Cotton & Linen Co-ords
- Lucy
- May 18
- 3 min read
Love a co-ord? Hate wearing plastic clothes? Yeah, us too, so I've been on a mission to find co-ords made from 100% Cotton or Linen.
My brief: a lightweight two piece set - top and trousers. Top ideally with a short sleeve, not an oversized shirt (they all look terrible on me!), long or cropped trousers. Bright colours and/or patterns. Size 18.
It's taken me two years of looking, but I finally made a purchase!
Here's what I found:
Wild Clouds
This B-Corp is new to me, but it ticks all the boxes when it comes to co-ords in sustainable fabrics, and with the strapline of 'sustainable joyful fashion' it couldn't be more appealing! Tops are either oversized shirts, sleeveless tanks (which have a V or slash neck depending on which way you wear them), or reversable quilted gilets. Bottoms are only available in Balloon cut. Fabric patterns appear to change periodically, so I'll be keeping an eye on the new releases for something in my perfect colour palette, because I really like the look of this brand.
Set Cost: £95.40 (inc 10% discount for 2 items)
Sizes: up to XL 18-20
Lucy & Yak
A good range of style and fabric options, and the most inclusive sizing. Co-ordinating options include a variety of top and trouser options as well as jackets, skirts and shorts, so something for everyone I think. I ordered the 'Zamora' short sleeved top and 'Freddie' barrel leg trousers in the Ivory 'Marie' fabric. I sized up the top, just so it wasn't quite so cropped, and it's really lovely. I'll wear it as a set, and also with other bottoms and tops as it's got all my favourite colours in it. I think I'll be getting more pieces in this print!
Set Cost: £99
Sizes: up to 3XL 28-30
Nobody's Child
There's 284 items currently in the co-ord edit page, and some lovely fabric patterns and styles, but check the materials as it does include some polyester and viscose mixes. Quite a lot of the tops are cropped and sleeveless, which limits the choice for me, but I love this yellow set. The top is sadly out of stock in most sizes though, it has a lovely detail at the back.
Set Cost: £122
Sizes: Up to Size 18 (UK) or 24 (UK) for some pieces
Beyond Nine
Lots of lovely plain colours, stripes and checks in this collection. The 'Lisa' and 'Evelyn' tops are a great shape for a short sleeved top, but only currently available in three colourways, none of which quite work for me. My pick is the 'Lily' top and 'Bobbi' trousers in the lovely pink stripe, and I'll hope for a sale.
Set Cost: £211
Sizes: up to 3XL size 22 (UK)
Free People
Lot's of very beachy vibes and cropped tops in this collection, and many are not pure cotton on linen, and so not quite what I'm looking for, but The 100% cotton 'Day In The Life Set' looks good (the back of the top is lovely). XL is only a size 16 though.
Set Cost: £98
Sizes: Up to XL size 16 (UK)
Turtle Dove London
I live in Turtle Dove London dungarees, and have 6 pairs now, so I know the feel and quality is great. There's no specific 'co-ord edit' or sort function on the site, which would be useful, but fabrics are repeated on some tops and trousers, so you can build a few different sets, and it looks like there might be some more coming. I'd love to see some brighter colours incorporated into the prints range, as they do tend to be monotone or too 'earthy' for me, but I do like this mustard check, and I especially like the top shape.
Set Cost: £90
Sizes: Up to L size 22 (UK)
As for the high-street. There are a few linen options in Next and M&S, mostly with a waistcoat or tank top option and there are 'linen edits' on most fast fashion websites, but as their ratio of plastic to natural materials across all clothes is so lopsided (and getting worse!) I avoid spending any money with them at all, and look for shops with a focused sustainable model instead.
Have I missed any?
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