Ready to ... rodeo?
With his glittering sombrero, rhinestone-en crusted pantalones and silky bowtie, the mariachi was sporting flash and dazzle long before Elvis went Vegas or Nudie invented the Hollywood honky-tonk.
A style that evolved alongside the music it glorified, mariachi was born in the hills of Jalisco in the late 1800s, a crossbreed of native instrumentation and ranchero folk. Originally, the traveling musicians adapted the traditional clothing of the hill farmers, loose-fitting whites matched by a wide-brimmed, straw hat to fight the sun.
But as the art of the mariachi began to increase in popularity, its players began to emulate the flamboyant fashions of the charros, Mexican cowboys of the rodeo circuit who prove their worth by branding, roping and strutting their stuff in the bullring.
At a small and cluttered shop on Cesar Chavez Avenue, the tailors at Arte Charro are continuing in this tradition, providing handmade mariachi gear for bands that are based both north and south of the border. The shop has just two outlets, one in the heart of Tijuana and the other on the main thoroughfare in East L.A.
On this late-summer day, several men are working the sewing machines, meticulously embroidering designs on a long stretch of pants fabric.
In one corner, a battered mannequin models a girl’s traditional quinceanera dress, replete with ribbons and flounce. On the wall behind the work area, a dusty sign reads, “El Cliente es No.1”. Under it, Fredy Ventura, a young Salvadoran who worked for a gas company before coming to tailor at Arte Charro, is showing off some of his original sketches.
“This one uses the horseshoe, for luck,” Ventura says, unfolding a beautiful, interlinked pattern. “This sort of thing would go on the pocket of a jacket or down the leg of a pair of slacks.” The craftsmen at Arte Charro have a thick book of designs, but because it is rare to find two mariachi bands with identical attire, it is the custom-made pieces that remain the shop’s most popular items. “Everyone wants something different,” Ventura says. “Everyone wants something very unique, so we work with them and we give them whatever they need.”
It takes the tailors at Arte Charro two days to a week to complete an order, with prices ranging from $12 for an embroidered necktie to $350 for a sombrero stitched with delicate and intricate beadwork.
Custom detailing, such as Ventura’s horseshoe designs, comes in a variety of colors, most cut from fine suede for the mariachis or silky leather for the charros. The result is beautifully made, completely original clothing that holds an appeal not only for mariachis but also for other kinds of musicians.
Kim Deal, who is a member of such legendary indie rock outfits as the Pixies and the Breeders, owns a pair of Arte Charro pants, sleek and black and trimmed down each side with bright silver coins.
“I saw someone with a pair of these,” she says, “and I had to have them.”
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Arte Charro
Where: 2734 Cesar Chavez Ave., L.A.
Info: (323) 263-5814
