ISABEL TOLEDO

 

Isabel Toledo (born April 9, 1961)is a Cuban-born American fashion designer based in New York. Toledo designed a lemongrass yellow wool lace shift dress with matching overcoat which First Lady Michelle Obama selected to wear at the inauguration of her husband, President Barack Obama.

Toledo was named creative director of Anne Klein in 2006 after more than twenty years of working solely under her own name; she was let go from that position in 2007.

Isabel Toledo was born in Cuba and moved to New Jersey where she attended high school and met her future husband and collaborator, Ruben Toledo. Toledo attended the Fashion Institute of Technology (NY) and Parsons School of Design (NY) where she studied painting, ceramics, and fashion design. An avid seamstress from a young age, Toledo’s work reflects not only a distinct design sense but a keen understanding of garment construction and appreciation for the geometric intricacies of pattern shapes.

In 1984, Toledo married artist Ruben Toledo and in 1985 presented her first collection. In 1998, she stopped presenting biannual collections, instead choosing to create on her own schedule.

Along with her husband, Ruben Toledo, Isabel was the recipient of the Cooper-Hewitt Design Award for their work in fashion in 2005. Toledo made her debut with Anne Klein at New York Fashion Week in February 2007 to critical acclaim. She and Anne Klein parted ways, however, a few months later.

Toledo was also the recipient of an Otis Critics’ award named for her at the Los Angeles-based Otis College of Art and Design.

Michelle Obama first wore a Toledo design on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 for an appearance at a New York City fashion world fund-raiser.

 Michelle Obama & Barack Obama