I dragged my 'victim' round Soho, to: Liberty's (bought nowt, borrowed their po!) Boradwick Silks (lovely things, but nothing that really sang to us... ) The Silk Society (Broadwick's other shop: same again) McCulloch and Wallis (Very annoying: fell heavily for a combo they didn't have in stock. Grumble...) Several other shops in the Berwick street area... Fun, but not what we needed yesterday. Have idea to go back later. Joel & Son (Bingo! Shop in really scruffy area, but service exemplary, and we had a fantastic time!)
London was cold, wet, windy... Thank goodness for warm fabric shops, Soho tea rooms, and the Underground!
How lovely to read about my old stamping ground! It was bohemian when I lived near Soho in the 70s/80s. When I dragged by family around there when we visited a couple of years ago it looked like it was being gentrified.
Have you tried the East End for silks? I was wondering if you can get good quality there for a reasonable price? In Sydney the Asian areas have lovely silks at really good prices.
Hm... Some bits... Others will forever remain bohemian and slightly down-at-heel. Some corners are so steeped in sleaziness that even a 'regeneration' package couldn't cure them! ;)
They do, but not the sort of thing we wanted... In the end we bought a lovely crepe back satin polyester (being able to WASH yer posh frock is essential when you have a toddler!), and a delish silk/wool brocade for a jacket to go with is. Fret not: this wasn't yer cheap poly satin we all hate. Nope. This was yer posh £22 a metre heavy poly, and actually nicer than some of the silks we saw, more practical, and less than a third of the price!
I loved every bit of it. I could have spent an entire day at Liberty's, both architecture and textiles more than enticing. And the rest of that part of London - lovely, lovely, lovely. Two addicts, fabric sniffing in London. ;-) All those wonderful exotic fabrics, and the silks and the glittery ones, and, and, and... I was all dazed by such an amount of splendour.
Very true; some of those washed silks and crepes have a somewhat artificial touch to them, even though one knows full well that it has been silk worms and poor polys and esters (as Kate put it) that that had to die for it. And I'll be able to work with it, not trembling to cut and sew it, fearing a wrong cut or stitch. Yes, we stood in clouds and clouds of the lovliest silk chiffons and crepes and I was overwhelmed by a guilty mind and fear, and if it hadn't been for Kate, I'd have bought the wrong stuff, just because Joel & son had that silly coat of arms on their door. Really, just as Kate said, as nice a lady she may be (and dedicated to her job), who is that Elizabeth but an obscure German upstart. ;-) (If her Majesty should read this, I sincerely apologise for my loose tongue. :->) So Kate asked for something less pricey, and they got it. And the jacket will still be silk and wool, so there!
Safe - now that is a relative term. Did you know what she did, that Kate? She put me up in her sewing room/library where I had to spend 3 (in words: three)! nights in the company of all her historc costuming-, sewing- and fashion-books. I'll never be the same; don't know when the pea-green colour in my face will vanish, if ever. :-) And my head is full of ideas. Really, Kate! ;-)
Ha! I see she isn't telling that she brought me a book (well, two, in a slip cover!) that shows chunks from the Kyoto Institute! OK, so the text is in German, but it's totally minimal, and is basically a picture book pair of twins of the most delectable historical and modern garments! And I daresay translations of the bits I can't make out can be made available.
Our thanks go to Alan for doing the taxi run to Gatwick and back, and to James, who had to get his dinner heated up and get ready for Cadets without me, as the train back from London stopped at every lamp post on the way back, and had a 20 minute kip at Rochester! We hopped OUT of the taxi and he hopped IN! Thank goodness for reasonable sensible and self-sufficient 14 YO's!
It was fun, but very tiring. Now I need to:
Take the alteration from yesterday moring's toile back to the pattern Make a good copy of the pattern for Ursula: I shan't forget to colour code the bits that will need tailor's tacks! Write the Book of Worms (the 'destructions') to go with it... Parcel up the fabric etc. and send it off (cheaper than paying for checking in the baggage, and a lot less hassle that waiting for baggage/customs/etc) Do the stuff for tomorrow: my little Italian granny's navy suit, and my student's sculptured thing. Photos of both!)
There are no pix of Ursula and me in London, but there are some of making the toile, trying it on, and the fabric we found, with the shoe! :)
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.