Let me preface this post by telling you that I always (ALWAYS) try to buy on sale...especially (ESPECIALLY) when it comes to fabric. If I'm not using my wholesale designer's discount, I am clipping coupons for Hancock or Joann Fabrics. And even when I'm not buying on sale, I have a limit when it comes to how much I will spend per yard.Rewind back to my days as a college student at the University of Miami. On the edge of swanky Coral Gables (where my beloved alma mater is), there is a fabric store called Rex Fabrics (http://www.rexfabrics.com/). It might as well have been called the No-No store. I went to Rex only one time while living in Miami...and as a poor college student, found that I could barely afford a scrap of their worst fabric, much less a yard of any of the good stuff.
The walls are lined with fine fabrics imported from all ends of the earth. But especially impressive, they carry fabrics from all the major fashion houses. So when you walk inside, you are surrounded by Chanel, Valentino, Roberto Cavalli...seriously EVERYTHING that is ANYTHING. Floor to ceiling...it's amazing. Celebrities, socialites, dignitaries, even First Ladies have all shopped at Rex.
How much does fabric cost at Rex, you ask? Alot! I remember the first time I shopped there, picking up what I thought was a simple satin. Then I saw the price tag. $200/yard. Not so bad you say. But for a poor collegiate engineering student almost a decade ago, $20/yard was pricey...$200/yard was unfathomable.
Fast foward to my recent trip back to my adopted hometown of Miami. I dragged my fiance Blake into Rex and told him, "You can come in with me, but you can't look at what I'm looking at, because you can't see my wedding dress fabric."
Poor Blake. While a nice young gay man with painted-on sideburns (yes.) escorted me through aisles of rolls of the most exquisite materials, he spent the entire time playing a game: finding the most expensive fabric in the store. He found one for $900/yard that resembled a shower curtain he said his grandmother once owned. He found one for $1,000/yard. Then he found the motherload...$2,000/yard. That deserves to be spelled out...in all caps. TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YARD.
Really??? How do you cut that???!!!
While he was playing his game, I found my perfect fabric. Nestled between the Chanel wedding collection and some other fancy Parisian import, I found a beautiful handmade, hand-beaded roll of what I think an angel probably created...actually someone in Rome, Italy...but nonetheless it was perfect. And considering it was in the "fancy" room of Rex, upstairs and amongst some of the winners of Blake's game, it was quite the bargain, if you will, at only $399/yard.
One dollar shy of $400 per measly yard is what I paid. And when I called my mother to tell her, I'm not sure she understood. But then she saw it. In all it's glory. And then she understood.
It really is pretty.
But I think when it comes time to cut it, I will need a therapist to hold my hand and walk me through every slice. Most importantly though, I can't wait to wear it...and I can't wait for Blake to see it...on March 20th.
And just to satisfy my inner thrift, the rest of the fabric that I buy for the dress will probably come from Joann or Hancock...and you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be using a coupon!!!
When you know, you know, you know. That's what my future husband and I used to say to each other, because we've known each other since we were 12 years old, but it took us until we were 30 to figure out we were meant to be together.