SAN ANTONIO — For all the creative ways San Antonians have incorporated food into their culture, it's likely that local fashion designer Sandy Royce is the first to "cook up" the tamale dress.
Royce's creation, made for the upcoming locally produced comedy "Tamale Season," has showcased the eye-catching piece of puro San Antonio fashion at her vendor booth at Eisenhauer Marketplace.
The business owner has a love of fashion design; all she needs is 15 minutes for her creative ideas to go from her head to a sketch on the page. She will then turn it into a one-of-a-kind piece.
It was at a young age when the first stitches of her passion were sewn.
"My grandmother, I would watch her sew,” she said. "I would get her scraps and I would make clothes for my Barbie."
Her love and passion really took off in 2008, when she started creating her own art.
"Now, over the years, I have gotten addicted to people's reactions towards my art. I love the appreciation."
Most everything you see inside her Eisenhauer Marketplace booth comes from her vision, and was made from her own sweat and tears. Her latest number is what she calls the tamale dress, made from about five bags of corn husks.
As one can imagine, it was a new challenge.
"I tried sewing it, it would break," she said. "I tried three different adhesives and it finally worked."
Underneath all the corn husks is an actual dress.
"This fabric is used for costume," she explained.
Royce was approached by her friend Brandy Lopez, who stars in "Tamale Season" alongside Bert Lopez. The film was directed by Isaac Rodriguez, an Alamo City native who currently lives in Houston.
"This whole thing is exciting," Royce said. "I can't believe all of this is happening to me. It is like all my hard work is paying off. Very happy tears."
Royce specializes in quinceañera and wedding dresses.
"Tamale Season" premieres Saturday at City Base Cinema, where Royce said the dress will be on full display for movie watchers to check it out for themselves.
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