Poly/Spandex Nation

There's a time and place for Polyester and Spandex. But not MOST of the time. During my latest foray into the fabric forest at the local Fabric Mega Mart, I was astounded to see that roughly 90% of the apparel fabrics contained Polyester. And not even "nice" Polyester. At prices that were shocking considering the quality of fabric on the racks. Even with a 40% off (or more!) coupon I still wouldn't WEAR it. It's itchy & scratchy and not in a Simpsons-esque manner.

Frankly, I'm not surprised since my latest trip to a Mall produced much the same results in the department stores. The fabrics were better than 70s Polyester Double-Knit, but not by much. I swear I saw a PDK jacket in the window of a store that is known for being "fashion forward".

Now I might be missing something, but since when is going back 35 years to a time we all wished we could forget fashion-wise "fashion *forward*"?

Burda, I'm talking to you.

Burda Collection 2012/2013

Let's all party like it's 1969. At least they matched the plaid so I didn't have to gouge my eyes out.

Now back to my rant on Polyester. If you subtract the fleece & flannel from what's on the shelves, you're left with knit. Knits galore. Ponte knit = scratchy, Swimsuit knit = can't go outside in that even in our Year Round Summer in Florida, Jersey knit = great for tshirts and an occasional dress, but a royal PITN (pain in the neck) to sew. And various and sundry other knits that I wouldn't be caught dead in. Ribknits are for undershirts or cuffs/collars on tshirts/sweatshirts.

I found exactly ONE bolt of fabric that had a lovely feel to it. I wanted to wrap myself in it and rub it all over me. It was a Poly/Rayon/Spandex blend. For $20/yard. It was a coat-weight fabric which would look amazing as a suit jacket or overcoat.

What I want to know is WHAT HAPPENED TO VISCOSE???? The woven kind? It's SOFT and it drapes beautifully. Rayon was such a popular fabric in the 30s/40s. Why has it dropped out of fashion? It's not near as much of a pain to care for as cotton or linen. Sure it wrinkles a bit if you leave it in the dryer for a while after it's done drying, but is that a reason to avoid it?

Have we gone so far into the Valley of the Shadow of Spandex that we can't wear wovens any more? Or is it just that where I am there's not that great of a selection of fashion fabric?

I'm insanely jealous of those lucky folks who have access to places like Mood. To be able to lose myself in their bolts of fabrics of so much variety. How much does a round trip ticket to NYC cost these days? I know you CAN order online from lots of places, but I have to SEE it and TOUCH it to be able to decide whether or not it works for me.