Monday, January 19, 2015

Beige No More




























 The color beige is having it's hey-day here in Portland. Everywhere I look, it's beige or ecru or oatmeal or cream of wheat. Yes, the blandest color on the spectrum is having it's moment here in 
Portland, OR. 

My aversion to beige started young. Growing up, my parents always opted for the color beige. I might say they were beige enthusiasts.  I remember the time my Dad bought a Volkswagen Rabbit when I was about 5 years old. While looking over the color options I vied emphatically for the red model but in the end he chose beige. The zippy, sporty nature of the car evaporated instantly when the beige version  pulled up into the dealership parking lot. The color of dirty sand, it faded into the environment and became invisible. Nobody was going to think I was cool riding in that car. Nobody was going to notice me at all. 
 I grew up in a beige living room. When picking out home appliances my parents always choose beige.  I could never figure it out, why would people pick the color most like no color at all? 

So this post is dedicated to color. The items above are new arrivals in the shop that are saturated with color! Juicy, rich, vibrant color. Because here in Portland we need it. Badly.

 Most items above are listed in our online Etsy shop Xtabay Vintage

Thanks to our lovely shop assistant Rachael Allison for modeling. 







Friday, January 9, 2015

Vintage Bride, Modern Rachael

Rachael Allison models some of our favorite vintage wedding dresses and accessories.  Everything is currently available in our bridal salon and will soon be in our Etsy shop as well. 































The last two pictures are of Rachael on her wedding day in her vintage wedding gown from Xtabay. 
Doesn't she look beautiful!? 

The tricky thing about vintage wedding dresses is that they really have to be tried on to be appreciated. The dresses we photographed today are some of our neglected beauties. They rarely get tried on because of one reason or another. Usually it's that they are too conservative and covered up. Seeing them on Rachael really makes them come to life. The bridal salon is chock full of beautiful vintage wedding dresses just waiting to come back to life. 

The bridal salon is open by appointment only Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Call us at 503-234-7568. 

Thank you Rachael for playing dress up with me today!