It's Italy vs France at Elliott Berman Textiles

Eugenia at Elliott Berman Textiles recently invited me to see all the new fabrics just in from Italy and France. Head over to EBT in the Garment District on W. 35th Street before these eye-catching fabrics are scooped up. I oohed and aahed over all the bold designs and prints Eugenia showed me. We both agreed that this season the Italian fabrics have it all over the French in terms of vibrancy and imagery. Below are just a few of the prints available at EBT's showroom:

Eugenia wants you to know they still have Missoni knits. If you are planning a trip to EBT I recommend you call first to let them know what time you'll be there: (212) 764-0180.

NYC Notions Store Review: Steinlauf & Stoller

Address: 239 West 39th Street, New York, NYC
Phone: 212-869-0321
Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., closed weekends.
Online site: yes, but it's not set up for online ordering. Click here.
Best for: Interfacing, tailoring supplies, and for getting snaps and grommets installed

[Apologies for not posting this review a long time ago. Somehow I thought I had already reviewed S&S.]

Steinlauf & Stoller has been around since 1947 and the W. 39th Street store looks like it probably hasn't changed much in the last 65 years. But you know what? That's a good thing. I want a Garment District store that looks like it's still sells the same notions my grandmother used. Classic tailoring supplies haven't changed much over the years; they've just become harder to find, especially beyond the Garment District. Here's hoping S&S is in business another 65 years.

Ok, let's talk specifics. Personally, I have no allegiance to any one notions supplier in the Garment District. I get some of this here, some of that there. If I want to save money on notions, I head to Chelsea for Fashion Design Books on the FIT campus, which seems to have the best prices around. But Steinlauf & Stoller is my go-to place for interfacing (especially now that Mood Fabrics is carrying less interfacing than in the past) and for having snaps and grommets installed by long-time employee Nancy.

S&S has fusible 2-inch wiggan, which I love to bolster hems in garments. (You may have to ask for this as it's not always on display.) Here's what my friend Mimi, of Find a Dressmaker, likes about S&S:

"I love shopping there because they have a great selection of bust cups, shoulder pads, different types of boning, they'll cut your zippers to size, sharpen your scissors, they have care labels that are very affordable (but sold in FAR too large of a quantity for the small business or individual dressmaker)… and there is a RIDICULOUS amount of knowledge that comes with that. I love their interfacing, sample/pattern paper by the roll, and dress weights. They also have hoops for hoop skirts! They have great closures for swim suits, and lots of good quality tools for marking (pencils, chalk and stuff). I always buy my pins there, too.… I also find them particularly affordable. The big drawback is their business hours."

Have you been to Steinlauf & Stoller? What do you buy there?

Bolts of the many kinds of interfacing S&S stocks (right foreground).

A decent selection of standard notions. Prices for packaged notions run a little on the high side here, but sometimes I'm willing to pay a little more here rather than traipsing all around the Garment District.

Excellent selection of all kinds of thread.

Here's Nancy working with a customer who wanted to add snaps to a garment. S&S asks that customers not take advantage of Nancy's pleasant personality by making unreasonable demands on her time.

Buying Zippers in NYC's Garment District

SIL Thread at 257 W. 38th Street in the Garment District offers zippers in all types of teeth and colors

When I need a separating zipper or closed zipper cut to size, I usually head to SIL Thread. This is for those cases where I don't need my zipper to be a star, just functional; for stunning Riri or Lampro zippers I go to Pacific Trim (Riri) or Botani Buttons (Lampro).

Here are the steps to buying a zipper to-size at SIL:

1. Decide on what kind of teeth you want: Brass? Nickel? Molded plastic?
2. Factor in your application: If you're making outerwear you'd probably want a zipper with a wider tape and larger teeth, but something more delicate if you wanted an exposed zipper on a dress. SIL has many choices for tape width, weight and zipper teeth size.
3. Find the right color zipper for your garment
4. Take your zipper to the counter: Tell your cashier what size zipper you want out of the one you've selected, and whether you want it to separate (like for a jacket application) or closed (like in a dress or skirt). Pay for your zipper and then wait while an employee cuts it to size for you.

Today at SIL I bought a separating zipper with molded plastic teeth that I'll use on a spring jacket I'm making. It cost me just $4 and I only had to wait a few minutes while it was sized to 12 inches.

Even though Coats & Clark has expanded its zipper offerings to keep up with the styles, and they served me well for many years, I love being able to buy zippers that look more RTW. What about you, readers? Where do you buy your zippers?

SIL offers a large selection of colors and zipper teeth styles.

When you've chosen the right zipper for your application, take it to the counter to buy it and then have it cut to size

NYC Trim Store Review: East Coast Trimming

Address: 142 W. 38th Street (between Seventh and Broadway), New York City
Phone: 212-221-0050
Hours: "Flexible." Monday - Friday 9:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Best for: Too soon to tell as the store only just opened

Good news, readers! A brand-new trim store just opened in the Garment District and I think you're gonna like it. East Coast Trimming, on W. 38th Street between Seventh and Broadway, is an attractive trim and notions store that should please shoppers who are looking for a thoughtfully curated store. Its well-designed interiors and ample lighting (good lighting is so rare in the Garment District) put it in the same company as fellow trim stores M&J Trimming and Botani Buttons.

According to owner Donna Teves, a former Pacific Trimming employee, customer service is what will set East Coast Trimming apart from its competitors. I did like the fact that when I told her I had been searching the Garment District high and low for these Clover Wonder Clips, she promptly tracked down the information and said she'd stock them for the store. The two times I visited the store staff was always on hand to assist customers.

I don't think it's fair to do a full review on this store, seeing as how the inventory is clearly evolving. (It's surprisingly heavy on things like cotton twill and webbing, for example, and the only zippers I saw were Coats & Clark in packages like a Jo-Ann's store.) So I plan on checking back regularly and will update this post in six months or so. In the meantime, stop by and welcome Donna and her team to the Garment District. I'm sure she'd be happy to hear what kinds of things you'd like her to stock.

I love the black shelves and the cute boxes.

Look at this! Track lighting! So you can actually see the colors of the items you're looking at. You have no idea how many times I've asked Garment District store employees if I can have a swatch to examine outside before buying, just because their lighting is so damn bad and I can't tell if I'm looking at navy or black.

I adore how these covered jumbo snaps are stored in little pill bottles.

  

If you need webbing at reasonable prices, this is the place.

Thank you, Tricia, for tipping me off to East Coast Trimming!

Wanna come on a Speakeasy Tour?  Check out the link, to see what's coming up soon!

Update on Paron Fabrics' Relocation, Plus Moving Sale

Note: Paron has since closed.

Paron Fabrics is leaving its W. 40th Street location for a spot on W. 39th.

[Note: As of 2/7/12 Paron's is still at its 40th Street location. A person who answered the phone at Paron's said they will be there for another two weeks.] 

Paron's is getting ready to pack up and move to their new location at 257 W. 39th Street (across from Dakota Braids & Trims), and all fabric has been reduced. Everything in the main room is 30 percent off, and everything in the Annex is 60 percent off. You can tell they haven't added any new inventory in awhile, and the pickings in the Annex are really slim, but I was able to grab the last 2.5 yards of a patterned wool I first coveted months ago, now 30 percent cheaper. Store employees tell me Paron's will open in its new location around the beginning of February, and that this week is the last week they'll be open at W. 40th. I'm looking forward to visiting the new location, and fingers crossed that they keep the Annex.

Current Kwik Sew and Burda patterns are not on sale, but you can find out-of-print Vogue, Butterick and Burda patterns for $2 each in the Annex.

Shopping Online for Fabric at Garment District Stores

B&J Fabrics' new online store says Navajo prints are hot.

It will probably take forever, but one by one the stores of the Garment District are catching up with the rest of the world by adding online shops. B&J Fabrics recently beefed up its online shopping site about a month ago, and while you can tell that tweaking still needs to be done (there's no way to judge the size of a print motif or the drape of a fabric, for example), I think they're clearly heading in the right direction. The fabrics B&J has on its online site are a decent representation of what's available in the store. What's really attractive about shopping online at B&J is the "free ground shipping on all domestic orders, and $50 Priority FedEx shipping on all international orders." Nice!

Other NYC Garment District fabric stores with online retail sites include Mood Fabrics, Elliott Berman Textiles and Paron Fabrics (Manhattan Fabrics online). I wish NY Elegant and Rosen & Chadick would join the others and venture online too.

My online fabric buying experience is very limited, because why shop online when I can walk a block and buy fabric in real life, right? But do tell me about your online fabric shopping. Have you ever bought fabric from a Garment District store's online site? How would you rate the experience?

Why Go Elsewhere When It's All Here

Edit: The future of City Source events is in doubt, as the interest and enthusiasm have waned a bit... (4/16/17)

The City Source event at FIT on Tuesday, Jan. 10

On Tuesday FIT, the Garment Industry Development Corporation and the Fashion Center hosted the first annual City Source, a Garment District supplier showcase. I checked it out on my lunch hour and was glad I came: The resources available in NYC's Garment District are just amazing. If you are an emerging designer and you missed this event, well, shame on you and don't miss it next year. It was a great opportunity to research and build contacts with sample and patternmakers, embroiderers, pleating companies, digital printers and more. About fifty vendors filled FIT's Great Hall.

Digital printing and CAD studio LTS Design. That pink-and-green print in the back just screams Beach Tunic 2012 to me.

Gorgeous beading and embroidery by New York Embroidery Studio. The way to make a simple sheath dress look like a million bucks.