miss tashina

{ miss tashina + tessa kim + deyla huss photography // spring 2012 }

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:18:20 +0000

Any time Tessa Kim has a project, I am so honoured that she asks me to be involved. And even though she is now hundreds of miles away – working & taking in the fresh air of Seattle – we always manage to work together. She asked me to send a few dresses for her Spring 2012 shoot to showcase some new items with Deyla Huss Photography snapping up some romantic images at Urban Light Studios.

Around the time I was creating these two dresses, I was watching a lot of French films – so that greatly influenced the naming of these two dresses.

The “Je t’aime” dress is made from a combination of many mixed fabrics – raw, duchess & chiffon mixed silk bodice with tri-straps and center front slit with pleated silk chiffon & duchess silk skirt.

“The Breathless” is a two-piece dress. The top is a draped white stretch lace with low cut back worn with a high-waisted vintage pleated poly-chiffon wide leg pant.

Hair by Jess Shaffer at Jamie O’neill Salon. Makeup by Ashli Danielle. Vintage Rentals: Vintage Ambiance. Florals: Blush Custom Florals. Models: Frances Mitchell and Lana Rose.

You can also check out this shoot featured on Wedding Chicks!

{ xoxo miss tashina }

{ the swimmers with Tamar Levine for Litrof Magazine }

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:12:06 +0000

When I’m not busying sewing up bridal gowns, I love to jump into creative fashion stories. This is one of those times. On one of the few days in Los Angeles where it rained ALL DAY LONG, the supremely talented, Tamar Levine shot this magical shoot called “The Swimmers” for Litrof Magazine. And since we both love capturing a timeless/vintage feel, we decided loosely set it in the 1960s and to bring the jovial style of Ester Williams and twist it with a darker, almost haunting feeling.

I made all of the black swimsuit cover-ups and detailed the sunglasses with googly-eyes. I also brought in all my favourite vintage plastic jewelry and the sheer vintage nightgown.

Katrina Amato (shown above) is the founder of the lovely team of synchronized swimmers called the Hollywood Bathing Beauties.

The amazing big hair was styled by MaryBeth Bagonghasa and makeup by Jane Phu – both which had to withstand the constant rain!

Also, big thanks to Sam Zachrich for assisting and braving the rain with all of us!

Be sure to check out Tamar’s Photoblog for the full images from the shoot along with the Litrof Magazine spread.

{ xoxo miss tashina }

{ miss tashina + silvana di franco photography + 100 layer cake }

admin — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:56:37 +0000

What an honour to wake up this morning with a feature on 100 Layer Cake! The oh-so-lovely + so talented Silvana Di Franco Photography shot the delicious images (and most with film, *swoon*!!!). Although these images were taken last fall, it’s the most perfect time to share them… because spring is just around the corner!

“The Sheer” gown // I made this gown from sheer silk organza gown with hand-cut vintage lace & gold studded detail at neckline & edging of sleeves. The hem is also mixed layers of vintage lace details.

“The Sweet Tart” gown // Light pink silk gown with sweetheart neckline and made with ivory vintage lace panels on the bodice side-princess seams. The skirt is a short “bubble” hemline with floor-length sheer skirt and detachable ruffled waistband.

“The Boho Kimono” gown // Sheer silk chiffon floor length kaftan with vintage knitted wool & glass bead detail around neckline & down center-front worn with ivory silk jersey dress underneath. Belted with a nude “obi” made of suede & hand-crocheted wool details.

“The Lavender Pixie” // Light twinkle grey-lavender tulle gown shell. Pleated tulle at neckline with grosgrain ribbon shoulder ties and vintage glass/plastic details. Worn with a strapless silk jersey slip gown underneath and belted with vintage glass/plastic detailed waistband.

THANK YOU to all the talented players in this shoot! Makeup: Crystal Criscione Hair: Helen & Jo Owens The lovely models: Alison Morgan and Sarah Rose!

See more beautiful images via Silvana Di Franco’s blog here and here!

{ xoxo miss tashina }

{ miss tashina + tessa kim spring/summer 2012 lookbook }

admin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:00:44 +0000

It’s that time of year again! The lovely + superbly talented Tessa Kim‘s Spring/Summer 2012 LookBook is released! (We actually shot this back in the Fall of last year AND I’m a few months behind in posting this… AND we shot another shoot – which I’ll be posting soon – in between… oh, boy… what can I say, I’m a busy gal!)

“The Flamingo” dress. Sweetheart bodice in light pink with hand-stitched vintage white organza applique and a sheer light pink pleated tea-length skirt. Worn with a black grosgrain belt.

“The Flutter” dress. Sheer bright white gown with flutter sleeves and vintage lace at neckline and sleeve edging and tied at front with an organza braided waistband.

“The Gold Diamond”. Re-vamped vintage gown with pleated chiffon sweetheart bodice, a ruched taffeta waist with antique gold diamond detail and chiffon skirt.

“The Ruffle-Bustle” dress. Simple white jersey dress with sheer mini-polka dot overlay with ruffle details at neckline + shoulders. Fitted with a tiered ruffle-bustle skirt and tied at waist.

“The Safari” gown. Vintage textured jersey dropped waist bodice with gold studded detail at neckline & gold beading at dropped waist and 2-tiered ruffled skirt with a raised front hemline.

“The Sheer” gown. Sheer silk organza gown with hand-cut vintage lace & gold studded detail at neckline & edging of sleeves and vintage lace detail at hem. Worn over a simple ivory silk jersey slip.

And a cute photo of Tessa and myself… because I couldn’t resist!

This shoot was shot by the lovely Candice Benjamin at the wonderful Wedding Pantry in Tustin, California (which just recently moved it’s location to Costa Mesa, CA). The amazing paper flower backdrop was made by Floral Sense and the pretty pink couch was from Found Vintage Rentals.

The gorgeous models, Megan Lee and Natalija Sundseth, were pampered with lovely hair + makeup by Flawless Faces and adorned by the beautiful jewelry from Valerie from Stella and Dot.

You can also check out Tessa Kim’s Spring/Summer 2012 Collection featured on these other *amazing* blogs: Wedding Chicks, Utterly Engaged, Borrowed and Bleu, Emmaline Bride… just to name a few!

MAKE SURE TO STOP BY TESSA KIM’S SITE AND SNAG UP SOME GORGEOUS GOODIES FOR YOURSELF! I promise, you’ll have a hard time deciding which to welcome into your own personal collection.

{ xoxo miss tashina }

{ the safari dress + workshop details }

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:51:58 +0000

I hope everyone had an amazing end to 2011 and a fantastic start to 2012! As you can see (from my last blog post) – it’s been a while since I’ve done some much needed blogging! New year, fresh start!

Since I live in sunny southern California where our winters are very mild, and a vast majority of you are bundled up in warm sweaters and sipping hot chocolate – I thought I’d bring you some California sunshine with a shoot I styled (& made the gown) back in August. Hosted by the superbly talented leaders: Shannon Lee Images and Jeremy Chou Photoworks at the swanky Hotel Maya in Long Beach, California.

I decided to go with a safari theme. Why? Well, because it’s pretty flamboyant and I like to push limits! Besides, the shoot was all in the name of FUN!

I made the gown from a mix of new and vintage fabrics. The body of the gown was made from a vintage “scaled” jersey fabric that I had been saving for the perfect dress. I gave the tiered skirt a short and long ruffle layer and lined the long layer with a zebra print fabric. I also added gold studding at the neckline, gold beading at the top seams of the ruffle layers, and made a gold waistband. The bride + groom’s makeup and hair was done by the lovely + supremely sweet, Evelyn of Serene Bridal Beauty. The bride’s look was finished off with Jenny Dayco‘s black+gold chain earrings and bangles.

The gorgeous flowers were provided by Flower Child Floral Designs.

For the table details, I wanted to keep the colour palette more neutral: tans, browns, gold and, yes, zebra print! I handmade the vinyl copper + gold studded place-mat, zebra-print napkin (shown under the plates). I also used a vintage woven charger under the dishes (provided by the venue) and topped it off with the menu and a tan leather place marker.

For the dessert table I wanted to mimic the African sunset. I found some awesome ombre fabric to set the backdrop and filled the table lots of neutral texture and safari details. Like the vintage gold giraffes, textured woven fabric under the cake, and palm frawns. All the delicious sweets were provided by Cake Goodness (how adorable is that zebra print cake?! And the red velvet cake cups – divine! And the cakepops – yes, pretty please!!!)

For the workshop, I also set up a “first toast” shot for all the photographers and used the hotel’s cabana. I laid down a bunch of neutral fabrics and draped zebra print fabric strips & braided gold fabric rope in the cabana beams. I also set up the couple’s chilled lambrusco toast on a vintage wooden tray with a palm frawn, vintage ice bucket, hand-carved elephant detail, pretty flower/greens from Flower Child Floral Designs, and glasses wrapped with a ivory braided rope.

Thanks to all involved! Much fun was had by all and we all had a chance to meet some great new photographers! Be sure to check out each of the photographer’s links for more photos of the workshop!

Jeremy Chou Photoworks /// Shannon Lee Images /// Alyssa Armstrong Photography /// Snaps & Scribbles /// Love Janet /// Holt Photography /// Paularoids /// Mitchell Rush /// Alferd Gulpo /// Leo Moranti

Also, a huge THANK YOU to the lovely Libby + Chris Cron for being the adorable lovebirds that they are!

{ xoxo miss tashina }

{ the Turin Castle gown }

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:36:18 +0000

This gown was created for my dear dear friend, Jaime. We went to high school together and both of our parents live within a block of each other (her mom loves to garden & even named a cherry tree after me! So sweet!). So when she told me she was eloping to a castle in Ireland, I was SO excited for her! Then she told me to keep it a secret – because nobody knew – it made it even harder to keep quiet (because all I wanted to do was share this gown)! But I kept the dress hidden and it was such a gorgeous unveiling in the emerald green waves of grass and stark grey stone castle setting – and, of course, for her new husband.

Since Jaime and I have been friends for so long (& we live on opposite coasts!), she entrusted me in surprising her with a gown! She gave me a few ideas and I let my imagination do the rest. While making the gown, all I had to do was envision the gown floating in the emerald green grass… and I let my nimble little sewing fingers do the rest!

Her fiance sent me his mother’s gown to use in creating Miss Jaime’s gown. His grandmother handmade the gown for his mother’s wedding day! It was a deep ivory satin gown with an ivory lace bodice and sleeves. For Jaime’s gown, I took the lace from the sleeves & bodice and hand-cut the lace and stitched them on the edging of her sheer vintage pleated chiffon manteaux & added tiny gold studs for detail. I also added lace to the hem of her gown and made a bowtie for her fiance – made of the satin from his mother’s gown!

All the photos were taken by local Castlebar, Mayo, Ireland photographer Alison Laredo Photography.

Congratulations “Fox + Bear” – Miss Jaime + Sean! I can’t wait to celebrate with you both in November!

{ xoxo miss tashina }

{ the sweet retro dress }

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:25:14 +0000

Oh, the lovely Miss Nina… She came to me with need for alterations on a wedding gown she purchased – before we had met – and celebrated her wedding day with 2 gowns! Aside from creating her reception gown, I had the pleasure of styling their engagement shoot a few months ago!

Miss Nina is such a classically gorgeous bride. Her gowns reflected 2 sides of her personality. The traditional & elegant wedding gown and the sweet & fun reception dress!

Here’s her wedding gown that I had the pleasure in altering:

And here’s the Sweet Retro reception dress I created!

I created Miss Nina’s dress with light ivory silk and vintage (re-purposed) dot tulle at the bodice and peek-a-boo hem. I also did some light pearl beading on the neckline. And since Nina’s wedding decor colours were peach & navy, I added a little peek of peach with a tulle underlayer and a navy grosgrain & silver beaded belt to match!

If you’d like to see more of her lovely Malibu wedding day you can see it on Shannon Lee Images blog or Style Me Pretty.

Congratulations lovers! May you have many lovely years together!

{ xoxo miss tashina }

{ kasey + doug engaged }

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 03:32:35 +0000

What isn’t more perfect on a hot summer night than strawberries + shortcake, scrabble, chilled champagne and a couple that is so lovely and full of life…? I teamed up with my lovely lady friend, Shannon Lee Images, to style Kasey + Doug’s engagement shoot!

For their shoot, I brought along some of my favourite green parfait glasses – filled them with fresh strawberries, cake and whipped creme! I also handmade the tablecloth, sign and “K + D” hearts on a stick. And decorated with dahlias and baby’s breath.

Why strawberries, you say???

Well, because they are getting married at Strawberry Farms, of course!!!

So very excited for you both!!!

{ xoxo miss tashina }

p.s. – of course she said YES, silly!

{ psychedelic hippie/biker mock wedding shoot + GWS feature! }

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:17:48 +0000

I am extremely excited to share this shoot! We had an amazingly talented team working with on this project together and the end result turned out to be beyond my wildest dreams! AND… a feature on Green Wedding Shoes!!!!! ELATED!

When the talented Melissa, from The Loveliest Day, contacted me with the idea for this shoot – all I could say is “yes! yes! yes!” My mind was already dreaming up all kinds of dress ideas… then she showed me the location. And all the amazing vendors. YES! YES! YES!

She chose the stunning ranch nestled in the Santa Ana Canyon called Star Ranch. She also rounded up Melissa’s amazing collection of furniture and details from Pow Wow Vintage Rentals. And brought in Megan from Honey and Poppies for the gorgeous colourful flowers! And the amazing husband and wife team of photographers Erin hearts Court. … and custom made bikes from Jeff Leighton! And, of course, much can be accredited to Melissa’s hard work and super styling!

I made this gown and called it “The Wings” gown because of it’s fluttery sleeves. The dress was made from silk satin and sheer vintage fabric and lace detail. I definitely had a blast wearing (& showing off) my creation in such a lovely setting!

The gorgeous dining table with all of Melissa’s styling touches and the super amazing chairs from Pow Wow Vintage!

Then I slipped into another gown I made. It’s a sheer gown (worn with a simple white slip dress) and detailed with vintage lace at the hem and top with antique gold studs. My amazing makeup and hair was done by my friend and amazingly talented artist, Emily Christison of Emily Dawn Artistry. (Thank you for making me look so dreamy!) The jewelry was provided by Sweet Evie (feather jewelry) and Jenny Dayco (ring, stone necklace, tiger stone earrings) – both dear friends of mine!

The amazing cake table!!! Erica O’Brien Cake Design provided us with the lovely cake!

The psychedelic LOVE favours!

The epic “after party” party shot. You know, after we drank all the moonshine and couldn’t stand up anymore…

The love birds and their getaway bike! My “groom-for-the-day”, Jeff Leighton, restores and creates custom bikes! He brought in this gem of a bike – a 1938 Knucklehead!

Much THANKS again to Melissa for putting this together! And Erin & Courtney for the amazing photos (& taking some of my favourite images from the day on film)! All of the talented vendors! And our “wedding party” players: Shannon Lee and Bryan Huber. Thanks for making the day super fun!

{ xoxo miss tashina }

{ the decades gown }

admin — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:22:49 +0000

When the lovely, Sascha contacted me after seeing my “Ruffle Dress” on Green Wedding Shoes, she was nothing less than a dazzlingly natural bohemian beauty… and extremely laid back to boot! After a few months of emailing back and forth, she made the trek down to LA from her enchanted forest home in Mendocino to meet and have a fitting with me. When she stepped into my lobby, we both stared at each other with a “I think I know you from somewhere” look… and after a few minutes, we realized we met each other at a fashion tradeshow in Vegas the month before! Small world.

Sascha brought with her a gorgeously in-tact silk gown from the early 1910s that she had bought at a vintage store while in San Francisco. And her cowboy boots!!! She said she wanted to be comfortable and really be herself on her wedding day, and her cowboy boots would keep her grounded. Perfect! She also loved the skirt to the “Ruffle Dress” I had made – so we made magic happen and incorporated the ruffle skirt under her gown.

I named her gown the “Decades Gown” because I wanted to stay true to it’s vintage roots. I used vintage lace pieces and fabric from every decade following the 1910s. Delicate lace from the 20s, fabric from the 30s, lace flower pieces from the 40s, and so on. In fact, the entire dress ended up being 99% sustainable – the 1% being the thread holding the gown together.

Without further ado:

… and for the reception, she danced the night away in the “twirly” ruffle skirt and a simple white tank & all of her bracelets – keeping it very Sascha !!!

Congratulations Sascha + Danny, sweet lovers!

The amazing vintage-esque photos were snapped by Studio Vérité Photography .

And if you love Free People clothing, you’ll also love to know they featured Sascha + Danny’s wedding on their blog! You can see it here.

{ xoxo miss tashina }