Swatching!!!

Today i took myself around the streets of the West end in search of interesting fabrics and trimmings to inspire me further for my Chloe capsule collection..

**Here are my goodies!**

1st stop was.... The Button Queen!!

No samples were taken from here but at least i know where to come if i want expensive, unusual buttons!! :-)

2nd stop was.... VV Rouleaux!!

Absolutely fabulous shop!! So many bits n bobs. Gorgeous ribbons, cords, tassels and embellishments. Now, definitely one of my favorite little shops!

So here are my purchases! I felt the colours reflect my concept board for Chloe A/W 2010.

These cords have yummy muted tones.

Mauve = 4mm, wax coated, £1.05/m

Grey = 5mm, wax coated, £1.20/m

Dusty deep blue = 2mm, wax coated, £0.65/m

Beige = 4mm, wax coated, £1.05/m

Textured Black = 5mm, suede mixed with shiny leather, £8.99/m

(zoomed in)

Here are some samples of Suede fringing. Again it was the colours that drew me to them, also the texture and free movement quality they have.

(close up)

Yumm, Yumm, Yumm!!... Love the deep greens and the sheen in these feathers!! Not quite the inspiration i had in mind for Chloe, but perhaps they will come in handy for another project! At £14.95 per meter (for the smaller feathers.... but i did prefer the larger ones) im in no hurry to purchase this right now. :-)

The second sample on this image is a grey, long haired synthetic fur. £6.82/m. Still a bit pricey, unless i was to use it as cuff trimmings or sporadically through the seams. A bit more of a friendlier method of furring up a garment, but i do love the real macoy! (sorry animal lovers!)

3rd top was.... Mac Culloch & Wallis!!

Never really been here for fabrics before. I mainly go for shoulder pads, trimmings, threads and the odd pouch of Dylon dye. Any way, first time for everything so here are my findings!

Hopefully the prices and fibre contents are legible, if not let me know. Here i concentrated more on jacket materials. The Linen that was used in a black embellished jacket by Chloe in their RTW collection had inspired me to look at different linens for possible jacket fabrics. Deep greens, Blues and browns are visible here. Again the colours are quite natural and organic. The Mohair is gorgeous! I cannot take credit for spotting this beauty, Helen set eyes on it first but i just had to have a sample myself! All of my favorite fabrics are quite expensive so the next battle will be to try and find cheaper alternatives!

4th stop was.... Soho Silks!!

Limited to only two swatches in this store so i had to be very choosy which is hard for me as i am awful at decision making! I persevered and got myself these two. The deep blue is Leatherette with a sheen print on top, £20.00/m. The beige fabric i loved! It drapes really nicely surprisingly feels really unique to the touch. It is made up of a Polyamide and Cotton which is waterproof (hmm, ideas flowing!) £25.00/m. I was then told by the shop assistant that Burberry use this material for their Macs.... interesting.

5th stop was.... The Pastry Pilgrim!!

Definite need of a quick break for some r&r, caffeine and Pumpkin and Butternut squash soup!!

hmm.

Refueled.... onto the 6th stop.... Cloth House, 98 Berwick st!!

Or should i say Aladdins cave!!! I could have easily left with over 50 samples if they were to be so kind. Tables and tables full of luxurious fabrics, so inspirational! Made me want to get designing. Reality sank in when i was pushing my luck asking for four swatches. Again my not so good decisive behavior had to play its part. Here is what i chose.

Here i was looking more at texture and comfort. As well as the colours, I like the ribbing and structure of these swatches. I would love to wear them all, whether it be a jumper or a thin long draping cardigan. The shop assistant was so busy I couldn't get a word in to ask what exact fibres these were. I presume the two either end are a cotton jersey and the middle two some type of wool.

From left to right = £19/m £20/m £26/m £20/m

Think i will definitely have to take another trip back here for more swatches!

7th stop was.... Cloth House, 47 Berwick st!!

I was only in here the other day, but thought i would pop back to get the other swatches that i had my eye on. Here they are.

From right to left, £12.50/m £20/m £18/m (she missed the last one out and i only just realized) I love this first fabric, the daisy embroidery is so feminine and very Chloe. So far i have really been focusing on the raw linens and not overly feminine fabrics. Although i am trying to inject a piece of me into this brand i still do not want to get carried away and forget about Chloes handwriting. Every designer that has worked under Chloes roof has managed to keep the true femininity of the brand so i need to bare this in mind.

This image shows the swatches in quite a dark tone but in day light i would describe them as being two shades lighter. The fabric on the far right is in fact a deep plum tone. I think berry shades work very well with greys and nudes. This colour way is what i have been gravitating to so i think it will be what i stick with.

Last but by no means least.. my 7th stop.... John Lewis!!

I knew exactly what i wanted from here. This was 100g of berry coloured wool. One of my favorite wool/yarn brands is Rowan. They tend to use 100% Merino wool, or at least a high content percentage of Merino wool. The chunkier the yarn the better for my liking and this is the chunkiest that John Lewis stocks. At £7.95 per 100g this wool is pricey so i am starting to think i have expensive taste! Now i have all my yarns ready to get knitting samples. I am soon to shred up my leather and see how knitting with that works for me!

Phew!! Very long but a very productive day! Now ready for bed!