See right through me

I love a good sheer: chiffon and organza are my friends.  Especially now that the sheer high-low maxi dresses and skirts are in style.  One of the best things about shopping for a chiffon or organza, is that you can always find a lower cost alternative to pure silk.

I would absolutely recommend heading over to Spandex House (38th St b/w 7th and 8th Ave) and Spandex World (38th St b/w 7th and 8th Ave).  Both stores specialize in spandex, but they have some really beautiful sheers.  My personal favorite is the stretch ombre sheer; they both have this fabric in several different colors and it has caught my eye every time I've gone into either store.  The selection of sheers is not extensive and since most of the ones they have are novelty, they could run you up to $20 per yard.  However, I think it's worth it for an adorable ombre maxi skirt.

If you are looking for a more basic sheer, or one without stretch, get yourself over to Elegant (40th St b/w 7th and 8th Ave).  They have a large selection of both silk and polyester sheers in prints and solids, as well as a few novelty sheers like crinkle chiffon and sparkly organza.  They also have a good variety of different weights.  The silk sheers start at about $14 per yard and the polyester sheers start at about $6 per yard.  A word to the wise though: if you are going to go with polyester, make sure you spend some time with the fabric before you buy it.  Unroll some from the bolt to see how it drapes, crinkle it up, feel the texture.  They do have poly chiffon and organza that is absolutely comparable to silk, but they have others that are obviously on the lower end.

Another place that's worth a look is B&J (corner or 38th St and 7th Ave, 2nd Fl).  Their sheer section is pretty impressive, albeit a little bit pricier than I prefer.  They have an impressive range of solid colored sheers as well as some novelty sheers (beaded, embroidered, etc), as well as prints.  Since B&J prides itself on carrying designer fabrics, they also offer some higher priced designer sheers that are very cool.  They have both polyester and silk, which will run you anywhere from $7 - $25 for solids and basic prints.  If you're in the market for something beaded, embroidered, or designer (you may want to sit down before continuing), you could end up running your tab up to $100 per yard.

I also always suggest running around between 35th Street and 40th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.  There a million independently owned fabric stores on these streets and they are all worth a glance.  Over time you'll learn which of these stores has the best selection of sheers for the best deal.  One place I can recommend is called Fabric House (39th St b/w 7th and 8th Ave).  A couple of years ago, I was given the assignment of finding polka dot chiffon.  I went to about twenty stores, and this was the only store that had it.  It was $12 per yard and absolutely super cute.  Another favorite of mine is Paron (39th St b/w 7th and 8th Ave).  The best thing about Paron is that they have a small "annex" attached to the main store where you can get fabrics for up to 75% off the retail price.  The selection is small, but they do have at 5-15 bolts of most types of fabrics. 

One more suggestion: before you cut and purchase your fabric, either cut a swatch and bring it outside, or bring the bolt over to a window and look at the color in the sunlight.  I have bought fabric I thought was black but was actually navy blue.  A lot of fabric stores are notorious for bad lighting, and you can't take fabric back once it's been cut.