A big part of any costume design process is selecting fabrics for the items that will be built for the show. While the number of online fabric stores is numerous and growing, there is nothing like feeling the fabric and seeing how it drapes in person. About once a year, I'll make the trip to Chicago to go fabric shopping for larger shows. There is one store in particular, LZ Discount Textiles on 21st St, which is always an adventure, and always worth the travel expense when I'm looking for at least three costumes' worth of fabrics, trim and lining. Earlier this week I headed there to shop for La Bohème and collect some swatches for The Grapes of Wrath. I also timed the trip to attend a wholesale fabric expo where I found a few pieces to buy with low minimums.
LZ is a family run business and I've been going for years. I see many of the same employees year after year which, to me, speaks well about them as a company. They are generous with their swatches and prices. It is three stories of thirteen rooms of fabrics, trims, leather and who-knows-what else. Sometimes there's a stack of mattress pads, or mylar fringe curtains, or pillow covers. I'm not sure it's ADA compliant...maybe the building is grandfathered in. I do sometimes worry someone might come crashing through the creaky floor when I'm rummaging in the basement, but other than sneezing a bit and washing my hands a lot, I've never had a problem navigating it. This store serves a wide range of clientele: indy Chicago fashion designers, trade schools, theatre folks, families making prom or quinceañera dresses. You hear a lot of English, Spanish and Polish being spoken.
I prepare by making a list of every single thing I'm looking for. Once I'm there, I take a tour to see what's where now, what the color trends are, and take a few photos if something catches my eye. Then I hone in on specific rooms. For example, for Colline, I knew I needed a tapestry home dec fabric in golds and rusts and that I'd have the best luck in room four on the first floor. Once I've identified about a half a dozen items to consider, I'll ask a staff member to swatch for me. If I'm really in the bowels of the building and no one is around, I'll discreetly swatch myself, but this is really frowned upon. Each swatch is stapled to an oak tag and labelled with location, width, price and possible use. There is no limit to how many swatches they allow. On this trip, I did a bit of swatching in one afternoon and then had the evening to pair some ideas and hone in on my decisions before cutting and buying the next day.
After I know what I want, I grab a cart and start navigating the aisles with long rolls of fabric, parking it at the staircases to fetch things from the second floor or basement. Really bulky, heavy items are brought down by staff directly to the cutting table. There are half a dozen cutters in the first room generously cutting past small flaws, convincing you to buy the rest of the bolt at a discount, shouting for prices, and generally making sure everyone gets what they need. Cuts are bagged up, receipts are still hand written, and you meet your purchase at the front counter to pay, and in my case weigh it for shipment as well. It is exhausting, but for me, a much more efficient way of working rather than piece meal shopping; if I'm lucky I can see the whole show palette shaping up in one or two carts.
Honestly, I also like this ritual of recharging in a big city as well. I take the train in, and find that relaxing as well. As I type, the fabric has just arrived to the shop and now the true magic happens in the hands of our drapers.
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