Britex in SF is where you going for the expensive (silk on silk velvet, unusual (velvet ribbon) or designer items. Big yawn for us historical types. You wont find historical looking embroidereds.
Something must be wrong with me . . . I've bought lots of costuming fabric at Britex. No, they do not specialize in fabrics for historic costumers. There is no such store in the San Francisco Bay Area. But Britex is by far the largest general fabric store in the San Francisco Bay Area, and they have a large selection of luxury and natural-fiber fabrics of all kinds. That is their specialty.
Britex is a store where there are fabrics in cases up to the ceiling, accessible only by ladder, piled deep on tables, in compartments under the tables, and all over the place. The salespeople are eager to help. But don't expect them to have a clue what you mean if you ask for a fabric from some historic era. I once asked a salesperson to help me find an early 19th-century-style embroidered muslin-like fabric, and she proudly dug out a lovely sheer white cotton--with big kittens embroidered all over it. However, once I suggested floral sprigs, specifically, she located a number of others, and I bought one that was very appropriate.
You actually don't really need the salespeople at all if you are willing to climb ladders, etc. But they don't really like you to, so you have to be furtive.
As for the stores catering to drag queens--not unless you want to buy things like cheap, extremely glittery lame, and huge, brightly colored feather boas.
Fran Lavolta Press Books on Historic Costuming http://www.lavoltapress.com _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
