Dressmaking

With the cost of your perfect wedding day and honeymoon continuing to rise, many couples are choosing to combine the two by marrying abroad. Couples may choose to marry away from home for a number of reasons not least that it is impossible to guarantee the weather in the UK regardless of what month you choose to marry. Many couples...

Last night, the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards took place at the Beverley Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Historically, The Golden Globes are a great night for British cinema and television, and this year was no different with British film '12 Years A Slave' bringing home the coveted Best Film award. Of course, we were all glued to our televisions and...

Now the party season is over and Christmas is a distant memory, many of our clients are turning their thoughts to the upcoming wedding season. Whether you are a bride to be or a professional dressmaker working on a very special commission, our extensive range of stunning Bridal Fabrics will be everything you need for the perfect bridal gown and...

When we think of shoulder pads we automatically think of Melanie Griffith in Working Girl, with shoulder pads almost up to her ears! Whilst shoulder pads are certainly a piece of haberdashery synonymous with the 1980's, according to many of the leading fashion publications they are back, albeit in a more subtle way than the over exaggerated power dressing trends...

Like any dressmakers, or anybody else keen on fashion, we always have one eye on the red carpets throughout the year, looking to be inspired by the latest celebrity trends and 2013 has seen a whole host of stunning looks, many of which will go down in fashion history. This year, the red carpet has been awash with sumptuous fabrics...

Gabrielle Coco Chanel once famously said "fashion fades, only style remains the same", and as with anything fashion related, Coco was always right. Coco Chanel was of course an expert at creating elegant, simple classics which were guaranteed to stand the test of time. The inventor of the Little Black Dress, Coco knew better than anyone what fabrics and elegant...

As 2013 comes to a close and we all enjoy some well deserved time off I always find Christmas a time of both celebration and a time to review the past 12 months. A lot has happened this past year  at Calico Laine including the opening of two new units and the launching of our new website. Both of these...

An early corset, circa 1910. Boning is one of the most useful yet most overlooked items of haberdashery in our collection. When you think of boning you automatically think of bustiers and structured evening gowns and of course boning is an extremely useful way of adding light structure to your formal garments and for holding in place embellishments such...

Sometimes, our customers visit us in store or search our website for fabrics that are suitable for smart business wear, and are often not entirely sure what we offer that would be a good choice. In today's blog, we'll be suggesting a number of different fabrics that would be great for this purpose, which will hopefully aid you in making...

The Eighties are a time that most of us will be old enough to remember fondly and were a time of great social and economic change, remembered by many as a simpler and happier time, The Eighties were defined by its outrageous fashion, cheesy pop music and rapid changes in technology. The Eighties brought us the first mobile phones, much...