Arriving at Liberty
Oh Liberty! I longed to visit you and experience all the colour and vibrancy of all that you were and are and what I'd hoped you'd be.
Getting closer
Nearly time for the doors to open...
Waiting for the doors to open. The anticipation. The beauty of this ancient establishment. We soaked up the colours and the antiquity of the Tudor Styling as we floated through the doors. It was everything and more. Revisiting Eden!
A step into history
The different levels, departments; furniture, furnishings, art etc Absolutely delightful.
Lovely furniture
Finally the fabric. The glorious fabric!
Lovely orange Liberty
The true beginnings of Liberty- importing decorative artifacts from exotic countries and selling to the High Society Clients
Something crept over me. I couldn't put my finger on it initially. I felt strange in this fabric shop for some reason I couldn't identify. The light was leaving my eyes and I no longer felt I could stay. I felt like an alien. This was not Eden for me. I needed to leave, could not stay or purchase fabric. My Bruce was confused and encouraged me to buy some fabric. No, no, no.
The Liberty experience for me, was similar to wearing a corporate, classic suit! Traditional, classic and firmly structured. My personal style ingredients are Comfortable, Creative and Dramatic.
I felt I was mismatched and more uncomfortable the longer we stayed. I did love what I saw. The fabrics were amazing and the designs beautiful. As I left I felt like saying 'it's me not you' and I can't relax or be me here.
Darren taking me to his favourite fabric store
The next day Bruce and I went down to Brighton to meet an Instagram friend Darren @deedeenick. Darren took us to his favourite fabric store Ditto fabrics. What can I say except it was fabulous! Fabric, remnants and staff that engaged with us. I didn't need anymore fabric but I went home with some anyway. We all had fun. Took some photos. Had a great laugh and I wished I could return the next day.
Inside Ditto Fabric Store in Brighton England
Perfect Photo Darren
What I know from these two experiences is that my personal style ingredients - Comfortable, Creative and Dramatic, also resonate in my expectations of fabric store experiences. A brand label isn't the most important thing to me. A fabric print has to sing to me before I purchase it. I need to feel connected to the people who are selling the fabric. I might have skipped out of Ditto as I was leaving. I can't remember. I had my fabric and I felt happy.
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