Met with a Chic, talented, and down to earth designer in Midtown Miami last week. I call her the bohemian goddess, but she’s better known to the fashion world as Tanya Marie. She has an absolutely articulate, & eloquent flair when it comes to her designs.

Tanya Marie’s new collection of hats inspired by “The Great Gatsby”

Tanya has styled various celebrities, such as Timbaland, Marc Anthony, Pitbull,  Kimora Lee Simmons, P Diddy, Jada Pinkett Smith, not to mention various Ms. Venezuela pageant models, the famous Basketball Wives, and the Housewives of Miami. Pedigree aside, she recently created a line of dresses, hats, & pieces, which were inspired by “The Great Gatsby”. Not to mention did a fabulous job, on designing Miami’s housewife Adriana De Moura’s wedding gown. Can I get a sexci?

Stiletto Kat getting styled by Tanya Marie

Tanya Marie began her one of a kind line in 2006. Although she had not been formally trained in sewing dresses, She was inspired by her mother–also a fashionista. “She would come home with a killer Roberto Cavalli dress fresh out the shop… Grab scissors cutting straight across on the thigh, giving the dress a couture, unique look.”

Tanya Marie at her boutique being fabulous.

Tanya’s posh boutique reminds me of a walk-in version of Carrie Bradshaw’s closet (minus the jimmy’s). It’s located in Miami’s Design District. On the rack you’ll see beautiful, long & colorful dresses, (making a girl feel like a princess all over again), funky fitting denim, sparkly bohemian tops, & deliciously crafted accessories & shoes! We shared a few laughs, played dress up, & I even got styled!

From Left to Right: Photographer Shanenne M., designer Tanya Marie, publicist Edyna Garcia, fashion editor Stiletto Kat

Tanya is not only a visionary but a fashion icon in the making.

Stop by, shop some & say “hello darling”. Tell her Stiletto Kat sent you…

Interview Transcript Below:

Kat: Tanya, tell us about your view on designing clothes<

Tanya: Some people will buy it just because of the name, but for me it has to be something that makes you look better.

Kat: I agree. I agree.

Tanya: That’s the most important thing. Fit first, fabric second, and then fabulousness always.

Kat: Is that even a question? (laughs)

Tanya: There is no question (laughs)

Kat: Now Tanya you’ve worked with artists such as Pitbull, Timbaland, and Mark Anthony. Can you tell us a little bit about that experience?

Tanya: Timbaland is an ongoing experience, because I’ve styled him and his whole family for the last seven years, but I’ve worked with Kimora Lee Simmons, P Diddy and his girlfriend Kim Porter — I’ve sold thousands worth of clothes to her. Over the years I’ve worked with Jada Pinkett Smith and a lot of celebrities that are in LA that come to Miami and they come to me. As far as doing the Pitbull video, I’ve styled videos for him, and for Amadai who’s an upcoming artist who’s being wearing my things a lot. But now with the new store our direction has shifted from styling and creating looks for styling to wholesale, and we’re trying to do the worldwide campaign where we’re branding of the TM label, Tanya Marie, and we’re selling to stores all over the world: Saint Tropez, the Hamptons, Venezuela, Argentina, you know all over the world. I already have three stores now in Argentina, and I’ve done a lot of Latin celebrities. Like a lot of Miss Venezuelas, and we’ve done wedding bridal dresses for some Miss Venezuelas, as well as Miss Jamaica, Miss Haiti. The reason why we even started this whole thing  was because of the styling — not being able to find things that I needed or that looked amazing — so I started cutting things up and from there I started selling the pieces.

Kat: From there it just blew up. Now my next question Tanya: Now it’s mentioned that you started your line in 2006 and that you had no formal training. Can you tell us about the secret to your success.

Tanya: Yeah I never had it. It’s just a passion. I literally dream and sleep and think about something… I feel like I don’t know what other people are doing because I’m so into my head about what I want to do. I’m not a person that necessarily follows what’s going on in trends, because I know that what I want to put out is a trend or is like the new trend. So whenever someone where’s a piece of mine they always come back because they get more attention in something simple. Then if it was like a major label brand of clothing. I have people like Timbaland’s wife who I style alot — she’s at every red carpet, every Grammy, every celebrity event with artists like Beyonce who are wearing Louis Vuitton head-to-toe, and she’s like “oh my god who is your designer, because I want that”.

Kat: Because you want to stand out.

Tanya: Yeah they stand out. And the way that they fit — I’m really proud of the fact that I’m really into fit and coolness and fabulousity

Kat: Oh my gosh, I told you me personally it’s been an issue to find suits that fit me the way I want it to and still come across stylish and professional. And I feel that your pieces not only do that, but that it’s a different flair.

Tanya: They stand out!

Kat: Oh yeah and it’s fashionable!

Tanya: If you wear that walking down the street people will be like “Who the hell, who does she think she is with that suit on (laughs).

Kat: Oh no no no that has to be in my closet! (laughs)

Tanya: “Oh my god who is that girl and why does she look so good” (laughs)

Kat: That’s because Tanya Marie hooked it up — hello!

Tanya: Oh my gosh (laughs)

Kat: How was your experience with Adriana’s wedding dress? — it was just to die for (laughs)

Tanya: Adriana I had been styling for three years. And I know her style. She voted or touted as top best dressed housewife of 2013. So basically what they called her is the queen of the maxis, which is me. So she said that everytime she would wear my pieces Andy from Bravo would tell her that you look amazing. She didn’t want to wear it all the time because there’s levels, but when she would put on one of my pieces everybody would ask her who the designer was. She was trying to keep me under wraps for a while, but whenever we went to the wedding literally three of the girls including: Alexia, Marisol, and Elisa, they were all fighting about who should be able to wear my clothes.

Kat: She wants to be exclusive.

Tanya: Well Adri has been exclusive with me, but before she bought my stuff, Alexia who is the owner of Fenny Magazine said she was buying my pieces and was pissed off that all of a sudden Adriana was wearing my stuff, then Elisa

Kat: Fashion cat fights

Tanya: It was adorable and I loved the situation because it just gave validity to everything that I’m trying to do. And then the wedding dresses — she was supposed to where three pieces which she’s actually going to wear but they ran out of time and ending up wearing one of my gowns, which was the party gown.

Kat: It was amazing thank you for those photos!

Tanya: Yeah her body for me looked crazy! It showed her cuteness.

Kat: Now I know who to call.

Tanya: Yes, when you get married I’m doing your dress. Oh no you’re coming to see me.

Kat: Is that even a question?

Tanya: Look at you!

Kat: Sexxxy

Tanya: Yes I’m doing your dress.

Kat: We’ll do a little confirmation after this

Tanya: Yes we’ll do a little consultation actually.

Kat: Nice!

Tanya: No problem.

Kat: Let me ask you, what advice can you give your fans and young individuals looking to get into design and style?

Tanya: Like you?

Kat:  Yes ma’am. Like Stiletto Kat (laughs)

Tanya:  Well I think that basically my main thing is that you just be true to yourself. Don’t be a person that looks at everything and go “I want to do that”. You can want to do that but you have to do what you in your heart love. Like no matter what it is. If you’re a full-figured designer, make things that make you look the best, because people will love it because there’s people like you. I think that obviously I never got trained to do this, and I see that one of my interns is a student at DASH and she’s getting all of this training, but what it amounts to me is like a robotic formula. I think that you should improve your skills but just take from it the best of what they give you. Don’t take the whole thing because you’re going to look like everyone else. I feel like the market is full of the same kind of designer. They all look like BEBE. They all have the same thing — No do your style and be true to yourself.

Kat: Thank you for that. That was very inspirational.

Tanya: Well thank you.

Kat: Of course. What is your favorite piece that you’ve created so far?

Tanya: Oh my god! That’s not a question you ask a designer, because every piece is a baby. Like all my babies if I love it I don’t want to sell it. I don’t know what that is because I fall in love on a daily basis. Like I have tons of children out there and some of them I wish I could get back, because a lot of them are one-of-a-kind. I literally don’t even like selling them. The girls in the store have to trick me in order to. I’m like “don’t sell that piece”. I’m putting it here but don’t sell it. Some things I can’t make again. If I can make it again, then okay. But usually I collect fabric from all over the world and a lot of the pieces are not able to be duplicated.

Kat: And that’s what makes you stand apart with your talent and skills and makes you fabulous.

Tanya: Well thank you.

Kat: Of course. Where was the last place you went to get fabric?

Tanya: We’re going to Morocco this summer. But we just travel. What I want to do next — I never do anything with my heritage. People think I’m Moroccan or they don’t know where I’m from.

Kat: You do look racially ambiguous

Tanya: Well not me personally. But the style of the clothing is very traveled. It like has pieces of leather, a lot of embroidery. It feels like India, Morocco — it feels more Arabic. I’ve done Saudi Princesses. So I think I’m going to do a group called Jamaica, which is where I’m from. And do like a really like “my tribal”. I feel like it could be Italian. It could be some many things but something that is something that is very indigenous of my own country. Where are you from?

Kat: I’m part Dominican, and Spaniard, and I just found out that I’m part Puerto Rican

Tanya:  So you’re like from all over.

Kat: What are you doing when you’re not designing? That’s a good question.

Tanya: Sleeping. (laughs)

Kat: And dreaming of designs (laughs)

Tanya: Sleeping yeah. Getting my little mojo back. Because it’s just wherever I am, say we’re out to lunch somewhere, I’ll get inspiration for something and can’t wait to get back and start to do it.

Kat: That’s how you know it’s natural.

Tanya: Yeah, I will just be sitting there cutting in my head. Because I create my own cuts…

Kat: You have a lookbook in your head already..

Tanya: It’s like the cut of things, how they fall. I feel like like I create my own cut that other people don’t do .

Kat: It’s like your signature

Tanya: Different things. Yeah. That aren’t everywhere or are something typical. I’m trying to figure out a new way to do things. Do you know what I mean?

Kat: I like that. You’re fabulous. We gotta go out for cosmos.

Tanya: Even though I don’t drink I’ll go and I’ll sip it up.

Kat: We’ll get some virgin cosmos. Edyna are you down? (laughs)

Kat: Thank you so much Tanya Marie. I want to thank you on the behalf of FASHIFY.

Tanya: Yeah FASHIFY! I’m looking forward to seeing everything about you guys.