Foraging for Fabric

We are in the throes of the fall buying season.  Everyday more fabric comes our way and we must pick through mounds of offerings to find just the right fabric for our fall mailers.  Sometimes its overwhelming.  Every seller wants an answer immediately.  One of our privileges is that we often get first dibs with a lot of the vendors, but we are very conscious of the fact that other designers and retailers are waiting for the goods and that our choices dictate what is left to sell.  So we work hard to make good selections in a limited time frame.  At the height of the buying season, that is challenging!  To help us stay focused we have some helpful phrases...

"That's so Sawyer Brook!"  is one.  If we hear that from staff as we display our options, it carries a lot of weight. 

"If its taking this long to decide, there must be something not quite right."  Often this makes our decision easier... and we move on.

"The color is right, the texture is stunning and the fiber blend is to die for, but we have no coordinate!!" Here's where the gambling comes into play.  Will we find a coordinate this season?  Sometimes (many times) we buy the piece anyway.  Our gut tells us that the fabric on its own is a collectible and we don't want to deprive our customers of the opportunity to own it.  So this is how we forage for fabric, but I thought you'd be interested in Isaac Mizrahi's take on fabric.

I have been watching The Fashion Show on Bravo this season. I started watching it somewhat out of obligation to stay on top of the reality shows that pertain to our industry, but then I was hooked. To read more of my comments on the show, follow along or join in on the Salon.  

This week's mini challenge was all about draping. 

"Draping is how fabric relates to the human body.  It's the most important part of design." ~Isaac Mizrahi

"Know your fabric.  If you let the fabric speak for you, if you let it be, it does more than you should." ~Isabel Toledo, guest judge.

"If you start with good fabric it does 70% of the work for you."  ~Isaac Mizrahi

All of these comments are near and dear to the heart of a fabric aficionado like myself and like so many of our readers.  Isaac compares designers to great cooks who forage for just the right ingredients to create their menus.  "If you forage the right fabrics you will have a beautiful collection!"

Interested in hearing the original clip?

Comments

[Diana]

Cant wait to see the fabrics!!