Silk Trading Company makes its way down south

One of my favorite L.A. haunts is South La Brea Avenue. Good shopping

and good eating: it’s an awesome combo. Add a couple of friends to

the adventure, and you have my idea of a great day.

The store I never miss is the Silk Trading Company. It has

beautiful fabrics in every color and pattern imaginable. It has

hardware and furniture, but the best part about the Silk Trading

Company is the drapery out of a box. Pre-made silk drapery panels

that would quench any thirst for instant gratification.

Much to my delight, as I was cruising Crystal Court (which is no

longer called Crystal Court, and I have no idea what it’s called it

now), a brand new store was opening ... the first Orange County

location of the Silk Trading Company. Not as large and not as

encompassing as the South La Brea store, but nonetheless, a branch of

the mother ship.

The Costa Mesa location has bolts of fabrics, which can be ordered

in quantity, but it also has the drapery out of a box products that

are the best “retail” drapes you can find. The styles have names like

the “Hepburn,” the “Madison” and the “Odessa,” and the fabrics are

made in colors dubbed daiquiri, seedling, duchess blue, mulberry ...

and the list goes on. They come in a variety of lengths and can be

used as working drapes or decorative side panels. The styles vary:

simple, lined panels with beautifully pleated tops; silk taffeta with

sheer overlays; diamond patchwork silk; sheer Gambetta silk; silk

with seed pearls and lined wool jacquards.

The mood goes from no-nonsense to over the top. In other words,

you can find drapes for the living room and drapes for the nursery in

one fell swoop. The dressmaker details are one of the qualities that

set these drapes apart. The Hepburn drape is silk taffeta made with a

contrasting band of color on the sides and bottom of the drapes.

The combinations sound as good as the product: soft yellow and

ivory; rouge and raj; and ivory with ivory. The Madison drape is made

of Durham park silk taffeta in bold stripes with colors combinations

that include apple and cream, eggshell and beige and royal rust with

taupe. The Zelda drape would make any girly-girl giddy. The lined

Como silk drape has a sheer overlay that gives it an ethereal

quality.

Granted, these are not inexpensive. However, if you add up the

cost of fabric and labor, these drapes are cost effective. Prices are

$425 a pair and up. OK, way up.

There are also the in-between products that are a great deal for

upscale design window coverings. The widths vary from 78 inches to 94

inches wide, and the lengths are 110 to 120 inches. Don’t be

frightened by length. These are the kind of drapes that should

“puddle” on the floor to enhance the sense of drama.

To finish the job, the Silk Trading Company also has hardware that

comes in a distinctive variety of styles and finishes. You can walk

out of the store with your draperies out of a box and have designer

drapes in the bag.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Thursdays.