SNEAK PEEK

Check out this extraordinary composition by shooter Sean Sato from the upcoming Fashion Through the Ages shoot out at Shell Dance Gardens..   So many stunning images and the gowns are not to be missed.  I should have it up next week.   Mua and hair by Zita Zalai Beauty///The SHELIA Dress and capelet by Amy Jo Tatum

WORKING WITH VINTAGE LACES

Weddings and lace are synonymous, go hand in hand and the right lace can really help you get to the level of vintage chic you're wanting to create. Getting that look of antiquity probably means you're going to be wearing some form of lace on your wedding day maybe a vintage cut or something evoking past decades.   From the most casual shabby side of chic to vintage elan, below are some inspirations worth checking out

ABOVE: Vintage or intage looking?  That's the question.  True vintage laces are delicate and must be handled in the construction process with care.  Reproductions of vintage style laces can really fol even a pro's keen eye.  BELOW: An array of crocheted laces.

  Header Photo: Clockwise--The CALIOPE Dress//Ecru Brussels Lace via Tumblr///Basket of laces via Hub Pages
Photo 2: Vintage laces via Tumblr
Photo 3: Vintage and retro style blouses via Rosemary Cathcart 
Photo 4: Overblouse via Tumblr
Photo 5: Array of vintage laces via Tumblr

CHIC OF THE WEEK

 

Today's Chic of the Week is brought to you by one of my real live brides, Joyce who was married on the beach in San Diego.  I'm flattered and humbled she traveled the 500 some miles to my studio for fittings for her version of The TATANYA Dress.  She and hubby did their first dance with tons of twirling.  She told me, "Love the way the skirt spins . . . ."
Congrats Joyce!

THE COCKTAIL HAT ALTERNATIVE

Hat brides are not as much the exception to the rule anymore for topping it all off but they still create quite a stir.  Cocktail hats in particular are uber-chic and go with just about any dress.  These include pill boxes, toques, pancakes and beanies to name just a few and they remind me of the 1940s when hats were at their peak of fashion.  Small and brimless, these hats sit tilted or perched atop the head, usually accented with flowers or a spray of long feathers; a cover of net or nose veil typically wraps all or part of the face.  To add a touch of fun to a simple gown, cover a cocktail hat fully in marabou or ostrich feathers.  All cocktail hats look great with upswept hair and most silhouettes. BTW you don't have to skip the veil if you want to use a cocktail hat as a headpiece.  Just attach it t the veil and see what happens!!

Header Photo: The Pill Box Hat with French Netting///Photo by Strotz Photography//Hair by Intertwine///Make up by Audrey Mendoza Make Up

Photo 2: Tear Drop Hat with a cut velvet drape veil///Photo by Henley Photography

Photo 3: The GEZELIQUE Pancake Hat//Photo by Scott Williams Photography///Hair and Make up: Tricia Greenwood

Photo 4: The FLEUR Pancake Hat//Photo by Lirette Photography//Make up by Prettyologie

Photo 5: The GWENETH Pancake Hat//Photo by Lirette Photography//Make up by Prettyologie///Photo 6: The MOCHA Pancake Hat//Photo by Lirette Photography//Make up by Prettyologie

All hats by Amy Jo Tatum

CHIC OF THE WEEK

Today I have an all time fave to share with you that my brides absolutely love season after season (premiered in 2014 actually).  With so many vineyard weddings this time of year, check out ANGELIQUE from the Forever Boho Collection, A perfect dress for pastoral backdrops or wherever you want to create drama, Angelique is light, airy and romantic, a swirl of white tulle and Chantilly laces. The skirt is asymmetrically tiered in a border of lace falling into a sweep train in the back. Lined in silk Habotai. 

 Photography by Grace Kathryn///Make up and hair by Julie Morgan

KIDDIE CHIC

What could be sweeter than adding a flock of kids to your wedding? Either making the trek down the aisle or weaving in and out of festivities, kids add a bright and energetic tone to any wedding. In Europe, kids make up the wedding party almost entirely. Remember Lady Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles in 1981? Her eldest attendant was a junior bridesmaid. The rest were taffeta-clad flower girls and pages dressed in the traditional costume of the English Court. Whatever theme or direction your wedding takes, children’s fashion usually echoes that of the wedding party. Below are some gemmies I whipped up for some very special nups . . . . 

  Above: Not young enough to be a flower girl; not quite old enough to play bridesmaid, so how do you dress her? Actually junior bridesmaids have been gracing European weddings for centuries where the bridal party is made up primarily of children ranging in age from about four to sixteen. So how does a girl between 8 and 16 dress? By fourteen she can probably go with or a least echo the adult bridesmaids
Below: Sierra was a flower girl at my wedding but served as a great model for the sample dresses I turned out once upon a time.  She gave birth to her own baby who just happens to be my grand-nephew . . . .

Above: My client's daughter and friend as flower girl--how cute are they?

All dresses by Amy-Jo Tatum

Photos 1-4 by Hope Stewart

Photos 5,6,7 by Bride Chic

Photos 8 and 9 by Amy Perl Photography