BOHEMIAN visit
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orship all things fashion? New York should definitely be your Mecca. From sidewalk to skyscraper, the city is a hub of style, spectacle and sartorial elegance. And at its core lies its world-famous Garment District. Nestling from 5th and 9th Avenues and 34th to 42nd streets, the area is home to showrooms of almost all the world’s major fashion labels. Since the early 20th century, the Garment District has been at the heart of fashion manufacturing and design in the United States. While many of the old warehouses have since dissolved into time, its streets are still lined with bright, bustling shops and boutiques selling more fabric, trimmings and haberdashery than you can possibly imagine. One of the most famous is Mood Fabrics (www.moodfabrics.com). This is hands down the best fabric shop in Manhattan. It has
102 MOLLIE MAKES
appeared on a host of TV programmes and is well-loved by the many dressmaking and craft communities of New York. Its wealth of choice can be overwhelming, but it’s well worth the trip, even if you’re not planning to buy. Just a block away is M&J Trimmings (www. mjtrim.com). But enter at your peril, for once you set foot inside this Aladdin’s cave you may never want to leave. Decked from floor to ceiling is more than a hundred-thousand trimmings from across the globe; buttons from Italy, laces from Switzerland, ribbons from France, Swarovski crystals from Austria and much more. This is a must-stop shop for anyone with design on the mind. In doing so you’ll join a list of clients that include Dolce and Gabbana, Victoria’s Secret, Ralph Lauren and Christian Dior. If you are already going dizzy with the sight of sequins and studs and fancy a cultural
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Explore some of
the huge range of garments and accessories at the Fashion Institute of Technology museum. 02
Make these old
wooden spools into mini flower holders. 03
Take your pick
from the kaleidoscope of fabrics on display at Mood Fabrics.