Look no more!
As a high-end interior designer, I am acutely aware of the high cost of quality upholstery fabrics, especially those produced in Italy which are exquisite, but very expensive. At Bassetti, I found magnificent wools and cashmeres, but anticipated prices that would suck the air from my lungs. Instead, the prices were so unbelievably low that I thought I misunderstood the currency conversion. 8-10 times the quoted prices would have been my wholesale cost on the west coast of U.S.A.
I bought the entire bolt of the exact fabric I've been envisioning for months. Once I left, I couldn't stop thinking about all the unexplored bolts so I returned 2 days later. I was greeted by Paul, my sales expert, as though I was an old friend. What a truly pleasant man who has thorough knowledge of every fabric I looked at. He didn't hesitate to unroll yards and yards of very heavy fabric to give me quantity figures, even though he had no assurance that I wouldn't walk away, leaving him with the labor of re-rolling it again. I bought everything on 4 more bolts - 57 yards of luxurious emerald, amethyst, claret and copper perfection. He climbed ladders, moved bolts and unrolled my numerous requests with no expectations of a sale other than the confidence of knowing his fabrics were unsurpassable. My friend put him through the same rigors with equal success.
Once our decisions were made, the staff reminded us of the VAT refund, preparing all the paperwork quickly and pleasantly. But it didn't stop there. They carried all the bags to our waiting van down the street!
One more point - although I don't speak a word of Italian beyond 'Ciao' and 'Grazie', there was never a communication issue.
A New York Times article written about Bassetti cited a 200,000+ fabrIc inventory. There are walls of beautiful men's suit and shirt fabrics; I had a lively conversation with an elegantly attired fashion designer who had settled on black cashmere for a bespoke coat. I was ready to marry off my college-freshman daughter for a reason to dream among the silk charmeuse, chiffons and lace.
It doesn't get any better than Bassetti Tessuti. I've extended my trip, so I can return tomorrow. Lucky me!
Grazie mille, Paul and staff.
Karen
Los Angeles read more