The World's Best Fabric & Textiles Stores

I was in a favourite fabric store yesterday, which has the charming name of Odette. It's the smaller sister store of the hugely popular Scarlett Jones in Hawthorn. [scarletjonesmelbourne.blogspot.com] The charming girls and I struck up an animated conversation about our love for linen, as they explained the differences between French, Belgium and Irish. (French is thicker; Irish is finer.)

Then the most glamorous, elegantly svelte woman wandered in, wearing a linen ensemble so fabulous we all stopped talking immediately. She revealed that the long, narrowly cut linen pinafore and pants had been made by Amanda Tabberer (daughter of Maggie and the author of My Amalfi Coast), and had long been one of her favourite outfits. She'd owned the two pieces for years, she confessed, and had even worn them gardening. (My friend Fiona laughed at me on this blog the other day for suggesting linen for gardening, and I admit I was sceptical until I saw this woman's outfit: it was incredibly beautiful and clearly hardy after years of dead-heading the roses.)

The glamorous linen lady then told us what the colour of her outfit was – "Humble Potato".

"You should have seen the other colours – fuchsia and such, ugh," she said as she twisted her nose in horror. I wanted to say: "I would have like to have seen the fuchsia" but didn't dare. Clearly Humble Potato was the only colour one should be seen wearing. (See colour palette above.) I sense I have a lot to learn about the world of linen.

Curiously, the most popular post on this blog was the one on fabrics late last year. Obviously there are lots of other fabric lovers out there. 

So here are a few textile links, fabric sources and stores around the world to inspire you.

(3 images above from my linen pile. Store pix from Odette.)

NB If you're attending the Trade Secrets Garden Fair in Connecticut in May this year, be sure to wear some linen there. It's a linen lover's kinda place...

Blog post on Trade Secrets here – link

or here:

http://janellemccullochlibraryofdesign.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/bunny-williams-and-her-trade-secrets.html

PS I do love a bolt of fuchsia linen... 

But will no doubt be struck from The Linen Lover's Club now.

A SELECTION OF THE WORLD'S BEST FABRIC & TEXTILE STORES AND SOURCES

TRAVEL & LEISURE GUIDE'S TO THE BEST LINEN SOURCES IN EUROPE

[Link here]

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/sources-of-softness

APARTMENT THERAPY'S BEST SOURCES FOR LINEN BEDDING

[Link here]

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/best-linen-bedding-43411

APARTMENT THERAPY'S TOP 10 DESIGNER FABRIC & TEXTILE STORES

[Link here]

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/top-10-designer-textile-stores-140731

DESIGN SPONGE'S TOP 20 FABRIC RESOURCES

[Link here]

http://www.designsponge.com/2010/09/top-20-fabric-resources.html

FABRIC SHOPPING IN LONDON

[Link here]

http://www.tillyandthebuttons.com/2012/05/fabric-shopping-in-london.html

TEXTILE TOURS TO INDIA

www.fionawright.com/tour.html‎

or

www.colorsofindiatravel.com/textile-craft-tour.htm‎

THE FABRICS OF INDIA

Link here

www.travelandleisure.com/articles/the-fabric-of-india‎

and

http://www.travelandleisure.com/trips/discovering-indias-resplendent-textiles

Link here