TANYA-MARIE captivated the crowd at the Art Basel ELEMENTS event in Wynwood’s Miami Art Space on Thursday, December 1st. Guests sipped on a full-bodied cabernet, graciously provided by YaYa (www.yayawines.com), which perfectly set the tone for the show to come. Through the glass doors onlookers could see an excited Tanya-Marie filing beautiful, leggy models in a variety of footwear—from classic nude pumps to over-the-knee stiletto boots—into line for the show. Then, as lights came up and music came on, her models paraded through spectators, one by one, cloaked in an air of whimsy with a leather-corseted edge. As each girl strutted down the blue runway (blue, in keeping with Souza’s “Just Add Water” collection also housed at MAS), the crowd “oohed” and “ahhh-ed” over each piece. From matching pants and tops to full-length formal gowns, the collection offered something for everyone. I was not alone in my admiration for the designer whose ability to thread together such a variety of fabrics left everyone with visions of Cavalli, Galliano, and even D&G.
Fortunately, as I am one whose curiosity can’t wait, I got the chance to steal Tanya-Marie away from the ever-ensuing waves of praise and applause to ask her a few questions about her creative and ultra diverse collection:
RL: “Talk to me about inspiration,” I said. “This collection is so diverse! How do you make it all come together so seamlessly?”
T-M: “For me it’s about vintage fabrics and remnant fabrics—I travel a lot; I go to different countries and then I’ll buy the indigenous fabrics to work with¬¬— its the fabric that inspires me…”
RL: “I love that answer. I really appreciate a designer who lets the fabric speak and move. Do you find that your collections follow any sort of trend or are you the trend-setter?”
T-M: “I’m definitely not trendy—I am my own trend…I love anything animal print, I love anything that moves—anything fabulous.”
RL: “So its safe to say you kind of design for you, then, in that sense.”
T-M: “Yes—of course I do the gowns—I do those, but with a sort of sexy fitted flavor—”
RL: “And they move so well—that’s what I noticed—”
T-M: “Yeah, my who thing is how they flow and fit…and the fabric. Ha! That’s good, the “Three F’s!”
RL: “Absolutely, I think that’s a perfect way to describe your collection.”
And it was; the best way to sum up this collection is, indeed, “Fit, Flow, Fabric.”
You can find this collection and many more at her store at The Village of Merrick Park in Coral Gables or online at
www.tanyamariedesign.com
By Reagan Lightsey
Photo by Jim Winters