HIGH END FABRIC ON A BUDGET

   

HIGH-END FABRIC ON A BUDGET - CREPE

"In order to make good quality, you must invest in good quality"

Disclaimer: I am not certain of the price outside of The Bahamas but these are the prices here.

Though that saying may be true, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg on designer fabric.  With creating my collection, I scoped around all the fabric stores here in The Bahamas in search for some high-end fabric.  But what I found shocked both my friend and I.

CREPE!!!!!!!

What is Crepe?

Crepe is is a silk, wool, or polyester fabric of a gauzy texture, having a peculiar crisp or crimpy appearance.

-Wikipedia

It can range from $4.00 to $80.00 depending on the type that you desire.  As said before there are different types and textures of Crepe material including:

Crepe

Crepe Back Satin

Wool Crepe

Crepe de Chine

Crepe (regular)
If you want more of a "flowy" type of fabric, Crepe is the fabric you would want to invest in.  I usually spend hours upon hours watching runways and I notice that majority of the designers use crepe material. Though I'm not to keen of the texture of Crepe itself, it can be used for flared skirts,dresses or tops. This sells for $6.99 at my local fabric stores.




Crepe Back Satin
I admire Crepe Back Satin.  Being the cheapest of them all, this fabric can be compared to bridal fabric in my opinion.  This sells for $4.99 at my local fabric stores and it is one that I have used in my collection.  Crepe Back Satin, as seen in the picture, has glossy appearance in the front and a matte finish at the back. 




Wool Crepe
Wool crepe, also known as crepon, is a wiry crepe fabric made from mixtures of silk and cotton fibers. This fabric is one of the most expensive types of crepe material.  It sells for $25.00 but it is great for a high-end finish.  I'm not the one to completely invest in wool crepe because that's not in my budget but if you want to design at a higher scale I would recommend it.
 




Crepe de Chine
Crepe de chine is a lightweight fabric, usually made of silk, that does not possess a crepe finish. It tends to have a smooth, pebbled, matte finish and is used to make luxury garments and evening wear.Though Crepe de Chine and Crepe looks totally the same, crepe de chine has more of smoother texture than a gauzy texture. This sells for $16.00 and is quite an OK fabric to invest in.  There are printed crepe de chine that I would spend $16.00 a yard for.  The finish on the printed material is to die for and it definitely looks like a $75.00 fabric from Italy.

These fabric, in picture may look the same but they vary in touch and finish.  I would recommend checking your local fabric stores just to take a look at them in person.  I have used Crepe Back Satin, Crepe de Chine and Wool Crepe in my collection and the finish on these three materials is amazing.  They sew perfectly and its appearance on the body is incredible.  

Designers that use crepe often:

Georges Chakra

Elie Saab

Zuhair Murad