Fullerton's El Pachuco Store Dresses Up Theatrical Revival of Zoot Suit
Updated: Aug 25, 2020
Phyllis Estrella turned to her husband Ray after seeing the play Zoot Suit at the Mark Taper Forum one night in 1978 with a new passion for the fashion. A young Edward James Olmos, donning a red dress shirt with flared collars covered by an oversized jacket, leaned back onstage as "El Pachuco" in the landmark Chicano production. Phyllis sought a zoot suit just like it for her brother. "We looked high and low, but could not find one anywhere," Ray recalls. Taking matters into their own hands, Ray and Phyllis decided to open a new store in Fullerton that same year, first selling wallet chains before finding the right tailor in Edmundo Galvan to bring the elusive zoot suit back to life.
Read more on my latest OC Weekly Arts Blog post:
http://www.ocweekly.com/arts/fullertons-el-pachuco-store-dresses-up-theatrical-revival-of-zoot-suit