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!
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.
Red Carpet worthy 1960's black and white evening gown with huge bow. Click here for more details.
Gorgeous early 1960's lipstick pink silk cocktail dress by Jane Andre. Looks gorgeous with our rare Norwegian fox stole. For more details click here.
Beautiful brilliant blue silk cocktail dress a la Joan Holloway from Mad Men. Early 1960's, so stunning on! Click here for more details.
Super sexy little black dress with fringe, perfect for shimmying the night away- New Years Eve anyone? Click here for more details.
Gorgeous 1960's Venetian lace dress, so stunning. Coming soon to our Etsy shop.
I'm so in love with this 1960's evening gown with beaded bodice in green and magenta paisley from Saks Fifth Ave. Perfect for a holiday ball. For more info click here.
On the left is a dramatic 1930's wool maxi coat with rich burgundy velvet buttons, click here for more info. On the right is a flawless 1940's burgundy gabardine suit with brass floral buttons. Click here for details.
Unbelievable vintage Valentino Alencon lace two piece set. Perfect for a wedding, whether it be the bride or mother of the bride. Stunning! Click here for details.
For the femme fatale in you…this 1940's illusion lace low back evening gown is killer. For detail click here.
Exquisite 1950's black silk organza cocktail dress, for more details click here.
As I am writing this our dry cleaner just delivered a huge batch of beautiful coats and dresses! Ahh…so much beauty in one space.
Did you know Xtabay also sells gift certificates?!
The ladies of the Xtabay Holiday Fashion Show photographed by Holly Andres. All dress from the Xtabay Holiday Collection.
This past Saturday the Xtabay (Annual) Holiday Fashion Show took place in our glamourous new bridal salon. Tickets were sold and all proceeds went to benefit the Cascade AIDS Project in Portland. The event was by far one of the biggest highlights of my career. I am so honored to have the support of such beautiful, talented people who helped to make the event a huge success. We managed to raise a whooping $1,200 for the cause and had so much fun.
I literally have hundreds of photo's from the event and I'm going to post them in segments. I will begin with the coats....
Dianne makes her grand entrance in a tomato red 1960's mod coat by Samuel Robert (with original tags 398.) and reveals a glittering white 60's cocktail dress (298.) above.
Krystal looks foxy in a 1960's patchwork coat by Modelia (298.) and a matching brown fedora (68.)
Famed photographer Holly Andres wears a 60's turquoise wool jacket by Modelia (398.)
Iris photographed by Holly Andres.
Iris plays the Femme Fatale in an 80's does 40's fur trimmed velvet suit by Climax (198.) and incredible veiled hat from the 1940's (148.)
Margaret looks radiant in an apple green 1950's fox trimmed swing coat by Lilli Ann (498.)
Kara looks sexy yet demure in this 30's leopard print fur jacket (298.) and matching muff (78.) and hat (98.) photo by Holly Andres.
Mila looks darling in a 1960's persian lamb trimmed suit by Charles Talbot.
Miss Margot looks downright dangerous in a new-old stock leopard print coat from the 50's (398.)
Pearl stuns the crowd in an exquisite 1960's blue fox trimmed sleigh coat (with original tags attached 998.)
Jade leave the crowd breathless in a 1960's lynx trimmed coat with matching wool pants. (895. original price tags still attached.)
Terri Lodge in a 1930's boiled wool princess coat with leopard print collar. (695.)
Why don't I just show you the video!
Thanks and stay tuned for part two! The cocktail dresses!
