Weekend Finds 3: Mexican Tourist Jacket

Good morning!

It's Thursday! I'm off tomorrow, so I have all day to contemplate what kind of menu to serve at our engagement party Friday night! I know it sounds so Elizabeth Taylor in Father of the Bride, but I thought, as we never had a big to-do when we got engaged in 2011, why not kick out the jams this year to celebrate having set the date? While I am no newcomer to party-throwing, this is my first party as a mostly-vegan, totally vegetarian hostess. I don't much care what my friends eat in front of me, but I'm deathly afraid to serve dishes I haven't had a chance to taste test! Thus, I'm nosing around Pinterest directly after I finish this blog post to nail down some appetizers and a shopping list. If you know any good meat-free, dairy-free, egg-free party foods, please hit up the comment section!

In other news, we've made it to the last of my weekend finds for this week! Check out this Mexican tourist jacket I snagged from the flea market on Sunday:

I think I've mentioned before that it is to my eternal regret that I passed up a jacket a lot like this one at a Dogwood sale about two years ago, for FOUR. DOLLARS. I tried it on, it fit, and I went, "Ya know kid, you've been spending too much on outrageous pieces of vintage you never end up wearing, and this time, I'm puttin' my big foot down, see? Ixnay on the exican-may acket-jay, you get me?" (My inner voice sounds a lot like James Cagney after a mild stroke, apparently) I passed it up, and I've lived to regret it again and again when I see cute, embroidered souvenir jackets online with higher two-digit price tags. What was I thinking?! Atomic Redhead did a fabulous post a little while back about her tourist jacket, complete with online examples, and I could have spit I was so jealous (the mint green on black and black on mint green version are giving me heart palpitations even now).

I actually have one in red, that's a lot like the jacket Janey is wearing with her red squaw dress in that post, but it's a lot larger than I like to wear jackets. Being small waisted and little-of-bust, I really prefer for items to fit tightly (not even fitting, but actually a little too tight) onto the upper portion of my body to contrast with the bottom-heaviness of my pear-shaped figure. You can imagine how excited I was, accordingly, when I was digging through that same guy from last month's tables and tables of moth eaten linens and clothes in the Antique Shed, and found this. If you go to the flea market often, you know who I'm talking about (and if you don't, I described him last month when I bought a boatload of dresses)... he's there almost every month, and it's so strange the quality of clothes he has. This time, as I approached the tables, he said in his same-old Andy Devine voice, "Well, hey there! Do you know I bought a hundred and ten boxes of linens last weekend? There's all kinds of stuff in there, you know the drill-- find something you like!" I picked this and a couple other jackets, then carried my haul to another booth where there was a mirror, and tried each on for size. This one, and a pale yellow Dolman sleeved sixties' suit jacket, made the cut.

Do you see the back of it? Churches? A palm tree? LITTLE FIGHTING CHICKENS? I almost died. And look how tiny the fit is! I will definitely be wearing this a lot in the fall when wool and felt jackets are more weather appropriate.

I am really into these sewing patterns for similar jackets. Can't get to Mexico? Make a swagger jacket in your own home!

1940s Jacket Pattern Vintage McCall 1399 Embroidered Mexican Motif on Felt or Woven Fabric

1940s Childs Jacket and Beret Pattern McCall 1464 Mexican Motif Embroidery Transfers Vintage Sewing Pattern 

Vintage Pattern 1947 Girls Mexican Appliqued Felt Jacket Size 6

Do you have a Mexican tourist jacket to call your own? Do you think they're too much or just enough kitsch? Which one of the patterns you see here or on Atomic Redhead's blog do you like the best? How would YOU style this or one of the oversized swagger ones?

That's all for today, kiddos! I'm off to look at recipes. Have a great Thursday, and I'll see you tomorrow for Photo Friday! Til then.