Mark Alexander | Retro

Retro is pure linen and nothing else, and it has been left to behave like linen. The yarn is spun unevenly on purpose, so the surface carries fine slubs and the occasional thicker thread, and light lands on it softly with no sheen at all. It is a plain, but not a flat one. Held up, the weave is open enough to see through slightly, which gives the paler colourways their chalky quality rather than a dead white. It creases, and we would not pretend otherwise.

The composition is 100% LI linen, woven to a 142 centimetre width, with no repeat to match. It carries a Martindale rating of 30,000 rubs, graded general domestic, which is sound for curtains and light seating rather than a hard-worked sofa. There are nine colourways, almost all undyed-looking neutrals: Alabaster and Plaster at the palest end, Sand a warm mid-tone, Dove, Silver Birch, Aluminium and Chrome working through the greys, with Matisse Blue and Teal the only two carrying real colour.

We use this for long, loose curtains that puddle slightly on a stone or oak floor, hung on a simple pole with a gathered heading and no formality about them. It suits a bedroom or a garden room, anywhere the light is good. It also covers a loose-cover armchair or a headboard well. Alabaster against limewash is the quietest thing in the book. Order a sample to see it in your own light.

Linen moves, so let your curtain maker hang the cut drops for a day or two before hemming, and expect a little drop over the first season. Plan to have them taken up once, a month after fitting. Do not interline it unless you want to kill the movement; a cotton lining is enough, or leave it unlined where privacy allows. For loose covers, have them made slightly generous and washed before fitting.

• Composition: 100% LI linen
• Width: 142 cm
• Pattern repeat: None — plain
• Martindale: 30,000 rubs — general domestic
• Suitable for: Curtains, blinds, light upholstery
• Care: Dry clean recommended
• Collection: Plainly III, Mark Alexander
• Colourways: 9 (Alabaster, Silver Birch, Sand, Matisse Blue, Teal and 4 others)