WHAT'S A BRIDE TO DO?

Dustjacket Attic via Pinterest

With so much inspiration coming at you over the net, there's a whole heap of beautiful out there to sift through. One common email I get goes something like this: I found this incredible lace dress online but it has no designer/shopping info.  I decided to have one made but where do I get the lace?/Or fabric?
This happens all the time.  Wedding/fashion/inspiration bloggers post images of something very off-the-charts gorgeous, sans shopping links and/or no links tracing back to it (I'm guilty of this I'm sorry to report). 
The above dress is a perfect case in point.  Exquisite antique-looking lace but tracing back to a designer source even through Pinterest I found hard (Still trying).  Plan B: Making your own version (or having someone else make it) is a great idea because you can add your own touches. If you're DIY savvy you know searching for the right fabric and laces can be an enriching and fun experience for inspiring you on. Thus rejoice!  Online sources for hard to find laces and notions are sprouting up all over the place.  With Martha Stewart and all the Style Me Pretty type Gurus out there introducing the new, new things made out of silky, notions and specialty fabrics, merchants are getting the message they have to offer up their wares if they want to survive these days.   All I can say is thank GOD!  Here are a few of my own personal favs for both online and brick and mortar shopping:

Britex Fabric San Francisco 

Gorgeous silks and laces. This is where you'll find a close cousin to one of the laces in the above picture.  The tulle embroidered lace below is in the store, I snapped this pic last Friday.  If you're in the SF Bay Area stop in and check out this Union Square treasure trove. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MS Schmalberg Flowers

Gorgeous silk flowers perfect for bird cage veils, bustles, and any other project that takes your fancy!

 

Laci's

While their website may be from the Stone Age, the store in Berkeley, California is decidedly vintage, carrying an array of the world's most magnificent laces from everywhere: estate sales, antique collections, buyouts.  Laci's has everything including plugged in sales folks who love vintage design.  Needless to say this place is my favorite hangout for inspiration. 

Exotic Silks

Simply the best place in the world for a collection of silks.

Be sure to join us this week for a new feature on Bride Chic called, Extreme Fabrics where we'll be looking at some traditional as well as novelty laces at Britex of San Francisco.