Fashion from the Inside Out

The highly anticipated mid-career retrospective of Isabel Toledo's work opens tomorrow at The Museum at FIT in New York. Included in the exhibit is the famed lemongrass ensemble, on loan from Mrs. O for the next few months. Of the dress and coat, Mrs. O said, "I absolutely adored my Inauguration Day ensemble designed by Isabel Toledo, and I am happy it will be part of the exhibit so that others can appreciate the creativity and craftsmanship of one of America's great female designers."

We went for a sneak peek of the exhibit this morning, and must tell you, it was magical. The garments are organized by theme: Origami, Suspension, Liquid Architecture, Shadow, Shape, Organic Geometry and Manipulated Surfaces. Many of the pieces are accompanied by their pattern, which makes one pause to contemplate the remarkable transformation from 2-D to 3-D.

The lemongrass dress and coat are in their own room, accompanied by a series of photos taken inside Isabel Toledo's studio. We learned more about the garment as well. Though the fabric often appears yellow in photographs, it is truly a sage green in person. The coat also appeared to feature two, small front pocket flaps when first created.

The exhibit, Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out, opens tomorrow and runs through mid September. We would love to get a group from Mrs-O.org together to attend the exhibit, which is free to the public. Tentatively we propose the early afternoon of Saturday, July 11 if anyone is interested!

Check out this fabulous video from NYMag: