pretty pairings….

1950's Jr. Theme chiffon party dress (waist 26) with a 1960's Enid Collins purse and some pretty satin bow kitten heels. Perfect for a party!

What could be better for the Kentucky Derby? 1950's Peggy Hunt linen rosette dress, 60's straw hat and 50s butter stilettos.

Perfect for prom or a bridesmaid: 1960's pink taffeta party dress, 1950's Coro flower necklace and 1950's powder blue pumps.

Perfect for a garden party or as a wedding guest: 1950's cotton rose print dress, butter heels and again the Enid Collins "Fleurs" box purse. 

Wonderful 1950's cotton floral print dress with 50's pale blue fascinator and the kelly green satin bow kitten heels. Perfect for a bridesmaid or wedding guest.

For a black tie event try this 1960's wool crepe and sequined bodice evening gown, a 1940's felt and feather pouf hat and again the indispensable butter heels. 

Perfect for a picnic: 1950's gingham dress, a 40's straw hat and my favorite 50's plastic lace handbag. 

Date night? Try this sexy l960s lace cocktail dress by Suzy Perette with the 50s lace bag and the butter yellow heels. 

Cuties! 1960's silk print heels, a 50's beaded evening bag, a 1940's purple felt purse and my favorite 60's permed suede shoes! 

 I hope some of these pretty pairings inspire you to ad a little vintage to your wardrobe.
Most of these darling dresses are available in our Etsy shop.  Please call us at 503-230-2899 for more details regarding sizes and prices.

Thanks!

New Arrivals July 25th

50's teal temptation party dress.

1940's rayon crepe dress and 50's hat.

1940's Saybury dressing gown. 

1950's silk dress from peck & peck.

30's ethereal wedding gown.

1950's New Look dress by Joset Walker.

1960's blue cupcake dress.

1960's Lilly Dache red portrait hat. 

1960's coffee and caramel chiffon dress by Jr. Theme. 

1960's Pat Sandler sequined mod dress.

 Just a small sampling of some of the fabulous things that have come in lately. Most of these items are available online in our ETSY store as well as our boutique here in Portland.

Thanks for looking!

First Lady

Michelle Obama has been getting a lot of press for her strong, simple silhouettes and basic colors. We like her style. We like how she dresses to reflect the strong, independent, modern woman that she is. But Michelle reflects the style of another First Lady we admire: Jackie Kennedy.




Jackie Kennedy also wore strong and deceptively simple clothing. Like Michelle, she dressed to flatter a slender but boyish figure. She bent the fashions of the times to work best with her body. That's what real style is.

A study of Jackie's clothing shows demure necklines, short sleeves, and sheath dresses that started from her broad shoulders and skimmed her slender hips. The Jackie suits that she made famous were cut with a narrow angle between the armpit and waist to disguise a darling but unfashionably boyish waist. Her jewel neck suit jackets and tops wouldn't have flattered a busty woman, but they showcased her elegant figure. The strong colors and simple patterns she wore attracted attention without being distracting. She was all about cut and quality, like a Brancusi sculpture, or the best diamonds.

Michelle Obama's style reflects some of this sensibility, although with a more "of the people" attitude. I'm not sure we would have caught Jackie redhanded at J. Crew, and it was only reluctantly that she renounced her favorite French designers (but hired American Oleg Cassini to copy the best of their creations). Michelle, on the other hand, publicly scoffs fancy designer duds, but hides her multi-hundred dollar sports-style shoes in the closet. It all adds up to the same thing, really: they're both women who have the confidence to dress to suit themselves despite the watchful public eye.

For a woman with more of the Italian-styled slender hips but not too much of a waist or bust, Jackie's early- to mid-1960s style is perfect. The Xtabay has a treasure trove of cocktail dresses and suits right now that Jackie would have loved. Fabrics with a real hand, like raw silk and brocade, and in lipstick pink, peony green, and radiant black reflect Jackie's style, especially when made into sleeveless cocktail dresses with necklines begging for bold necklaces. Add a structured black patent bag and a low-heeled pump, and you are the picture of mod elegance. Come into the store, and we'll tell you if you're a good candidate for a Jackie, or if you'd be better off styling yourself after Marilyn.

Michelle might do well to take a page from Jackie's book. Who knows? Maybe she has. We've heard lots of talk about Camelot from the Obamas. A few more fancy dress receptions for foreign dignitaries and we'll know for sure.

Bonnie Cashin, Genius

Liz and I were at an estate sale, in the basement, rummaging through two racks of dresses, suits, and coats. Liz, with her impeccable eye, tossed item after item over her arm. "Bonnie Cashin!" she said in an excited whisper. "There's tons of it!"

The elderly Italian woman who had owned the house had exquisite taste and a generous clothing budget. And she had kept every gorgeous outfit she bought, including a cache of classic Bonnie Cashin designs that would make the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Curator weep with joy.

Bonnie Cashin, who would have been 100 years old were she alive, revolutionized American fashion. Cashin started her career designing costumes for the Roxyettes at New York City's Roxy Theater when she was only 25 years old. She did a little costume design in Hollywood, too--that's her work in The King and I, for example--and did unattributed designs for Hermes and others.

But today she's mostly known for two accomplishments: her design with the Sills company, and taking Coach from an antiquated saddle company to a national name in women's leather accessories.

With Sills, Cashin took fabrics like mohair, jersey, and wool, fabrics that had never got the respect they deserved, and turned them into luxurious coats, suits, ponchos, and dresses. She valued comfort and freedom of movement, so she patterned her designs after Chinese clothing. Many of her coats had kimono sleeves and loose bodies so that they could be layered with other clothing. (In fact, some say she introduced the concept of layering to Americans.) She favored hardware-style closures--closures that she brought to Coach and that, to this day, allow you to i.d. a Coach bag from down the block. Like Claire McCardell, she imbued everyday clothing with a style that came to define American elegance.

Cashin loved working with leather, and her signature pieces often include leather ties or piping. So, her years at Coach were a natural. When Cashin was hired at Coach, Coach was known for making saddles and bridles. Cashin took advantage of Coach's expertise with saddle leather and designed practical but stylish handbags that have since become hugely sought after. Coach is now re-issuing some of her designs, although "cutey-pied" up and at ridiculously high prices.

At the estate sale, Liz snagged several Bonnie Cashin mohair and wool coats and dress/coat combos that somehow manage to look vintage and yet timeless. They are taupe, ruby red, cocoa brown, ivory, and more. They are indubitably American, and yet they are so elegant that they would kick butt in Paris. Even better, they're a reasonable size 8 or 10. When Liz went into the back basement room at the estate sale and came out with some Bonnie Cashin purses, I vowed I'd wrassle her to the ground if I had to for the red Cashin Carry tote, and it's by my side right now. (No wrassling necessary.) I think Liz kept the lipstick pink one. If you're lucky, you can still buy one tote left, in a rich brown-black.

I'm still dreaming about that estate sale. If you like fashion, for God's sake don't miss out on the Cashins!

GiGi Goes to Paris, part one

Welcome to the Xtabay's first serial story! Every two weeks we'll change the display in the store's window to match a story that we'll post on our blog at the same time. The first installment of the story will be posted when the display changes, and the concluding installment will come a week later.

Read on to find out the story behind Gigi's urgent trip to Paris...

When she heard the thwack of a letter in the mail slot, Gigi was arranging a vase of iris, roses, and peonies she'd just brought in from the garden. She tucked the last rose--a fragrant, mauve Mme. Isaac Perriere--in the vase and pulled a letter on fine blue airmail paper from where it landed just inside the door. She recognized the handwriting of her aunt, Louise de Robeneuve, who lived in Paris.

"Dear Gigi," the letter read, "You must come to Paris at once! There's no time to explain. A ticket is waiting for you at the airport. Kiss the dog for me, darling. Your loving aunt, Louise."

Gigi sighed. So like her aunt not to leave her time to plan. Still, if Aunt Louise needed her right away, chances were that something important was up. Gigi opened a suitcase on her bed. She'd just have time to pack, take her poodle, Yves, to a friend's house, and drive to the airport for the midnight flight to Paris.

What should she pack? Gigi's aunt and her uncle, the Conte de Robeneuve, lived the luxe life and would probably take her to Taillevent or to the opera, where the Conte was a patron. She pulled her 1960s white sequined dress with pink maribou trim and laid it on the bed, along with a robin's egg blue beaded tank and a pair of pink heels. She tossed her 1950s red silk chiffon into the suitcase and on second thought added a leopard print beret, a pink, ruffled neglige, and a black, merry widow corset. Whatever it was Aunt Louise had in mind, Gigi would be prepared.

The flight to Paris was tiring, but thanks to her aunt's thoughtful purchase of a first-class ticket, Gigi was able to let the hum of the airplane lull her for a few hour's sleep. The plane touched down at Charles de Gaulle just as Parisians were downing their morning cafes au lait and hustling for the metro. Gigi's aunt met her outside of customs and led her to a Bentley idling nearby.

"Oh, darling!" Louise said. "How was the flight? Was the coffee terrible? You look fabulous, cherie," she said, eyeing Gigi's crisp, pink raincoat and Schiaparelli scarf. Louise hugged Gigi, temporarily enveloping her in Chanel No. 5.

"I came as soon as I could, Aunt Louise," Gigi said. "Is everything all right? Is it the Conte? I hope nothing terrible has happened."

Louise leaned back into the Bentley's leather seat. "Oh la la!" she said. Louise was born in Nebraska, but she'd taken well to France. "You know that the opera is trËs important to the Conte." Gigi nodded. "Well, tonight is the opening of Don Giovanni, and the lead tenor, Antonioni Stiletto, refuses to go on! We've tried everything, but he sulks and won't eat and says that he's too depressed to take the stage! I thought sopranos were divas, but Stiletto--he takes the cake." Louise turned to Gigi, "Oh, Gigi, you've got to help us. I just know if anyone can talk sense into him, it's you."

Talk a depressed tenor into performing at the Opera Garnier! Could Gigi do it? For art? For her uncle's reputation? For all the evening gowns that were at that moment being pressed by scores of maids across Paris? She clutched her pink, patent leather purse tight and said, "I'll do what I can."

Find out what ails Antonioni Stiletto and whether Gigi saves opening night in next week's installment of Gigi Goes to Paris.