by Toma Haines
Research says we spend one
third of our life in bed - thus, putting your money in the mattress isn't such
a bad idea if you want to get a good night's sleep! First off, I love American retailers such as
TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning and Bed, Bath and Beyond to buy high thread-count-Egyptian-cotton-sheets-and
duvets at bargain-bin prices and though I live in Europe, I often shop these discount
stores while in the good ole' USA. On my
annual visit to America, I stock up on savings whilst guaranteeing a good
night's sleep the rest of the year!
But if you're a Princess-and-The-Pea-sort-of-girl, I've got a brand for
you. In my opinion the best linen in the
world is made by D. Porthault - the first French linen firm to introduce
printed bed linens after being so inspired by Monet, Renoir and other
Impressionist painters that they decided surely one would sleep better ensconced
in printed French blossoms. Of course,
being ensconced comes at a price - a set of D. Porthault sheets can set you
back thousands of dollars. But why pay
full price when you can pay a mere fraction of that? Instead of shopping retail, spend your
savings covering the cost of an airline ticket to the D. Porthault factory
outlet, just outside of Lille, France in
Roubaix.
Roubaix is the former heart of the French textile industry and now the center
of mail-order shopping in France. The
city used to be known as the 'city of 1,000 chimneys' and
the old factories and their chimney's still stand. Getting to the D. Porthault factory will
challenge even the most knowledgeable of taxi drivers and is certain to cause
confusion on your GPS, but stay the course and you'll be rewarded when you
arrive at the destination:
D. Porthault
19 Rue Robespierre
Rieux-en-Cambresis, France
But you don't have to take just my word for it, take that of my shopping idol, Born
to Shop expert Suzy Gershman. She writes in her biography, C'est La Vie, "A one thousand dollar sheet costs about ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS at the
outlet. The Porthault outlet store is located right within the factory." Suzy goes on to explain that "The Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris is famous for its custom made
Porthault tablecloths - red geranium splashed on a white background... Most of
the world's top hotels have Porthault robes. The Porthault factory outlet sells
both commercial lines as well as consumer lines, both are deluxe brands
released (in the factory) at a small fraction of the regular retail price." If it's good enough for the world's top
hotels, then it's good enough for me! Of
course, with the plethora of guests I've been hosting since my recent move to
Berlin, I might have opened a B&B for friends and family and not even known
it!
While you're in Lille, you'll want to maximize your shopping time - that's why
you want to go to Lille, France the FIRST WEEKEND in SEPTEMBER every year for
their Grand Braderie - literally a town-wide garage sale! You can stock up on French furniture and
antiques to go with those gorgeous sheets and table cloths you've just
purchased. And before you leave Lille,
you'll naturally have to hit ALL those other factory outlets - my favorite is
L'Usine - an outlet mall with three floors selling 200 brands of discounts of
up to 60 per cent off. If you don't find
anything at D. Porthault (sadly their inventory is hit or miss) then you'll
definitely find something at L'Usine ... Check out the Deschamps outlet store and
keep your eye open for linens with labels such as Cristian Lacroix, Pierre
Frey, Yves Delorme - all, bien sur, at
deeply discounted prices!
L'Usine
228, Avenue Alfred Motte
59100 Roubaix, France
http://www.lusine.fr/vue/form/lusine/accueil/accueil.htm
Until Next Time, Bonne Shopping!
The Antiques Diva
To read more exciting articles written by The Antiques Diva visit www.antiquesdiva.blogspot.com or to book a European Antiques Shopping Tour at www.antiquesdiva.com Follow me on www.twitter.com/TheAntiquesDiva