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A well-travelled wedding dress

By On 31 May 2011 In Testimonials With No Comments Permanent Link to A well-travelled wedding dressPermalink

A funny little story in the Herald Sisterhood of the travelling frock about a wedding dress that has travelled across the world to be worn by 5 different brides.

This Nicole Miller dress was brought to NZ by Dani Lebo, an American transplant to Whanganui, but took its final trip down the aisle – or rather beach walkway – at Piha in February on Lisa Borsos who bought it second hand. A great idea in these tough economic times!

I often repurpose wedding dresses for other events or occasions, or help alter off the rack or second hand wedding gowns for my customers. Contact me if you find yourself in this situation!

More on lace

By On 20 May 2011 In Design and Fashion With No Comments Permanent Link to More on lacePermalink

Great video on the NZ Herald site about lace’s comeback and history. Lace is traditional yet modern, a nod to history and a look ahead to the new. In other words a perfect accent to a wedding dress! For what is a wedding but a new beginning and a celebration of the past?

You can view the Herald video here – enjoy!

Susie in the NZ Herald!

By On 17 May 2011 In Design and Fashion, Testimonials With No Comments Permanent Link to Susie in the NZ Herald!Permalink

I was one of four designers featured in a New Zealand Herald article about dream wedding dresses. You can read the article here. The Herald also has a gallery showing five stunning bridal creations. These are all gorgeous dresses from some talented designers! The gown I made for Lucy represents very well, if I do say so myself :)

One shoulder wedding dress with long train

Lucy rocking her bespoke wedding dress

I’m still in love with the formal long train, with its funky flower-and-butterfly details. This motif is repeated in the bodice and the one shoulder strap. Talk about bespoke – there’s not another dress like it in the world!

Because of my collaborative design and dress making process, every single one of my wedding gowns is custom tailored for the bride who wears it. It is unique to her.

I am really proud of that aspect of my craft, and I think it is a real point of difference with other designers. Like them, I am inspired by trends and fashions, but honestly my biggest inspiration and influence is… the bride.

My brides come to me with a vision, and I help turn it into reality. How much fun is that!

A bumpy process

By On 12 May 2011 In Testimonials With No Comments Permanent Link to A bumpy processPermalink

Jamie was a gorgeous bride who developed a bit of a bump during the dressmaking process!

When I first met Susan to discuss ideas I found her experience and knowledge very helpful and together we came up with a dress based on a picture I showed her and a fabric that Susan suggested, which I loved immediately.

The next time I saw Susan, months later, for the first measure, I had to break the news that I was 8 weeks pregnant. Susan wasnt put off and rose to the challenge of creating my dress around my growing bump.

Because of my pregnancy, Susan suggested a few changes to the design of my dress to accomodate the changes to my body and give more support where needed.

We left the final fittings of the dress until very close to the wedding date to get as good a fit as possible for my 23 week bump, with Susan working right up until the last minute deadline, when I was flying to Queenstown for my wedding.

I found Susan professional, knowledgable and accomodating and she was a lovely person to deal with, making the process enjoyable and memorable.

Thanks again Susan for your hard work creating my beautiful wedding gown.

Thank you, Jamie – I love a good challenge! And the dress turned out beautifully, as you can see in Jamie’s wedding dress gallery.

Lace lace lace

By On 11 May 2011 In Design and Fashion With No Comments Permanent Link to Lace lace lacePermalink
Kate Middleton exquisite in lace

Exquisite lace detail on the shoulders and sleeves

 

Lace is so “it” right now, and I’m sure Alexander McQueen’s gorgeous creation for Kate Middleton will keep that trend burning for a few years to come.

Lace has always been part of the classic, traditional wedding gown, but for a while it had the reputation of being a bit fusty and old-fashioned. Not anymore. Dress designers have rediscovered how sexy lace can be, allowing a glimpse of skin but providing enough cover to be discreet in a cathedral.

Feminine, flirty, and classy – a little lace detail can really make a wedding dress “pop”.

If you’re looking for a wedding dress traditional yet completely personalised, get in touch and brainstorm some ideas with your own personal dress designer! We may not have Kate Middleton’s and Alexander McQueen’s budget, but we can certainly have their style. :)

Thoughts on Kate Middleton’s wedding dress

By On 3 May 2011 In Design and Fashion With No Comments Permanent Link to Thoughts on Kate Middleton’s wedding dressPermalink
Kate and Pippa Middleton at the royal wedding

Two gorgeous dresses on display at the royal wedding

Kate Middleton’s wedding dress was one of the most highly anticipated wedding gowns ever, and boy did it deliver! The silk satin bodice, gorgeous opulent lace, that neckline and the long lace sleeves – Alexander McQueen designed a dress that was classic yet modern, traditional yet uniquely tailored to Kate Middleton.

And didn’t she look awesome? Every detail on the wedding dress was perfect, and the dressmaking sublime. The fitted bodice looked like it had been sprayed onto her body, not a millimeter out of place. The skirt, just smoothly extending from her waist over her hips, flowing down to the beautiful train and falling in such soft but shape-accentuating pleats… stunning. And don’t get me started on the lace decoration on the skirt, or the detailing buttons.

Let’s not forget the hottest bridesmaid in the world, Pippa Middleton, in a gown that would make a knockout wedding dress itself!

Absolutely fabulous - I am awed and inspired.

“I knew she would make me a great dress”

By On 20 January 2011 In Testimonials With No Comments Permanent Link to “I knew she would make me a great dress”Permalink

Jen came all the way from Invercargill to meet with me, so I was really under pressure to make sure she was happy! I’m glad I didn’t disappoint, Jen.

I didn’t know where to start with a wedding dress. I decided that perhaps i could find a style of dress I liked, and then get a dressmaker to make me my own, custom dress, more cheaply than most designers. I went to a Bridal shop and tried on heaps of dresses, quickly realising which style suited me best.

After this, I found Susan Tasker, who I highly recommend. After our initial meeting, I knew she would make me a great dress.

Something I liked about her was the willingness to fit the zip in the last few days. I was worried about the stress of fittng into a ready-made store-bought dress, so this was a great relief to me. Susan used high quality fabrics, and her craftmanship was superb. She even sewed little dome clips onto the straps of my bra and dress so my bra strap didn’t slip throughout the day….

Susan works out of a studio, and it was always comfortable to work with her. We had many meetings, because basically we designed it as we went!! SUSAN TALKS A MILLION MILES A MINUTE, BUT SHE ALWAYS LISTENED TO WHAT I SAID !!!!!!

Hahaha – so true. It may not seem like I’m listening but I am!

Melissa’s great expectations

By On 11 October 2010 In Testimonials With No Comments Permanent Link to Melissa’s great expectationsPermalink

I’m getting a reputation as the expectant mother dress doctor … which is fine by me! I love working with pregnant brides. I love the challenge! You always have to keep the changing body shape in mind both in the design process and of course in the dressmaking process.

Melissa writes in:

Susan is absolutely amazing!! We had a quick 6 month engagement – during which time my belly continued to grow as I was pregnant with our second child.

I came to Susan with a few ideas, but mainly wanted to build my dress around my Great-Grandmothers turquiose brooch, and my expanding belly. So Susan used her extensive knowledge of styles and body shape to design and create my wonderful wedding dress!

I’m often asked by brides to “riff” off a key accessory – a piece of jewelry, shoes, even flowers. It’s so much fun to take inspiration from an object meaningful to the bride. It seems to imbue the dress with a certain character.

My dress was made in the 3 weeks leading up to our wedding date – with the final fitting just a day before, as there were always adjustments to be made as my body continued to change shape!

All part of the fun and challenge of the pregnant bride!

The whole experience was fabulous and fun! I felt fully involved from start to finish – and absolutely adore the finished product… Lots of people even commented that I didn’t even look 7 months pregnant!

No it was our little secret. Thanks Melissa, it was a good time and you were a gorgeous bride.

“She made me feel like a princess”

By On 3 July 2010 In Testimonials With No Comments Permanent Link to “She made me feel like a princess”Permalink

Superwoman Sally wrote me the loveliest testimonial. I’m blown away. I can’t tell you how much satisfaction it brings me to make my brides happy!

Susan is not a wedding dress designer, she is an artist who can bring visions into reality and that personally speaking is PRICELESS. For a gal who put on shy of 20 kg I can tell you I was not looking forward to a zillion dress fittings in the leadup to my wedding. I had every good intention of losing the weight before the wedding but being a busy business women with 2 full on companies that just did not happen.

Sally is a coach, speaker, seminar leader and author – pretty full on alright!

The entire experience working with Susan was beyond amazing. She made me feel comfortable, like a princess, nothing was a problem, always available to fit in with your schedule and in my case we had a tight deadline of only 3 weeks. Her dedication to her craft, her professionalism in the way she manages the project from start to finish with pristine precision is nothing short of extraordinary. Having always respected people who have a trade, I was blown away by the process of watching & experiencing the dress being created from nothing but a vision of what it could look like.

Thanks Sally! I love working with clients to fulfill a vision. And it was inspirational working with you – what a gorgeous wedding.

“I had the best wedding day”

By On 21 July 2009 In Testimonials With No Comments Permanent Link to “I had the best wedding day”Permalink

Back in July 2009, Sheena wrote

I lost 12kilos over a 14month period, and I met Susie when I was at my biggest. She designed an outfit for me that I loved, and would be my dream wedding vision. It gave me a goal to work towards, and I knew if I could get my body ready, Susie could make me look great. And she did. I will never forget her support and companionship during that time, and the unbelievable result. I had the best wedding day.

You did look great Sheena! Thanks for letting me be part of your special day…

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