Fairy Tale Magic - Tiana

Costume and photography: Megan McGrew

 Tiana

Today’s Fairy Tale Magic is the story of Tiana, inspired by Disney’s recent update of the classic fairy tale, The Princess And The Frog. 

This fable is not your typical “true love” story of a princess being saved by her prince. In this story, the heroine is an intelligent, young woman who achieves her goals through hard work and never giving up. Instead of pining after prince charming or waiting for a fairy godmother to make her dreams come true, she works hard to fulfill her own destiny and achievements.

Megan embraced the story of Tiana because she finds the characters relatable. Megan’s independent daughter is the youngest child and only daughter in her family and is perfectly capable of holding her own, in a house full of brothers, just as Tiana succeeded in a male dominated profession.

Tiana’s mother, Eudora, was a seamstress. In fact, she was the finest seamstress in all of New Orleans. Megan instantly connected with Tiana’s mom, as Megan, a talented sewist herself, makes everything for her little girl and fiercely loves her daughter. 

Megan fashioned this gorgeous, glorious rendering of Tiana from the Lexington pattern. True to Tiana’s look she added yellow petals to the bodice, making no adjustment to the pattern pieces or bodice construction.  

To curate her own version of the skirt, Megan strategically layered her skirt for the sake of authenticity. She hand crafted the green leaves, white petals, and added extra width to the yellow layer to make a more melodramatic statement. This design is exquisite. 

The characteristics portrayed by Tiana make her an excellent role model. Tiana teaches us to be strong, be confident and to believe in ourselves.

She encourages us not to give up, even when life is less than ideal and things don’t go our way (i.e. being turned into a frog.) 

With all there is to love about this tale, it’s easy to see why Princess Tiana is more than just a story; she’s an inspiration.