Fashion designer Tamara Catz, of Pa'ia, was heartsick when she saw beautiful brides cavorting on Maui beaches in pouffy formal gowns that looked decidedly out of place. The disconnect between the gowns' overly ornate ballroom look and the pristine sands and rolling surf caused a rift in her visual mind. So she decided to do something about it: She designed a collection of Island-appropriate wedding dresses.

"I wanted to create a beautiful dress that's suitable for an Island bride — not a Cinderella dress that you put on and suddenly you're someone else," Catz said. She designed with the environment in mind, selecting natural fibers in creams and beiges, with subtle embellishments such as shells, beads and embroidery that have the look of soft, sandy beaches. "When you wear it, you are part of the environment and you look like an Island girl, but in a wedding way," Catz said.

"I also wanted to create a beautiful dress that suits you and you can wear over and over again," Catz said. "I wanted each dress to be modern and comfortable with more personality — each dress has something special."

In other words, she wanted the wedding collection to represent the Tamara Catz aesthetic rather than a traditional bridal look.

A WELL-HONED OUTLOOK

While Tamara Catz may not be a household name on O'ahu, she is an established designer whose label is known on the Mainland, as well as in France, Spain and Japan.

Born and raised in Argentina, Catz began designing when she was 18 years old. While still in her teens, she created 40 dress styles that were custom fitted and sewn by a friend.

In college, Catz did freelance costume design, in addition to working as a fit model for an Argentinian jeans wear company.

"While I was modeling, they would ask my opinion, and soon I got a job designing for them, for the younger customer," Catz said.

Seeking further opportunities, Catz moved to New York, attending classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology while working various jobs in the fashion industry. One summer, she vacationed on Maui and met her husband, Francisco Goya. A year later, she packed up her life and moved to Pa'ia.

On Maui she sought to further her fashion education. While at FIT, she had learned theoretical aspects of fashion. Catz completed the entire fashion technology program at Maui Community College to learn the practical skills of pattern-making, draping and grading.

A job with Rainbow Joe on Maui introduced her to Indonesia, where she traveled to oversee production of the company's clothing line.

For a while, she worked for a high-end Argentinian company that manufactured in Indonesia.

"That opened the doors for me to the manufacturers (in Indonesia)," Catz said. "I would go to them with the line for this other company and then say, 'Oh, by the way, I have a few pieces of my own design — and could you please make them for me?' "

Those few pieces soon turned into an entire line of resort wear.

GOING INDEPENDENT

At first, the line was strictly wholesale, selling in large department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's and Bloomingdale's.

Motherhood (she has two children, Luna and Teo) made for many changes in Catz's life, however, and she found that she wanted to centralize her business close to home.

In 2005 she opened a Pa'ia boutique.

While many clothes made in Indonesia have a cookie-cutter look, Tamara Catz pursues a definable vision. Her silhouettes are feminine, fitted and flattering. Her embroidery is created from her own sketches and artwork. Her embellishments, often shells and wood or other natural elements, have a distinctly Island feel.

And now, at last, her collection will be carried on O'ahu, so Honolulu fans won't have to fly to Maui to buy it.

The Tamara Catz 2008 resort collection is soon to arrive at The Butik in Kaka'ako and Soleil in Kapahulu.

Her wedding collection, to be featured at a Modern Pacific wedding show and trunk show in the coming days (see boxes, above) is a natural extension of her resort clothing.

Although Catz comes from Argentina, her designs show that she is attuned to the Island aesthetic and the magic of being an Island bride.

Reach Paula Rath at paularath@aol.com.