I had never heard of the Mexican designer Tachi Castillo when I sat on the couch flipping through a copy of Conde Nast Traveller magazine. It had been a free subscription offer with my credit card, and even though it was fun to look through, I had complained to Edwin that all the locations in the mag were way outside of our travel shopping budget. But, when I got to the last page, their feature photo “Room With a View,” jumped out at me. It was a gorgeous scenic balcony that was looking out towards a monumental 18th century church in Taxco, Mexico. With the room rate listed at $66, I showed it to Edwin and mentioned that they finally spotlighted a hotel we could afford.

I’m not sure when I looked at that photo (the article is dated 3/1/13 on their website, but I definitely saw this in print in late February), but we had an appointment with the Van Nuys courthouse on March 1, to exchange our vows. We had gotten engaged back in November, but decided rather hastily to do a quick ceremony, and have a reception to celebrate at a later date. I was having trouble deciding what to wear. Should I just pull something out of my huge wardrobe? I didn’t really feel like I had the time or money (I was going to school for a career change) to search for the “perfect” dress. But I also didn’t want to minimize how important the occasion was to us.

I decided to go to the vintage clothing store Playclothes, because I had always reliably found amazing pieces there, including a 30’s silk velvet gown that I had worn to the Oscars. I browsed the racks and just didn’t see anything outstanding. A dress with interesting symbols had caught my eye, but the spaced-out sequins reminded me of gaudy tops older women wore in the 80’s. I asked about what 20’s-30’s gowns they had (some of the more delicate clothing was kept off the showroom for protection), and I picked out a few to try on, but they just weren’t flattering on me.

So…..I went back and looked again at that first dress I had noticed. The shop tag said it was 40’s-era (shortened from its original length), and it had small sewn-in shoulder pads. I also noticed that the manufacturer tag said it was from Taxco. Odd, since I had just seen that photo of a town I had never heard about before that. It had a matching shawl, and it was starting to grow on me. After trying it on and loving the fit, I decided to get it, whether I wore it for the wedding ceremony or not.

It so happened that Edwin loved it too, so it was the one! And when I got home, I looked up that article/photo, and to my amazement, found out that the hotel room that was highlighted was the El Estudio suite at Hotel Mi Casita, the former home of fashion designer Tachi Castillo…..the designer of the dress that I had found!! And so began my obsession…..

I admit, the most prolific era for her designs (or at least the ones that you can commonly find on ebay or vintage sites) is the 60’s/70’s, with lots of gauzy maxi dresses, jackets made with ribbons, and peasant-style blouses. I don’t dislike many of these pieces, and have a number of them, but the 40’s & 50’s dresses and skirts are both playful and exquisite, and she became a favorite of such celebrities as Joan Fontaine and Frida Kahlo. You can read more about her designs and life on the Vintage Fashion Guild website.

I started actively looking for her clothing at that point. It took me many years to find (or at least afford) another one of the 40’s/ 50’s sequin dresses/sets, but I did start finding some of her amazing 50’s embroidered skirts. I’m sure there are others who own more of her designs, and I have seen some amazingly spectacular ones, like a rooster-embroidered top & skirt, and cat face-themed capri pants. There have been other fabulous ones that I have either missed or just couldn’t justify paying an exorbitant price for, but I love the small collection that I have amassed.

One of her favorite themes seems to be fish and aquatic creatures. Edwin and I are both Pisces, with our birthdays two days apart, so fish have always featured prominently in our lives. 

Another favorite theme she uses are leaves, flowers, and plants……

One of her most famous skirts is the “Noah’s Ark.” It comes in slight variations in colors and embroidery……

And some skirts and dresses have symbols as a design……..

I have a couple of items that I find a little unusual (I haven’t seen them anywhere else). There is a 60’s/70’s tunic/smock (for painting or gardening?) with embroidered suns, and a set of small (around 6X8 inches) rectangular pieces with an embroidered image on each. At first, I thought they were sold as possible pockets for your own sewing projects. But some of them have tags on them as finished work. I recently bought some Tammis Keefe cocktail napkins that were a similar size, so I think they may have been meant for either that, or as linens under vases.

I may not always feel moved to buy every item of clothing she has created, but I always feel excited when I see this label.

Julia Devine

January 26, 2020