Casual shirt fabrics

[moltoelegante]

Hello everyone,

I hope someone can help me with this problem. I have found 3 good local tailors whom I would like to start using to make casual and dress shirts. The dress shirts are easy - they all have access to all the Thomas Mason, Scabal, Albini fabrics, etc.

The problem is with the casual shirts. Almost every casual shirt appeals to me because of the interesting and beautiful fabric choice. I was in the local Lagerfeld store today, for example, and saw several shirts which I liked, but I don't even know where to begin to find such interesting casual fabrics. Does anyone have an idea? Is there any chance to buy these kinds of fabrics online in small quantities? (The local brick and mortar stores here are worthless). Or do the designers produce these fabric just for themselves? All I can think of at the moment is traveling to another country which has major fabric markets, and bring back a suitcase full of great fabrics which the tailors can make shirts from, but this idea is really impractical and $$$!

 

[moltoelegante]

This is exactly what I am looking for, but this article is already 25 years old and it seems that this company is no longer around:
http://articles.latimes.com/1990-11-09/news/vw-4403_1_couture-fabrics

 

[Shirtmaven]

The fabric is available.
but not easy to find or acquire.
IN NYC paron and Mood clean out designer sample fabric rooms.
sometimes just sample yardage. sometimes more of styles that were either dropped or did not sell as well.

I buy fabric in NYC from a company that goes to a shirting mill in italy that turns out fantastic prints and jacquard shirting.

this is leftover fabric that was again, either overage, or sample lengths held by the mill.
I have purchased 2 year old fabrics that were made for.

Louis Vitton
Gucci
Alexander McQueen.. (large skulls)
Kenzo
Armani
numerous other smaller high end designer lines.


SOMETIMES THE FABRICS are even printed or the designer name is embroidered into the fabric.

god luck finding it in fabric stores.
you wont find this type of fabric on the internet.

 

[moltoelegante]

Thanks for the response.

 

[GBR]

Buy what YOU like NOT anyone else.

 

[moltoelegante]

Buy what YOU like NOT anyone else.

That's what I am trying to do. The only time I see fabrics I like is occasionally on a shirt in a store, not in mainstream fabric shops. I would love to find better materials which my tailor could use but this is really tricky.

 

[moltoelegante]

Am I really the only person interested in finding better fabrics for casual shirts?

I find the standard Thomas Mason range available at my local tailors suitable for business attire but too conservative for smart casual shirts.

As a random example, if I happened to love shirt like these, how would I go about getting a similar, high quality fabric?




Edit: I did hear about this place in Rome. Might be worth a flight over there sometime: https://selfishseamstress.wordpress...city-2473-again-and-a-mini-roman-fabric-tour/

 

[Shirtmaven]

most shirtmakers either work from the basic swatchbooks.

both Albini, (thomas Mason) Canclini and Grandi % rubenilli all carry a small assortments of prints.
or non traditional fabrics, but the choices are limited to safer designs.
remember they need to keep these in the books for at least 2 years.

you are better off in fabric stores in Italy.
Florence, Rome, naples.

you might get lucky in Como.
the silk makers, make prints as well.
A few of them do print on cotton.
good luck