GARDEN INSPIRED

Linen/silk chiffon and Chantilly lace cap-sleeved dress with full crinoline petticoat. Ecru silk headband with ivory silk dupioni handrolled rose has a pink jewel button in the center

Embroidered ivory lace organza fascinator with gathered mini pouf. Edge of hat is bordered in Venise lace trimmed with pearls.

The Chanel Look spanned several eras of changing fashion. Her most notable signatures are close fitting cloche style hats, halters, separates, jerseys and strands of many different pearl necklaces all worn at once. Pictured here is a Chantilly lace halter paired up with a long shantung skirt with a sweep train. The sizel hat is a combo cloche and picture hat so evocative of Chanel's time.  A Shantung Bow with netting lends a great 1940s feeling. 

Boho is back! Theres a mix of imported Chantilly laces on the bodice. The full skirt is gathered silk chiffon lined in crepe backed satin. Bodice has lace cap sleeves and is accented with a gold braid tie belt. Floral head wreath is made up of dried roses and Baby's Breath  . . .

A versatile and modified A-line in luxe dupioni silk . . . Here the skirt is hiked up to show off the meringue on the petticoat--- a Chantilly lace border. The complimentary fascinator is 'vintage with an edge'. Ivory Dupioni with handmade silk organdy florals. Has tulle pouf veil and Venise lace edging with hand-sewn pearls.

Val lace over blouse with blue satin tie belt gives this design a very Audrey look. The skirt is four layers of tulle and a separate slip of crinoline and tulle. Detailed touches include a row of buttons down a V-back
and it is all pulled together with a blue sash.

Above: This tea gown could be right out of a Jane Austen Novel. A white silk dupioni sheath draped with Chantilly lace on the skirt and bodice. Back details include a row of covered buttons and lace tie-back. Price upon request. It can be special ordered in white or ivory through Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal

Below: Perfectly chosen accoutrements to go with the romantic tea gown.  At top right the fascinator is Ivory Chantilly lace and crepe with beaded Venise lace edging. Embellishment is two handrolled silk shantung roses. Below left is the horsehair fascinator/veil hybrid accented with a tulle rose and bow.  Below Right:Something old.  A pair of genuine antique pearl earrings.

All bridal Wear and accessories available through Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal Couture

GARDEN INSPIRED

Linen/silk chiffon and Chantilly lace cap-sleeved dress with full crinoline petticoat. Ecru silk headband with ivory silk dupioni handrolled rose has a pink jewel button in the center

Embroidered ivory lace organza fascinator with gathered mini pouf. Edge of hat is bordered in Venise lace trimmed with pearls.

The Chanel Look spanned several eras of changing fashion. Her most notable signatures are close fitting cloche style hats, halters, separates, jerseys and strands of many different pearl necklaces all worn at once. Pictured here is a Chantilly lace halter paired up with a long shantung skirt with a sweep train. The sizel hat is a combo cloche and picture hat so evocative of Chanel's time.  A Shantung Bow with netting lends a great 1940s feeling. 

Boho is back! Theres a mix of imported Chantilly laces on the bodice. The full skirt is gathered silk chiffon lined in crepe backed satin. Bodice has lace cap sleeves and is accented with a gold braid tie belt. Floral head wreath is made up of dried roses and Baby's Breath  . . .

A versatile and modified A-line in luxe dupioni silk . . . Here the skirt is hiked up to show off the meringue on the petticoat--- a Chantilly lace border. The complimentary fascinator is 'vintage with an edge'. Ivory Dupioni with handmade silk organdy florals. Has tulle pouf veil and Venise lace edging with hand-sewn pearls.

Val lace over blouse with blue satin tie belt gives this design a very Audrey look. The skirt is four layers of tulle and a separate slip of crinoline and tulle. Detailed touches include a row of buttons down a V-back
and it is all pulled together with a blue sash.

Above: This tea gown could be right out of a Jane Austen Novel. A white silk dupioni sheath draped with Chantilly lace on the skirt and bodice. Back details include a row of covered buttons and lace tie-back. Price upon request. It can be special ordered in white or ivory through Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal

Below: Perfectly chosen accoutrements to go with the romantic tea gown.  At top right the fascinator is Ivory Chantilly lace and crepe with beaded Venise lace edging. Embellishment is two handrolled silk shantung roses. Below left is the horsehair fascinator/veil hybrid accented with a tulle rose and bow.  Below Right:Something old.  A pair of genuine antique pearl earrings.

All bridal Wear and accessories available through Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal Couture

Expensive Wedding Dress

A young designer has decided that he needed to make the most expensive wedding dress in Vietnam. Via

Best fashion for Female : Prefect Wedding dress - bridal gown collection

Best fashion for Female : Wedding dress - bridal gown collection. With an embroidered white wedding dress fashion

Best fashion for Female : Wedding dress - bridal gown collection. With an embroidered white wedding gown fashion

NEW ON ETSY

Meet Fiona! This is an adaption of my evening gown silhouette clients love so much. Incredibly light and airy, it's made out of silk chiffon and lined in china silk (feels sumptuous on). The train is a diaphanous cloud of silk gauze dappled with tiny hand rolled organza florals.

Ordering this gown is a cinch. It can be found on my site, Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal Couture or Etsy. Best to call me 415.258.8204. I'm in The San Francisco Bay Area. I'll send out a good sized swatch of this fabric and linings. . . .

MORE ABOUT CUSTOM DESIGN

There are FAQs I get all the time. My email box is proof the two most frequently asked are: 1.) How long does it take to create a custom designed gown? and 2.) How much does it cost?
OH HOW LONG OH LONG MUST I WAIT?
We designers put in oodles of hours and a high level of craftsmanship when it comes to creating one-of-a-kind gowns. Working with fragile, white fabric and delicate laces is an art form. Add to that keeping those fragile laces intact and white gowns looking fresh through fittings. Figure a gown hand-crafted by a designer usually takes 4-6 months to complete from a listing of your measurements. The greatest thing about custom design is that you'll have more of a one-on-one collaboration with the designer and input on any choices of fabric, silhouette and overall style.
WILL MY CUSTOM DESIGNED GOWN COST ME THE DOWN PAYMENT ON A HOUSE?
Chances are, no, unless you order Lady Di's silk taffeta gown with the 25 foot train and layers of uber-pouf. Most custom designs run neck and neck with the prices you'll find in better salons. Custom designers usually work all the materials and labor into the price of the garment. Prices can range from, $1000.00 for something simple and unadorned up to $10,000.00 for the works: full trains, petticoats, underskirts, bustles, intricate beading, etc. Medium price range for a custom wedding gown as of this writing writing would be around $2500.00-5000.00.

Overall, brides are happy with custom design because of the leeway it offers. Where and in whose bridal collection can you find cotton wedding dresses these days? Or suits? Or two-piece dresses? Or convertable gowns? Custom design is optimal for the bride who wants some individual touch not offered in salons or boutiques.

THE PROCESS
The designer/client relationship is one that's very special so enter with care. Just like any relationship you must be in simpatico. In simpatico first with the design vision and then with your working relationship. You can help by bringing photos, magazine clippings, sketches or swatches of fabric to the initial consultation. All your ideas are discussed with the designer running a few ideas back to you. Choices and cost of materials, fabrics and a few other details are usually explored. If the designer has a small sample collection, this is usually when you can begin trying gowns on to see what the fabrics are going to look and feel like with you in them. This is the time too to look over how well the samples are made. Don’t worry about whether or not you know haute couture techniques here—just pull up a hem or look at the inside of one of the garments and you’ll know if its cleanly made and as beautiful on the inside as out.

THE MUSLIN
Eventually, a gown is in the making. After a final sketch is approved, a written estimate follows, complete with fabric swatches and your measurements are finally taken. For every gown order, a paper pattern is made. Think of the paper pattern as a blueprint, a record with all your dimensions on it. From this, most designers (some dressmakers too) work out a muslin. A muslin is an actual cotton mock-up and ‘living pattern’ of the gown design, fitted exactly to your body. Now, think of the muslin as the foundation work—laying all the necessary groundwork upon which your dress will be built. This is where most of the fine-tuning is done to get the perfect fit before one cut or stitch goes into the true gown fabric(s).
After your muslin fittings (there may be two of them), the muslin is unstitched and laid out on the actual fabric and the gown is made up. Since most of the fitting is worked out on the muslin, second and third fittings usually follow up with finishing touches on the gown like, final hemline, closures, remaining design details, etc. Be prepared for more than three fittings though. A gown made from the ground up is a work in progress and each step along the way is painstakingly taken, checked and rechecked. Keep in mind you want your gown delivered at least a month before your wedding. Yes. You need to synchronize your calendars on this one. You want to be able to relax and deal with all those other last minute details involved in your wedding, not still fussing around over hemlines.

If you want to view some awesome samples of custom design, visit my new pages at http://amyjotatum.googlepages.com

UP AND DOWN: ALL ABOUT TRAINS AND BUSTLES

Back in the Middle Ages when fabric was in short supply, the length of one’s train conveyed a person’s wealth and standing. For Victorians, bustling the train was considered an art form with all kind of intricate floral and lace treatments. Today a gown with a train still suggests formality; typically the longer the train, the more formal the wedding. So what is a train exactly? A train is that extension in the back of the skirt that follows when you move. Read more