Description
This cream wool felt Mexican tourist jacket is a great example of a style popular in the 1940s and early 1950s as a south-of-the-border travel souvenir--or US-made “exotic” casual wear. Blanket stitching is used to attach multicolored wool felt appliqués including: a man and a woman, an adorable burro, cacti, gourds, maize, pottery, sombreros, and more! Chain-stitched and hand-embroidered details in colorful cotton thread embellish the appliquéd designs. The edges of the jacket are all pinked to prevent the felt from fraying. It has a small collar, 2 patch pockets in front, cuffed-up bracelet-length sleeves, small pleats at the top of each shoulder, and a straight hem. The jacket has no lining or fastenings. It was designed to be worn open and slightly loose-fitting.
In very good condition, the jacket has a tiny mark on the lower corner of the right pocket, an equally tiny mark at the back of the left elbow, and one partial moth munch in the left sleeve cuff which does not go all the way through the felt (see close-up photos). It has been freshly dry-cleaned, with no other issues to note. I did my best to capture the bright shades of the felt appliqués, but the colors are most true in the close-up photos: dark orange, butter yellow, burgundy, gray, dark navy blue, and bright green. I estimate that this intricately appliquéd 1950s Mexican tourist jacket is approximately a modern size XS. Measurements were taken with 1-inch gap in front; it could fit a slightly larger size if the front is left more open.
Size: XS
- Bust: 35 inches flat, to fit up to 33 a bit loosely.
- Waist: 35 inches flat.
- Width at hem/high hip: 36 inches flat, to fit up to 34 max.
- Length: 22 inches from back of neck to hem.
- Underarm to hem: 14 inches.
- Sleeve length: 19 inches.
- Sleeve width at bicep: 11.5 inches flat.
- Shoulder to shoulder: 13.5 inches.
- Label: none
