The Vine: October 30, 2009
Dear Sars,
As a longtime reader, at long last, I have a question that I’m desperately hoping can benefit from the wide-ranging good taste of the TN readership.And my question is: bath towels.Where do I find mod, two-tone, patterned bath towels, like the polka-dot and damask ones my hip Grandma used to have from the 1960s?
Here’s my situation.I just bought my first house, and it came equipped with a vintage pink-and-blue-tiled bathroom.Read: blue sink, blue toilet, blue tub, floor-to-ceiling pink-tiled walls, pink-and-blue floor…we’re talking the 1950s works.It’s not without its charm, but I want to punch up all that pastel with some brighter linens.
Bright turquoise-on-blue or pink-on-red towels (or blue-on-green, or pink-on-orange…etc.) (stripes, polka dots, floral patterns, whatever) would just look super cool in this bathroom.These from Marimekko are sort of along the lines of what I’m thinking, but I’m not in love with them, and I just keep thinking, surely, someone else out there is making cool two-tone patterned towels, right?
I’ve searched a variety of sources (Target, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Pottery Barn, Amazon, Marimekko, Jonathan Adler, etc.) with no luck so far.So…does anyone know where to get patterned towels?Or should I just suck it up and buy plain, one-color towels like a normal person?
Thank you!
Sarah
Dear Sarah,
I have a few suggestions; these spots might not have what you need in stock right now, but keeping an eye on them could yield results.(A quick eBay search showed me nothing relevant, but that, plus conscientious attendance at flea markets and vintage stores in your area, could work too.)
1) Elsewares.com (I like the rooster towel)
2) Fashion Dig for vintage textiles (or try Rusty Zipper, though they seem to focus on raw fabric)
3) Gotta love the prices at Pearl River
Or perhaps the readers can help you out.Readers?(Please Tiny-URL those links; thanks!)
Tags: Ask The Readers retail
The Company Store has polka-dot and striped towels.
I found these at the Company Store:
http://www.thecompanystore.com/parent/Bath+Towels+Rugs/3601/VG83X/
You could also try West Elm, Pottery Barn Kids, L.L. Bean, Lands’ End, and Ikea.
Good luck!
I like these colorful polka-dot towels from The Company Store:
http://www.thecompanystore.com/parent/Bath+Towels+Rugs/3601/VG83X/
(I also have one of the Marimekko towels in that Unikko pattern, and I love it. But if Marimekko isn’t your thing, that can be a comfort, as they are pricey.)
Garnet Hill is ALSO doing polka-dot towels this year, in a different array of colors:
http://www.garnethill.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&itemID=11352&fromNewSearch=true&mercadoResultId=5
(Sorry for the URL-fail on the first one!)
I like these colorful polka-dot towels from The Company Store:
http://tiny.cc/JfG5a
(I also have one of the Marimekko towels in that Unikko pattern, and I love it. But if Marimekko isn’t your thing, that can be a comfort, as they are pricey.)
Garnet Hill is ALSO doing polka-dot towels this year, in a different array of colors:
http://tiny.cc/PNl3s
I wasn’t able to find a towel with two bright colors, but these Tracy Reese towels are fuchsia and white, which might work:
http://tinyurl.com/yhrz3v3
More non vintage from the same site:
http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/charter-club-dots-jacquard-towels
http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/rugby-stripes-towels
http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/dot-to-dot-towels-10
And there are more…just put “towels” in the search box.
Also, beach towels are often more colorful.
If you go to Joann Fabrics they usually have terrycloth in a range of colors and patterns. SInce the summer season is over they may not have the ones you want, but then again they might have the bright summer colors on sale now. And if this is for towels, that’s not a hard job to hem by yourself- you don’t need to be a master seamstress to do it.
These are also two-tone, although more traditional and not as bright: http://tinyurl.com/yedfepz
More from Macy’s, brighter:
http://tinyurl.com/ylrrruv
Sears has some bright blues and fuschias (these are beach towels, and I only listed some of them):
http://tinyurl.com/yc4tetb
http://tinyurl.com/yjaxrvc
http://tinyurl.com/yk4c2wt
Check out Marshalls or TJ Maxx. While they’re totally hit or miss, I did find some great turquoise towels with white polka dots and some fuschia and blue striped ones there within the last few months.
You might also want to check out savethepinkbathrooms.com for ideas.
Cost Plus World Market has some cute patterned ones, but they’re not overly bright. Still, worth a look, methinks.
Here are some aqua and white damask-type towels from Cost Plus/World Market: http://tinyurl.com/yg4ou8h
They also have some other colorful options (stripes, etc.) online – and probably more in store – might be worth checking out if there’s a location near you.
Pottery Barn Teen (www.pbteen.com) usually has some brightly colored/patterned towels, you should check there.
Can you get Cath Kidston designs in the states? Her 1950s style might be exactly what you’re looking for – if a little pricey.
Anyway, here’s the link to her towelling page:
http://www.cathkidston.co.uk/c-17-towelling.aspx
You could also try a mix of solid colors, i.e. a pink hand towel laid over a blue bath towel. And it’s usually easy to find washcloths and guest towels in any color at all… I have a rainbow bathroom myself, so I just use whatever’s clean and it’ll match somewhere, but I wish you happy hunting and I hope you find a pleasing solution.
Land’s End beach towels come in a variety of punchy stripes, including pink/orange. If the beach towel size is too much for you, they also have a kids’ size beach towel which is closer to regular bath towel size.
I have no towel suggestions, but I am deeply envious of your cool 50s bathroom. Any chance you should share a picture with us?
Does anyone know where to find bath towels that are less than the apparently standard 54″ long? I can’t seem to find anything but big fluffy towels, and would prefer something that dries more quickly and wraps more easily around a head of wet hair without toppling off.
Ikea has some super-bright colors, but I’m not overly impressed with the fluffiness of their towels. I would try Etsy, both in the vintage section and the handmade section. And the beauty of Etsy is that there are people on there who will make things to order, including towels. If Sarah’s a sewer, pick up some plain terrycloth at Joann’s, and stick on brightly colored fabric stripes. (Just be sure to prewash for shrinkage!)
Try Etsy: http://tinyurl.com/yk5aqqc. Good luck!
West Elm and CB2 have a pretty limited selection of towels these days, but I *knew* PB Teen would come through (…don’t judge). Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/ylnjktj
There is blue, there is pink, there are polka dots. The ones at the top might be a little pastel-y for your tastes, but scroll down–the “Lulu” and “Horizontal Stripe” (creative name, that) patterns look fun.
@Zoltania – I would shop for these in person at places like Target, K-Mart, or drugstores; or check etsy.com or Goodwill for vintage options. I have the same problem, and have mostly survived by appropriating my Mom’s old towels, but have had some luck at CVS, etc.
@Zoltania
Hotel towels are great for hair. You can buy them. Obviously you can also get them in other ways; whichever is more your style.
Zoltania, get a Turbie-Twist, or similar. It will change your life.
Beware the Company Store… terrible quality items. I’ve had to return everything I’ve bought there because it’s… well, junk.
In case anyone is still checking this thread… I just had to reply to Bri’s comment above, because I was one of those recommending the polka-dot towels at The Company Store.
I recommended those because I *have* them, and thus can say personally that I like them. Granted, I have them from like 2 years ago, when they were offering a slightly different set of colors (same polka-dot pattern, though), so I cannot in fact say that I ordered them *last month* and am happy with them. But the ones I ordered 2 years ago, I have been very happy with the quality and the wear. They’re as thick as I want, without being too thick; they’re all terrycloth, rather than velour on one side (I don’t like that in a towel); they haven’t faded significantly.
I’m not saying that there may not be other products from The Company Store that warrant Bri’s bad opinion of them. Just that in this particular case, I was recommending with some knowledge of the product, and it’s not junk.
Now, the Garnet Hill ones — those, I haven’t tried. Those aren’t a personal recommendation, just a “hey, look, they have polka-dot towels here, too!” pointer.
Most of what I’m finding online in op-art kinds of patterns are in neutrals and browns, unfortunately, but Bed Bath & Beyond has a multicolored polka-dot pattern: http://tinyurl.com/yfomadf
If that doesn’t work for you, I second a previous commenter who suggested using contrasting towels in bright colors.