shopping for fabric in LA

Trip to the LA Fashion District

I had been wanting to check out the LA Fashion District since I moved to southern California two weeks ago. I had the opportunity this past weekend, when my husband and I were going to the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA). I had gotten us tickets to see the Rain Room, which had been sold out for some time. Before we headed to the LACMA, we made a stop at the Fashion District to check out some fabric.

My first stop was the FIDM Scholarship store. I had heard about the place from some other blogs online. It was a super cool store, and the fabric is a great deal. Solids are only $1.00 per yard, and prints are only $2.00 per yard. They do have some specialty fabric for $5.00 per yard, but I didn't really look at any of those.

The FIDM Scholarship store had a lot of other stuff, not just fabric. They had denim bottoms (jeans and shorts) for only $5.00, and lots of clothing for really cheap. They also had a wall of special occasion gowns for $25 -$50, and a wall of wedding dresses for less than $300, some as low as $50!.

The FIDM Scholarship store. 

The FIDM Scholarship store. 

I bought $24 worth of fabric. I'm really into stripes these days. 

I bought $24 worth of fabric. I'm really into stripes these days. 

This is part of the fabric wall. It was super fun to just look around and touch all the fabrics! 

This is part of the fabric wall. It was super fun to just look around and touch all the fabrics! 

My next stop was the Michael Levine Loft, which I had also read about prior to coming to the Fashion District. We didn't have time, so I skipped the main store and went straight to the Loft. Here, they sell fabric for $3.00 per POUND. That would be a huge deal if you bought silks or lightweight fabric. I bought mostly knit, which is heavier. I walked out with a little less than 7 lbs of fabric, but I forgot to take a picture of it. It was a great deal for about $21.00. The fabric is mostly in big bins, which is kind of fun to scrounge around in, but it's not organized in any way, so it feels kind of like a treasure hunt. So you'll have to like that sort of thing. I personally thought it was lots of fun, but I wasn't trying to find anything in particular.

Rummaging in the boxes at Michael Levine Loft, so much fun!

Rummaging in the boxes at Michael Levine Loft, so much fun!

After my trip to the FIDM scholarship store and the Michael Levine Loft, we headed to the LACMA. It was our first time there. We went to the Rain Room, which was very cool, and walked around a lot of the general exhibits, but there wasn't enough time to see everything. Definitely worth a second trip!

I think it would be fun to go back to the Fashion District and walk around the streets and look at the other shops. The sidewalks are filled with shops showcasing their fabric, and I really didn't get a chance to experienc it all.

Fabric on the sidewalks everywhere!

Fabric on the sidewalks everywhere!

I didn't really get to see everything the Fashion District has to offer. Must go back later! 

I didn't really get to see everything the Fashion District has to offer. Must go back later! 

Thank you for reading! I will update next time I go to the LA Fashion District!