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Persia, in a class by itself.

Mar 172013
 

The Persia design was added to the sheeting collection in 2005 and has become one of the most highly recognizable of all ANICHINI designs.  Why is it so beautiful?

The bedding is made up of 4 different fabric designs. A medallion, a wide awning stripe and 2 borders. This makes the construction complicated but very interesting. I know of no other bedding collection constructed like this.

In addition, all the fabrics are reversible. The reverse side is just as beautiful and interesting as the “right” side – and because we produce the bedding right here in our workroom we can customize the constructions. For example, we can leave off the flange entirely, or insert it into the body of the pillow cover.

Persia luxury jacquard sheets with alternate flange construction.

Allow me to go further. Persia is woven in Italy by one the very few remaining super high quality boutique weavers. This small factory, near Lake Como, embodies everything legendary regarding Italian textiles.

The product is a woven jacquard. The threads are of the finest, smoothest quality and 100% colorfast.  But the coup de grace is the fact that the weave itself is a twill weave. This twill translates into durability and longevity you cannot find elsewhere.  The bedding also requires little or no ironing due to the twill construction and the silkiness of yarns.

Persia is in a class by itself in the sheeting world. If you are interested in the best  of the best…..this is it.

Persia sheets in camel, orange, spaqua, and green

We Found Paradise On Earth in LA: The Charles Jacobsen Showroom

Apr 192011
 

I just returned from The City of the Angels, aptly named in 1781. I am certain it was paradise on earth. Only one hundred years ago, the city boasted a population of 100,000. Navigating the expressways today, this statistic boggles the mind, as the city rolls on forever.

Mostly surrounded by L.A. proper, there is a spot called Culver City that used to be the epicenter of the motion picture industry. Outside the center of Culver City there are long stretches of low lying warehouses and gritty nondescript buildings; many in poor repair or empty. The remains of another time, it was never a pretty sight.

I am setting the stage for a remarkable story concerning one man and his passion for creating his own paradise on earth. His name and the name of his business is Charles Jacobsen.

My friend and I are looking for the address of his showroom; driving past yet another low slung faceless building, we turn into a wide alley. The first clue that we had arrived was a beautiful green wall of plantings with a spot to park. As soon as we stepped out of the car and glanced over to the interior wall, we saw it was covered with brilliant clear dark purple flowers climbing 30 feet into the air.

The gate opens and we are transported into a spectacular garden. Full grown trees and shrubs, fountains, furniture, objets de jardin…the whizzing cars and world outside are lost. We have entered into a perfect world of beauty and order; the most lovely commercial venture I have ever seen.

I hesitate to call it a showroom, but that is what it is. Charles, a tall and elegant man born in Hawaii, has traveled extensively and has brought his perfectly chosen treasures back to this garden where they live until sold. There is everything you can imagine from Japanese stepping stones to carved marble from India to antique Dutch furniture from Sri Lanka to stone pillars, chairs and beds and sinks lighting, textile, and….well….just about everything. He also offers a collection of stunning upholstered furniture.

All of this is merchandised with a painter’s eye and an architect’s precision. It is just plain glorious and you must visit soon.

If this hasn’t intrigued you enough, I leave you with this: Hung on the branches of the trees throughout the grounds are old bamboo cages with song birds in them. Their sweet chirping merges with the sounds of the fountains and leaves you feeling that you are far, far away in the Garden of the Angels.

Interested? Email

Yak Love: More Durable than Cashmere

Mar 232011
 

I fell in love with yak blankets and throws and we now carry them at Anichini. They are 100% natural and reflect the dark brown color of the yak. They have a very soft hand, close to cashmere, but the blankets are more durable.

Like the cashmere of goats, yak hair is a secondary fiber (called down) grown each winter and shed in the spring. The nomads collect the fiber when the yaks molt either with combs or just pulling it out by hand. It is also collected off the hides of butchered animals in the fall. The down fiber then works its way to spinners via traders buying from the herders, selling to consolidators who sell to de-hairing factories and then it’s bought by either spinners or end users who have it spun.

Yaks require more forage than goats and sheep so the larger herds are seen more to the north and east in Amdo and Kham of Tibet (Qinghai and Sichuan today). The grasslands there are more lush than in Central and Western Tibet where goats and sheep predominate.

To lessen chance of calamity, traditional herders keep a mixture of animals – goats, sheep, and yak. Yak give the best meat and milk and the coarse outer fiber (guard hair) is used for tent fabric, ropes etc. The best quality yak hair comes from Outer Mongolia followed by Amdo and Kham. There are also herds in Inner Mongolia. There are wild Yak in remote areas of Tibet, these are an endangered species and trade is prohibited. All the yak hair in the market is from domestic animals.

Write to us for further information about yak blankets or call our West Hollywood store at 310 657 4292

image credit: http://everytrail.net

 

Anichini New York’s Tess Mix on the Evolution of Luxury Textiles

Feb 032011
 
Anichini New York's Tess Mix on the Evolution of Luxury Textiles

The idea of luxury has evolved in the most wonderful direction in the last ten years. Luxury’s exacting standards of absolute perfection have softened to embrace the distinctive qualities of handmade. When you think of luxury for the home and the interior, it has a specific definition that is more open minded and more earth […]

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In the Beginning…there was linen

Dec 072010
 
In the Beginning...there was linen

Most people agree that linen was the original woven textile. Remains of primitive linen production have been found that date back 36,000 years. The piece in this picture is said to be 7,000 years old, and the oldest piece of textile to exist. Visit any major museum and you will find ancient linen garments. The […]

The Emperor’s New Threads

Nov 182010
 
The Emperor's New Threads

I have been waiting to communicate these thoughts for a very long time. Before House and Garden shut its lovely doors, Dominique Browning and I conversed together about  publishing this piece. But now is the age of the blog. So rather than using a print magazine, I will push this forward for all to read […]

Bring Back the Monogram

Aug 112010
 
Bring Back the Monogram

Monograms have been around for a very long time. They have been traced back to the Greeks who used them on coins. After that, artists and guilds used them as a creative signature or authorized mark. Then royalty got a hold of the idea, and finally individuals. I founded Anichini sourcing and selling antique textiles, […]

Clothesline Renaissance

Jul 152009
 
Clothesline Renaissance

Who would ever think that having a clothes line would become a rare and coveted thing? At Anichini, we know well that the clothes dryer is a textile killer. The last 5 minutes overheats the fibers and causes them to deteriorate. If you have the opportunity, never dry anything 100% unless you don’t care about […]