by Angie Verhaegen
Today I went to the House of Toi Fall/Winter 2011 Fashion show at Mercedes-Benz fashion week in New York City. Zang Toi’s collection consists of camel neutral pieces with extravagant use of fabric, garments with an extraordinary emerald color scheme and black with beige neutral gowns with an amazing type of lace detailing.
“Timeless beauties” is a collection that embodies sheer elegance. Through a skillful blend of luxurious fabrics – in classic shades of camel & charcoal, black and nude with hints of brilliant emerald – it is designed for the stylish and sophisticated palate. This treasure trove of finely crafted tailoring encapsulates the heritage of Zang Toi and is meant to be savored and adored for generations.”
His final piece (first picture), a black silk gazar strapless ball gown with nude beads and lace encrusted with Swarovski crystals, was modeled by Jill Zarin (“Real Housewives of New York City”), who is a friend of his. This beautiful gown retails for $30,000, but when you look at all the work that went into it, the price tag won’t come as a surprise. The beading was added in India, the rest of the work was done by his own staff at his Manhattan studio on 57th St.
The House of Toi collection shows garments with perfect detailing, timeless yet modern design in combination with chic and glamorous silhouettes. The crowd was going wild for the outfits with black or emerald Swarovski crystals; we could also see a lot of fur, textures and creative use of fabric. I love how Zang Toi creates specific illusions in the form of cutouts, detailing, different textures and the magic of hide and reveal (the climax of this element was when the green stole (4th picture) revealed the gorgeous emerald crystal necklace).
All models had beautiful neutral make-up and a very high “oversized” bun on top of their head. My personal favorite facet about the collection was the emerald shades and textures in combination with the exaggerated proportioning of the sleeves. The show of House of Toi came to an end with a standing ovation; I would say it is my personal second favorite collection so far.
