January Shop Update

 After a fabulous and eventful holiday season things have finally settled down here at Xtabay. 

Last Monday I spent the afternoon taking down the holiday greens, sweeping up pine needles and packing away Christmas ornaments. With everything taken down the store looks sparse but fresh. I get excited and inspired by the potential of all the empty space. So what do I do? I fill it.

January is when bridal season really starts to pick up. Brides have been calling our upstairs sister store The English Dept. and booking appointments like crazy. I've been busy trying to procure vintage dresses that would go well in a wedding party. Which is what I have put together above.Warning: these dresses are going fast, so be sure to visit the shop and follow us on Instagram where I post shop updates and new arrivals daily.

We have updated our shop hours, and are now open from 11-5pm Thursday-Sunday. We are closed Monday through Wednesday to focus on our online sales and out of town customers. We hope to see you soon and Happy New Year! 

Xtabay Closed For A Glamour Makeover....

It's been about eight years since Xtabay last closed her doors for a little rest and refresh. She's really been starting to show her age lately and is in desperate need of a major overall.   So we decided to take the rest of this sleepy, slow, snow covered January off to let her get a little work done. Fresh paint, new carpet, a little purging, and a lot of polishing. In other words,  Xtabay is about to get a glamour makeover. 

In the meantime I will be adding new items to our Etsy shop daily so you can still get your Xtabay fix while she's under the knife. 

I also highly recommend following Xtabay on Instagram at xtabayvintage to keep up with all our new arrivals and shop updates. 

Thanks so much for visiting and we look forward to seeing you in February! 

How To Really Look Special At Your Next Special Occasion...

In my humble opinion, modern day special occasion dresses look anything but.  I recently saw a group of young women walking down the street dressed up for a "special occasion". They looked like they might have been heading to a friends wedding or something. They had on cheap "special occasion" dresses that they had undoubtably picked up at the mall or online. The fabrics were shiny, the colors on trend, the hemlines were high and the necklines were low. There was nothing elegant, interesting or stylish about them. Rather than making the wearer look "special", they simply made the wearer look cheap and...what's the term?.... BASIC?  Yeah, they looked basic. What's worse than just looking bad is these tawdry little dresses really are essentially bad. Bad for the environment, bad for small businesses, bad for people! These soul-less, thoughtless garments are literally churned out by the millions in overseas factories where workers are treated and paid abhorrently. If you really want to know the reality about where these garments come from I implore you to watch the documentary The True Cost . It might change your life and hopefully it will at least curb your fast fashion addiction.

So the next time you need something "special" to wear to an occasion, consider wearing vintage. I can guarantee you'll look ten times fresher, smarter, and more stylish than your friend in her Forever 21 strapless tube dress. An added bonus will be the the warm fuzzy feeling in your heart knowing you are doing something good for the planet and the community around you--all the while looking GORGEOUS! 

Early 1960's Hydrangea Haze, waist 25".

1950's rhinestone studded hydrangea blue cocktail hat. 

Fabulous late 1950's Edith Flagg rose print cotton pique party dress, waist 27".

Elegant 1950's "New Look" black eyelash taffeta cocktail dress by Henry Rosenfeld. Waist 26".

Go for the gold in this gorgeous 1970's silk chiffon lame pine cone?!print Stavropolous evening gown. Waist 28".

1960's cotton and linen blend pink champagne cocktail dress with rhinestones and crystals! Waist 29".

Adorable 1960's Mod stripes and polka dot party dress, small.

Elegant 1961 Sophie Gimbel silk velvet burnout floral cocktail dress, sold.

1960's silk cocktail dress by Jerry Silverman, waist 26".

Beautiful 1950's cotton eyelet lace wedding dress, waist 31".

Fabulous 1960's lattice cocktail dress in Tiffany Blue, waist 30".