New York, New York!

What a wonderful town, except for the earthquake and Hurricane Irene!  Okay, it was a great adventure:-) 

But we were forced, driven, compelled to shop the Garment District come h*!l or high water.  And high water it did (it's just an expression!  We didn't MEAN it).

And there it is, right in front of us, the beginning of the Garment District with the sculpture of the needle and button.  What an experience to have a resale license and step into the world of wholesale fabric, buttons, zippers, trims and, truly, anything else relating to fashion that you could ask for.  It's not for the light of heart or feet, but the gratification of walking away with treasure after the hunt is fantastic.  And we did find a few treasures!

One of the highlights, for me, was shopping at Mood!  If any of you are Project Runway fans, you know what I'm saying.   Three glorious floors of fabric and embellishments of every color and kind.  Overwhelming, glorious fabrics as high as an elephants eye of silks, velvets, cottons, eyelets, leathers, furs and fun.  I was totally unprepared.  And dazed.  And thrilled.  It was a blast!  I have no idea how the contestants of PR can find ANYTHING in 30 minutes.  The mind is abuzz. 

I didn't buy a thing.  It didn't matter.  I came, I saw, I experienced.  I loved it.

We had much more success buying in the out-of-the-way small shops, crammed between restaurants with sewing names, who had  specialty interests and gobs of product.  It's all about the hunt, right?

We did get trapped in New York for a few days extra because of the Hurricane and the closures.  We were totally unaffected in mid-town Manhattan, but our hearts and prayers go to those that have lost their homes and loved ones because of the power of nature.  Nature continues to show us that we have no control over our lives and that we should treasure every moment and every person as a gift.

We're home, we're safe and we're back to work in our studio, super-jazzed with new ideas and new designs.  Stay tuned!