Linen
Cloth woven from flax fibre, crisp and cool to wear, which creases easily and softens with each wash.
Also: flax cloth, linen saree
Linen comes from the stem of the flax plant. The fibre is strong and absorbs moisture quickly, so linen feels cool on a hot day. The cloth has a crisp hand and a natural slub, and it creases easily, which many wearers accept as part of its character. It softens with washing. Linen sarees are woven in some handloom centres in India, where the yarn is often blended with cotton or silk to ease the weaving and the care. Pure linen is a little heavier to drape than cotton.