On My Personal Radar: Chimayo Jackets!

Yours truly in my coveted 1940's Chimayo. Bad girl attitude not included. ;)

Ahhhh.... lovely lovely Chimayo jackets. A vintage collector's dream. After years of wanting the perfect one, I came across my dream Chimayo last April at the Viva Las Vegas rockabilly weekender. It's a deep cobalt/teal blue cropped 1940's womens style, swing cut with wide sleeves and puffed 1940's shoulders. The designs are in red, black, and cream. I got it for basically a steal on the last day of vending. It's worth probably 3 to 4 times what I paid for it. But that's boring dealer talk- you all could care less about that.

Anyhow, so of course, being the vintage hoarder that I am- now I want more. Specifically a black one... the most pricey of the colors of Chimayos. Maybe one day I'll find that perfect black one, maybe one day I'll actually have the money to throw down for one right on the spot, but for now a gal can dream...

So what is a "Chimayo" jacket? Well, Chimayo is a village north of Santa Fe in New Mexico. Weaving traditions in northern New Mexico date back hundreds of years, and Chimayo is probably the best known weaving center in the region. Chimayo weavers incorporated both Navajo and Hispanic motifs into their goods. These particular jackets first became popular with tourists in the 1930's because they were much easier to take with them when traveling, versus large traditional blankets and sarapes.

Here's a few killer examples of vintage Chimayo jackets, both mens and womens styles:

A KILLER mens Chimayo. This baby is worth big bucks, for sure- how appropriate that it's listed on a Japanese vintage site. Finding them in black is a super rarity, especially in this cropped "Ricky" or "Ike" style and in the larger mens size. Drool...

Another fabulous black Chimayo. You can also read about these jackets in this blog. They have a very nice write-up as well that's very extensive.

A rare eagle motif! Wowee-zowee! This image was taken from the blog listed above as well.

 

A lovely 1940's womens style that was available on Etsy. Get a load of those colors! 4th of July, anyone? ;)

A Summer Tradition: Fabulous Swim Attire!

Summer's here... do YOU have that perfect swim suit to make you a true bathing beauty?

Aaaah yes, it's that time of year. The tempratures rise, the days grow longer, and eventually you will be invited to some sort of function that involves a beach or a pool, or lounging by a body of water of some sort. Perhaps a kiddie pool? Please, we don't judge here.

So, with that in mind, do you feel truly confident with your current choice of pool attire? Hmmm? Well, if not, why not try a cute vintage number! Most women who often complain of feeling "naked" in modern day swimwear love the figure flattering styles of yesteryear. Vintage suits were made to really flatter and enhance the female form (i.e. giving you that great hourglass look), not just merely showing as much skin as they possibly can, like today's suits. Allot of them had structural boning built-in, as well as supportive bras that gave you that great va-va-voom bustline. And I know what you might be thinking--- "granny swim suits." NOPE. Check these sexy 1940's and 1950's bathing suit styles below! Not your nana's swimsuit, that's for sure!

The middle one absolutely kills me. One in every color, please.



Catalina was a very popular swimsuit maker in the 1950's. These styles are all super cute, don't you agree? I especially love the one on the far right.

Rose Marie Reid was considered the "Cadillac" of swimwear back in the 1950's. Extremely well made and very high fashion. These suits are extremely collectable now. The suits above were made out of a water-proof velvet material. Simply fabulous!

An adorable 1950's ad for swimwear giant "Jantzen," who are still around today.

 

"Cole of California" was another very popular, high end swimwear label from this time. I find that their designs were the most fun and quirky, while still remaining very high fashion. Check out these 2 ethnic inspired ads; the first from 1958 and the second from 1955. Super cute!

    

Some lovely styles above. I have always loved the vintage bikinis in particular and how interesting they were made; with all of the ties and whatnot. Famous pinup model Bettie Page was known for making her own- something I would love to try and tackle myself one day.

And of course, here's a modern day example of vintage swimwear that's still totally functional and pool-ready:

Myself in a late 1940's cotton seersucker one piece. No label, seems homemade. I love the ruffled skirt! In case you're wondering- yep, this (the suit, not the hair... heheh) went in a jacuzzi and did quite well.

And of course at Butch Wax Vintage I have some super duper cuties up for your buying pleasure. Check these 2 out that are up for grabs:

 

The 1st one is a 1950's satin-esque "Catalina" brand suit (Size XL to XXXL) that's never been worn!

The 2nd one is a late 1940's crisp cotton suit (Size M) that's so just pinup chic!

Both are guaranteed to turn heads in a very good way.

So Easy & Never Cheesey: Cotton Summer Dresses!

Ah yes, the classic 1950's crisp cotton sun dress. A true staple in any wardrobe, I do believe. All throughout the year I hoard these little gems, just waiting to bust them out the minute the weather shows the least bit of warmness.

One of my favorite styles of this dress is the classic "New Look" style that was made so popular by the late great Mr. Christian Dior. The New Look silhouette consists of waspy nipped waists and huge full circle skirts, usually so full that a crinoline can be worn underneath for added volume and drama. Here's a perfect example of a classic 1950's New Look sun dress:

Common brands that were popular for this style back in the day include "Jonathan Logan," "R&K Originals," "Alex Colman" and even the Hawaiiana great "Afred Shaheen."

And of course, at Butch Wax Vintage I love to keep my store chock-full of these babies. I look for ones with that extra little flair, that extra little detailing, or "novelty." Many of mine will have whimsical "novelty prints" on them, such as this darling coffee cup and saucer novelty print one by "Alex Colman":

Perfect for the stylish hot beverage lover or foxy barista! Isn't it thee cutest?

Here are a few more fabulous 1950's New Look sun dress Butch Wax pieces that are currently still available as well:



      

   

Any of course, what good would any blog entry be without showing a few modern day examples of how these vintage 1950's dresses are worn! Take a gander:



A gorgeous Italian woman in Paris rockin' a fine vintage sun dress with an added modern day belt and leopard platforms!

Me, on the left, wearing a fabulous Etsy find with a vintage tooled leather belt and modern day Charles David platform mules at Viva Las Vegas!

Anyhow, hope you all enjoyed my first little ditty post. Look for more coming soon!

 



Howdy folks!

Hi there folks! With the growth of my business, Butch Wax Vintage, I thought it would be fun to do a little blog about vintage fashion and how fabulous it is! So, lets get started, shall we?

The Girl Behind the Clothes
Let me first start out by introducing myself. Hi! My name's Amanda. I'm a 30 year old bright redheaded gal from lovely San Diego, California who has been obsessed with the past since the wee age of, oh, about 13. My work background is in professional makeup artistry and vintage clothing. I was a makeup artist for Christian Dior, Guerlain, and NARS. Before starting Butch Wax Vintage, I worked in a prestegious high scale vintage clothing boutique for close to 6 years before it closed to go purely online. I was in charge of not only working in the store, but doing visual displays, all online business for the store, all graphic design and promotion for the store, as well as being the "face" or model of the store. You may have seen me on Ebay or Etsy a time or two (or a bunch, haha), and also on the cover of the monthly publication "Today's Vintage." Besides my business, I am the lead singer in the 1960's inspired soul band, The Amandas, and I also perform vintage-styled burlesque under the name of Miss Dixie von Trixie.

What's in a name?
I started my business back in May of 2010 on Etsy. Everyone wants to know what's with the name, right? Ok- so, my darling boyfriend had a punk rock noise band back in the day called The Butch Wax Duo. I always liked the sound of that, Butch Wax being a hair wax for men from the 1950's. So when I started my business I had a very specific vision in mind: top notch, super KILLER vintage clothing from mainly the 1940's and the 1950's. Very glitzy items that are uber glamorous and girlie, but then BUTCH Wax came into play, and I loved the contrast of the masculine word "Butch" with my very feminine clothes. So basically "Butch Wax Vintage" is a reflection of my personal self. On the outside I'm a total glammed up girly girl, but I grew up a no-frills freckle-faced tomboy and allot of that still harbors inside of me. I'd like to think that my clientel is every different type of girl, from glamorous bombshells to down n' dirty tomboys. Everyone likes to get dressed up every now and then- and that's what I'm here for. :)

Me, Amanda aka Da Boss Lady