Rosen and Chadick - Off the beaten path

Update:  Sad to say, Rosen and Chadick closed for good this weekend.

THIS.

AND THIS.

What can I say that hasn't already been said about Rosen & Chadick? What I can say for certain, is that quality and beauty still rule here.  You've gotta know what you like, be willing to pay an appropriate amount for it, take your time, appreciate quality, and understand the PROFOUND difference between this store and many of the (remaining) others in the district. It is absolutely one of the best kept secrets in the district.  For good reason.

Once housed in a HUGE space on West 40th Street, they have since moved twice in recent years.  The business has changed.  The customer has changed. Their eye for gorgeous stuff has not.

My heart skips a beat when I look through their offerings.  The shirtings, the woolens (which work in all seasons, you know), the denims that least forever and wash like a dream, beautiful silks and specialty silks for ties... all sigh worthy.  Long enduring relationships with suppliers from around the world make their unusual inventory possible.

Big broadway musicals, movies, plays - the wardrobe and costume people come here. The people who want to make to make luxurious clothing for themselves, for clients, for museums, with archival reasons in mind.  They have been working with the best suppliers FOREVER.  When is "forever"? 1952.  Nowadays, that's forever...

It is quiet in this space, which is perfect for the peace-seeking creative.  Do they have EVERYTHING?  No.  But that is why they are perfect in their selection of what they do have.  There are no endless piles of ANYTHING in the store.  Just the diamonds.  

Go. You won't be sorry.

Rosen and Chadick

108 W 39th St #13

New York, NY 10018

M-F open 9-5:30 

I made a friend.

I started with the idea of a mouth. Just randomly constructed a mouth, with the idea of creating a sock puppet that would pretty much be ALL MOUTH.

But that mouth took over.

And I made a friend. 

No pattern, no plan, just a puppet that TOLD me what to do, how to create her... It took a while. I kept thinking I was done, but that mouth wouldn't stop yappin'.  She is LOUD.  Even if I am the only one who could hear her.  Creative chaos ensued.

I MADE a friend.

It took a village.  Did I shop for items to make her?  No.  She was 100% scraps and stash. I credit Britex (San Fran), Daytona, Elliott Berman, Metro Textiles, Spandex House and New York Elegant for all the pieces of my sewing life it took to create her.

Turns out she loves an adventure.  She came with us to the Metropolitan Museum of Art this week, took a few pics, and then announced she was ready to go to her new home. 

She really found her place among the exhibits.

So, here's the deal.  Long ago, I made a quilt for my family.  The idea of the quilt was to create a loving place to snuggle when you feel tired, sad, sick, heartbroken, or just in need of a hug. 

'Bo is the continuation of that idea, BUT I made her to give to a friend and HER family, but specifically her daughter, who is just a sweet little 1 year old right now.  She may find her terrifying, but I know her mom has a good sense of humor, and that fear will fade in time. 'Bo can be the mouthpiece of the household.  She may even insist on it... Whatever you wanna say, you can let 'Bo say it for you.  She has no filter, and is not SHY.  I hope she enjoys her new home.  We'll miss her.

* Inspiration (Sassy Urban Friend referred to in the Bo Burnham song #Deep.  The jury is still out on whether this qualifies as fan art, since he is NOT a kid's comedian, but she is kinda named after him...)

Photo credits: my kids.

Fabric has no expiration date...

***Note: This post is particularly funny, as I had rescheduled it for a time when I just knew it would have been turned into something great... and, as of today, it still hasn't! (further proving my point?)

And thank God it doesn't...

Heaven knows I'd be swimming in a sea of "expired" fabric by now, if that were true.

But... let's say you bought some silk fabric years ago, that you just loved, but never fully committed to a project? Well, you take this beautiful, irregularly striped fabric, and hand it over to International Pleating, to make it magical.

Tight, mushroom pleating takes those stripes to different textural magic (below)... but, creatively paired with its unpleated version (above), 

 it becomes...

Stay tuned...

In the District...

So last week, I had the pleasure of strolling around in the district, getting some errands done, and checking out some regular haunts. 

My first random sighting of the day was this sign, next to an empanada cart, with the slogan "best empanada ever", and some very unique artwork... That's quite a claim.  If I am feeling like having one, I may try the next time I pass by, because I am an empanada lover, and they are only $2 each.  I'm generally leery of food carts, but they have the guts to have a FB page, which is a bold invitation for feedback, so I feel they must be quality oriented. Looks like 5 stars is the commonly held opinion. I will try one. Has anyone else had one?

My next stop, was LoLou buttons, since I lost a button on my beloved Miyake coat, and I needed to replace it.  They no longer have the buttons I used, so I needed to look for new ones.  I found a button I love, and, without missing a beat, the owner looked at my choice and said to said to me, "Just replace the top button, and leave the others.  It will be perfect.  It is, and I thank him.

Then, while walking down the street, I ran into one of the owners of Rosen & Chadick, where I originally bought the fabric to make the coat.  We hugged, said our hellos, and she stroked my coat with love.

A picture doesn't do it justice...

Then, there were scraps of this breathtaking leather at Day to Day, which I bought as a heavily discounted pile of small pieces.  The leather is a a beautiful soft purple color, with raised silvery flowers, which is not conveyed in the photo above.  What will it be used for?  Shoes.  How long will it take?  Only the good Lord knows!  You'll know when I get there, because I'm sure I won't be able to shut up about them once they are done!

Bra closure

And this bra closure I bought at SIL Thread  for a special custom bra I'm making.  I'd share more info, but it may be in the TMI category, so I'll just keep that one to myself...

About the future, your great-grandkids... Sustainability

Yesterday, during the church sermon, seated next to my daughter, our Rev. used this passage...

Luke 12:33 

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

She happened to be carrying a purse I made years before she was born, which we still giggle about whenever someone says to her, "Nice purse!" because it simply refuses to age.  While the meaning of that passage is bigger than a simple purse, it really resonated with us.

Should you choose to watch the video above, it describes a labor-intensive task that no one unfamiliar with its cultural relevance or history would likely undertake, but the meaning and future-oriented perspective of this process remains strikingly profound.

As sewing has become a genuine love, habit, and talent I nourish ceaselessly, it has found a new meaning for me, as I do far less of it professionally than I once did.  It isn't just clothing and accessories; it really is part of life-building.  Like a farmer farms and grows livestock to sustain himself, his family, and his business, the endeavor is is productive as it is eucharistic. (Side note: use of the word "eucharistic", inspired by an episode of "My Mother's Ravioli" with Mo Rocca, that really touched me deeply.)

So, what lasts? If I look around at things I made long ago, that seem to NEVER die, and I can tell you what I've learned from experience:

Rosen & Chadick - the wools, the pant weight twills, washed linens and fantastic shirtings have lived a million lives as clothing in my house.  I've made coats from their fantastic wools, and have never been at all disappointed with the quality.  Never. Someone may say to me "Nice pants", and I start my answer with... "You will never believe this, but I made these 15 years ago..." 

NY Elegant - Their stretch knits, jerseys, and soft, drapey knits have some kinda magical powers that they wash and last so well.  I have been amazed by how long even my most abused tops and comfort clothes made from their fabrics have lasted.

Metro Textiles - Not only does he have a good eye for beautiful fabrics, Kashi has a great eye for quality fabrics. I've got many older pieces in my closet, made from goods purchased with him.


This is not to say that other things don't last, but these are the three places that amaze me with the quality of their goods. I don't know that many people set out to make a shirt with a 15 year life span, but what fun when it happens accidentally!

"Urban superhero" aesthetic

A superhero name for my daughter? Let's call her "NatureGirl"

I'm making made a new dress for my teen.  Her aesthetic is very much "urban superhero", which is this wildly creative, strength-exuding way of dressing that is uniquely her own.  I have become so immersed in my own head that I forgot that the things I make are now unapologetically odd - happily, she embraces them wholeheartedly... thank God!

Thanks to a beautiful nature-themed knit panel from Elliott Berman, and a great purple twill from Rosen & Chadick (now making its second or third appearance since I've owned this yardage), this dress started to sing my daughter's name, and became her own!

Complete with a (required, at least in our lives) MetroCard and random stuff pocket and a tough, denim-like underdress, when worn with boots, this getup will be impervious to the rough NYC elements.

Update:  She wore it yesterday (bare-legged with ankle boots, and a leather jacket) - and loved it.

The law of large numbers and the "Gambler's Fallacy"

Silk organza fabric from Rosen & Chadick

Repost - originally written 6/3/16

A few years ago, a bridal client contacted me, and asked me to make a bolero for her wedding dress.  As is often the case, this bride was second-guessing herself, feeling self-conscious about the exposure her strapless dress would require. Pale-skinned,tall and statuesque, she felt she needed a bit more coverage. Going back home to the deep south, her artsy-New-York-self battled with the traditional, sleek look she had chosen. She showed me a highly stylized photo of a model in a frilly, high-end, artsy bolero, and, using that photo as inspiration, I fashioned a length of silk organza into this bolero.  I draped the body on the dress form, with only two seams (one at each underarm), and then cut strips of raw-edged spiral bias to sculpt this look.  Pleased and confident with my creation, I took it to the bride for her approval.

And she hated it.

Per her wishes, I reworked and exaggerated this bolero to meet her requirements, and a much more over-the-top (with feathers!) version was born. While I didn't personally care for the exaggerated version, it was HER opinion and her wallet governing this transaction.  That's just true, and it is a painful lesson for me, or any creative person. I had made what I thought was better.  And that's not what she asked for.

Since then, I've shared this version on Facebook and elsewhere, gaining "likes" that support my belief that this is the best version of this bolero... but you know what?  I was looking to the law of large(r) numbers to support my claim, in a circumstance where its application is, frankly, irrelevant.

While working for an insurance company in a completely different capacity recently, I had a light bulb moment when the Law of Large Numbers was used to explain to an unhappy client why a decision had not been rendered in his favor.  "I know you are upset," he was told, "but do you think if we had put 1000 different people in your exact circumstances, that they would have all reacted in the same way?  Some would have chosen left/right, up/down, black/white.  Any different decision could/would have produced a different outcome."

Here's the definition:

In probability theory, the law of large numbers (LLN) is a theorem that describes the result of performing the same experiment a large number of times. According to the law, the average of the results obtained from a large number of trials should be close to the expected value, and will tend to become closer as more trials are performed. The LLN is important because it "guarantees" stable long-term results for the averages of random events. For example, while a casino may lose money in a single spin of the roulette wheel, its earnings will tend towards a predictable percentage over a large number of spins. Any winning streak by a player will eventually be overcome by the parameters of the game. It is important to remember that the LLN only applies (as the name indicates) when a large number of observations are considered. There is no principle that a small number of observations will coincide with the expected value or that a streak of one value will immediately be "balanced" by the others. See the Gambler's fallacy.

- Definition, as offered by Wikipedia


I had spun and lost.

When we shop for clothing, what appears in stores is a result of what has already been proven to sell, or expected to sell based on market data.  The fact is, while the bolero I made is fun, and many people have "liked" it, not a SINGLE person has ever sought to purchase a duplicate from me.  Would I wear it to a formal event?  Absolutely. 

My inner "gambler's fallacy" theory wants to scream,  "If other people love what I make, so will you!"  Not true.  That's not what custom clothing is.

Here's the thing.  That thing you love doesn't exist unless you create it. Fabric stores open up endless possibilities for us. Beautiful ideas abound.  Find your creative voice, and answer its call.  And not for anyone else.  Do it for yourself.

One thing I must convey here, is that whenever I make something a bit different, not driven by anything but my own creative urge, it is generally about three years before anyone says A SINGLE WORD about it.  Just two weeks ago, I took a long walk in Manhattan, appreciating the diversity of this city, and the complete lack of conformity among the people I encountered, and I must have gotten at least 8 unsolicited compliments from complete strangers on my shirt (now 4 years old).  

I say all this to lead to the bigger point.  I love to go to fabric stores and pick things, often without knowing what those fabrics will eventually become.  This is why a stash is not only important, but necessary for me.  Only today have I cut a fabric bought about three years ago, and now, it's time has come.  Shall I wait three years before I show you? No.  I will wear it when it is done.  Not for your sake, but for mine.

Trust your gut.  Make (or commission) what you love. That's all.

The reveal (see previous post)

Not many words, really.  Just the photos.  I'm proud of it.  It isn't mine, and I nearly tear up at the thought of having to part with it.

As detailed in my previous post, the fabric was purchased at Rosen & Chadick (double faced wool), Metro Textiles (lining), fur (NY Elegant) and zipper (Botani).  I hand sculpted this jacket.  No pattern.

Many hours, lots of sweat, tears... a bit of blood, too. I took no shortcuts, and it was commissioned by a beloved friend/client, so I hope she loves it as much as I do!

My headless dress form wears a hood...

A magical, warm lining... this jacket is for cold Michigan winters!

To carry the weight of the hood on the shoulders while keeping the fur away from the neck, I created a "rolled stand" (my own term), and made the edges of the hood angle upwards (away from the collar), so it wouldn't be too confining.)

a bound pocket

Keep warm, everyone... and happy Thanksgiving!

And then what happened? (Today in the district... and a project that grew from a dreamy Rosen & Chadick swatch...

Yes, we've had some silence for a bit.  I've been VERY BUSY.

I'm in a great mood right now.  A truly fantastic mood. After battling flu-like symptoms and fatigue for who knows how long now (I honestly lost track of how long I've been sick, just caught up in the daily scramble of life), but today (11/17 when I started writing this) I woke up feeling like a million bucks in every single way.

Thank God. And I mean that sincerely.

The day before yesterday, these things were said to me:

• "Don't you dare apologize for your process.  You are amazing!" (said to me by someone who was watching me show a jacket that has taken a long time to finish to its intended wearer.) He made my day.

• "I was calling to thank you for recommending me... I got the job!" (said to me by a former design studio coworker, whose work is UH-MAY-ZING)

• "Remember, you gave me some advice a year ago?  I followed it!  Thank you!" (said to me by someone who confidently asked her employer for what she needed... and got it!)

• "You should take some medicine... This will help your symptoms." (That one was said to me by my husband last night (11/16) before giving me a cup of Nyquil-type stuff that finally put a lid on this cold!)

So, here's an idea of some sewing-related things that have been going on...

Remember the "Waist Case", profiled here and pictured above? It is now, officially, the cool alternative to the fanny pack of the 80's for our family. It has become a daily necessity in my daughter's life, outperforming all purchased solutions, keeping her daily essentials accessible. So glad we devised this, and that it works.

Remember when I told you I fell in love with the double faced wool fabric (above, right)?  Well, it has since married some other things (like the wonderful, cozy fabric from Kashi at Metro Textiles on the left, above, that will become its lining), got some good, heavy, separating zippers cut to size at Botani... (It only costs $1 per zipper to have it cut, with stops perfectly reapplied while you wait, by the way.)

and got a great fake fur to frame the hood... 

It took about 10 stores to find just the right fur, but I found this at NY Elegant

and it became... see next post...

What happened to Rosen and Chadick?

Look across the street.  Above the Wasabi restaurant.  The windows?  They look dark.  The familiar white lettering on the windows is gone. No shadows of bolts of fabric, no people bustling around inside... Isn't that where Rosen & Chadick was?  Oh no!!! Wait! Where have they gone?

Well, if you go over to the entrance (as I did) and ask, the doorman will hand you a card.

Whew...

Thank God.

Okay, I'm lying.  I knew they were moving, but was sworn to secrecy until the move was complete, because you know how complicated these deals can be.  

Anyway, today I visited the new Rosen & Chadick space.

They are busy unpacking and setting things up beautifully, organizing their merchandise neatly in this roomy, easily browsable environment.  This spot feels good, and it gives you a fresh perspective on familiar merchandise if you have been to their first and second store locations over the past 50 years or so. Do visit them in this new space, merely a stone's throw away from the old one.  They will be happy to greet you there! 

Big space - stretches out to the right and the left.

Fabrics are now organized by likely end use - makes browsing easier!

Stay tuned for a quick update to this post coming shortly! I'm gonna show you something made with their to-die-for fabric...

Yesterday in the garment district...

I took a friend to Rosen & Chadick in the garment district, and found the yummiest double faced wool for a fall jacket.  So delicious, we both melted at the site of it.  You need to feel this fabric! This is where it begins...

Alive... and the inspiration of Koos Van Akker and childlike, playful prints

I had an opportunity to attend a private estate sale yesterday, where some lovely vintage pieces were being offered. The sight of those pieces changed my artistic perception, and while shopping later on, my brain zeroed in on some fabrics it might not have otherwise chosen. Invigorated by my adventure, I happened upon this wonderful cotton...

Spotted this fabric at Rosen & Chadick yesterday.

I love this fabric's "Willy Wonka" vibe. It calls out to be paired with denim, suede, or something wildly textural, as part of a unique signature piece.  If used as part of a bag, the person who carries it MUST have candy inside.

Anyway, backing up...

At the vintage clothing sale earlier in the day, I spotted some lovely Koos Van Akker pieces, who, coincidentally, was a longtime, faithful customer of Rosen and Chadick. 

Vintage sale piece

Closeup of pocket on Koos coat at the vintage sale

Peeking out at Rosen & Chadick... a Koos-like fabric.

There were many more beautiful clothing items at the private vintage sale, and one piece I'm not so sure I can live without, so I may contact the host of the sale to find out if anyone else has snagged it... 

Although... I must admit that I'm surprised no vintage retailer came along and negotiated a price to simply haul it ALL away!

Clothes are more than just fabric... they are communication...

We are always changing and evolving.  Our tastes and needs are always changing and evolving, too.

Lately, I've been getting requests from people who are looking for all different kinds of things.  They want fabric to dance in, to decorate something, for certain kinds of parties... I think people are looking for feelings, more than "definitions" of fabric types.  So, what i end up doing, if pointing them at stores they might like to look.  And I try to give a few choices in different price ranges, so they can determine for themselves which is best for their needs.  The stores all have different personalities.  Some stores are really tough to shop if you cannot name what you are looking for.

So today, I offer food for thought.  If you are like me, clothing is a way to express yourself, to communicate, to enhance your appearance and personal expression, to dance to beat of your own drummer!  Old or young, spry, feeble, or graceful, you can create what agrees with what you (or the intended user) want to wear/carry/have.  After all, isn't that the beauty of being able to create? 

Oh, and what a thrill it must be to have your own husband design for you (see video below)! For a beautiful fabric like the kind her dress is made of, I would look at Elliott Berman, Rosen & Chadick, NY Elegant, or Metro Textiles.

Now for a completely different take on a unique way of dressing...

Note: The following video takes you to some touchy subjects, depending on your point of view, so be forewarned if you aren't comfortable with issues surrounding an honest account of a human being's discoveries and introspective questioning surrounding her own sexuality and appearance.

Having said that, will you take a moment to appreciate the wild patchwork of fabric that makes up her ensemble? To mimic this in any way at all, I would go to Spandex House for the pants fabric, NY Elegant for the shirt fabric, someplace like Chic Fabrics for the main jacket fabric, and someplace like Paron or TruMart for the scarf fabric.



And then, although this is the outfit of my dreams (below), I'd need the attitude, legs and courage to wear it... but then I'd have nowhere to go in it. 

Sigh...

The chainmail, if you're thinking about it for yourself,  can be found at B&J Fabrics, though, and then, of course, used in countless other ways...

Any of the stores mentioned above can be found on the where to shop list here.

Did the tailor sneak out of the garment district?

**Update: The answer, thank you to Rosen & Chadick, who can see the action from their own front window... is that the statue is on a 4 month "vacation" while some work is being done in the area.  Our worker will be back!

The Judith Weller statue, "The Garment Worker"

Unable to find an answer to this question, I pose it to you, my dear readers...

A friend sent me these pictures this weekend... Who took our beloved tailor?

The September 26 Speakeasy

I'll start with this:

I don't know if I can adequately convey the beauty of what we saw on Friday.  

I met our intimate group at our starting point on Friday morning, and immediately explained our Speakeasy shopping strategy.  Beautiful weather, our collective enthusiasm, and easy conversation created a solid, instant rapport. I shared some tips for navigating the district, negotiating with the salespeople, and the "speakeasy" elements of the stores we were to visit. Then I explained in detail, how I curated and organized the day's list of destinations.  Some "bonus" destinations were added on based on specific requests at the end of our day.  All in all, everyone had a ball... and I left the district tired and haunted by the fabrics I CANNOT bear not to purchase for myself.  Is this an illness?  Well, certainly not if I sew it all...  Okay, so I have to sew it all or check into a mental hospital.  So I'm whipping out the scissors and turning on the machine TONIGHT. 

Clearly, I will need to return to the district to buy some of the things that are haunting me next week.  Here is a small representation of the things that specifically called out to me:

At Fabrics and Fabrics:

Hello, Lover... The magical cotton weave above called my name, and reminds me of the artwork from the Ezra Jack Keats children's books, and it needs some of that blue leather to complement it...

That fabric makes me feel like this...

This one, I call a "drunken grid" - a cotton shirt weight fabric, begging me to take it home...

At New York Elegant:

At Elliott Berman:

Silk - ya gotta feel it to believe it.

Outta this world wool.

More outta this world wool...

I think I've met this fabric before, and I'm still in love.

This says home dec in the most beautiful way...

You have to see this for yourself.

A digital print that is truly alive with color!

Two cottons at Rosen & Chadick, and one cotton print at Fabrics & Fabrics, and something that is just TO DIE FOR at NY Elegant I did not photograph (selfishly), because I want to get to them first!