Chico's no-iron linen review from 2018; not only have I remained a fan I still have the white linen shirt!

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Wearing a wrinkle-free linen shirt from Chico's back in 2018

Needless to say, I have been a fan of Chico's linen ever since. Their no-iron linen shirts have become a summer mainstay in my wardrobe, leaving untucked over denim and chino shorts or tied over jeans and fit and flare dresses. A rumpled linen shirt looks so good tucked into high-waisted flare or wide-leg jeans and trousers; I like to finish it with some metallic sandals and gold hoops and pretend I am at a resort and not my back deck.

The Benefit of a Wrinkle-Free Linen Tunic for Summer

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Wearing the Chico's No-Iron Linen Tunic with Chico's Straight-Leg Jeans and ALLY NYC Forever Flats (read my ALLY NYC flats review)

To update my wardrobe for this summer, I asked Chico's if I could get another one of their wrinkle-free linen shirts: this tunic, in size 2. I'm not normally a tunic kind of gal, but a linen tunic, especially one from wrinkle-free linen, is my JAM for spring and summer:

  • Tuck into white jeans as I have done here; any color linen, no matter how rumpled, looks chic and purposeful with white denim.
  • Tie at the waist with darker denim. Want to summerize your rinse and darker jeans? Throw on a linen shirt, roll up the sleeves, and tie it at the waist. That was my plan with this blue tunic; I thought it would look great with my Talbots high-waisted flares or my indigo Universal Standard Seine jeans and make the jeans work with sandals.
  • Wear untucked with shorts. Desire a longer length short but find it looks unbalanced with shorter and tucked in shirts? A longer top in a breezy fabric can help; even better if it has slits or a button-front where you can create even more movement.
  • Throw over your swimsuit. Linen dries fast and keeps you cool; a linen tunic is a great piece to keep the sun off your shoulders while diving into that beach read, for throwing on over a still-wet suit to walk to the concessions stand, and pair with loose linen shorts or cropped pants over your suit to head to the boardwalk to grab lunch.
  • Wear as your summer night topper. A linen shirt is my summer equivalent to a denim jacket. It's lightweight enough that I can tuck into my bag or even tie around my waist and it doesn't look weird thrown over sundresses, t-shirt dresses, tanks, and short-sleeved tops.
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The shirt closer up to see the beautiful weave of the linen. The necklace is also from Chico's. I liked the necklace so much after using it in my post on how to style faded jeans I had to get it for myself!

The no-iron collection of shirts at Chico's is pretty extensive; most are linen but Chico's also offers no-iron cotton. I find both fabrics to only be a hint stiffer than traditional linen and cotton, still offering similar drape, opacity, and comfort. Chico's wrinkle-free linen coordinates with standard 100% linen nicely; you could easily mix and match with other linen brands and separates for a cohesive ensemble.

Shop Chico's Wrinkle-Free Linen Collection:

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woman in white linen shirt tucked into white high rise wide leg denim trousers with a navy and magenta chiffon scarf tied around her waist as a belt. She is standing on a balcony overlooking Dupont Circle in DC and smiling.
Wearing that same white linen shirt from Chico's, this time in 2019

I find that over time, the no-iron feature fades, but didn't totally disappear. As I shared earlier, I still have my 2018 white no-linen shirt from Chico's (here it is on the blog later in 2018, and here it is in 2019). Now it's not so white, and nowhere as crisp, but it still looks nice enough to wear with denim cutoffs and EVA Birks on a Saturday in July and still seems more resistant to wrinkles than traditional linen.

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Wearing another Chico's no-iron linen shirt last summer

That being said, this wrinkle-free linen is 100% linen, it is not a blend. You can machine wash it and tumble dry low. When it comes out of the dryer, it isn't crisp, but it's wearable in a more rumpled/relaxed manner. I have steamed mine to have them look crisp again and remain crisper throughout the day.

wrinkle-free linen tunic in light blue with white ankle jeans and brown pointed toe flats as seen on Alison
Wearing the Chico's Linen Tunic with Chico's Straight Leg Jeans

Speaking of remaining crisp… I had this Chico's no-iron linen tunic tucked into these snug-fitting jeans for about an hour before I untucked it to take these photos so you can see how it creases. Also the night prior I tied the shirt trying to figure out how to wear it today and wore it that way for a while; no need to iron after, the creases fell out by morning.

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Finally had an opportunity to use my Medium TELFAR bag that I ordered almost a year ago!

Chico's carries sizes 0/2-20/22 and many styles, especially pants and jeans, are available in lengths as well as tall/petite. I am a pretty standard size 14, petite when available, I wear a size 2 in Chico's unless it's stretchy or a very relaxed fit, then I sometimes size down to 1.5.

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A woman with curly hair wearing a plaid blazer holds a green fur coat over her shoulder on a city street.

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8 Comments

  1. This looks so good and makes me want to rethink Chico’s. Whenever I see their website or store, it looks like a place my mom would shop (which in fact she does) and I move on. But you make it look like it could be of our generation!

  2. I am a fan of their no iron linen, too. When I bought my first piece, I asked the sales person if they were truly no iron and she responded that they were , in fact, linen, so there was that, but they were pretty darn good. And I would agree. Definitely not wrinkle free but I don’t feel like a rumpled mess. And the tailoring is good, so that helps.

  3. I love how much you smile in your pics — not being too cool for school like many other style bloggers and Instagram influencers. It’s infectious.

  4. Wow, I’m impressed with how little the linen wrinkled after being untucked. My linen shirts look much more crumpled and I never even tuck them in. Thank you for another informative and in-depth review. Also, I really like the necklace you’re wearing with the shirt. It’s a really beachy look.

  5. I love this tunic and your photos of ways to wear it. Can you explain what makes wrinkle-free linen wrinkle-free? If it’s coated with something, do you find it affects the fabric’s breathability? Thank you!

    1. I believe the fabric has some sort of coating. It softens with time and reduces the wrinkle-free option. I don’t find it affects the breathability. Chico’s has a few innovative fabrics; they also have white shirts and jeans that repel stains!

  6. Thank you for showing the same item over time! Proving again that you walk the talk, and that you really wear and live in the clothing that you showcase

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