Nicole Richie Designs Stylish
Maternity Clothes

Designer Isabel Toledo at
New York's FIT Museum
 

Philadelphia (USA) – A favorite among Hollywood's celebrity moms-to-be, A Pea in the Pod has dressed clients such as Rebecca Romijn, Jessica Alba, Naomi Watts, Salma Hayek, and Cate Blanchett, to name a few.

This season the American brand has worked closely with actress Nicole Richie to create a free-spirited designer line.

"I'm excited to join A Pea in the Pod in creating my capsule collection," said Nicole Richie. "I hope that the ease and comfort of my designs will help expectant moms to look and feel amazing throughout their pregnancy."

The 14-piece collection, which will be in stores beginning August 7, 2009, captures Nicole Richie's signature bohemian look with key items such as the peasant top, caftan, cascade cardigan, patio dress, and maxi skirt. Details like asymmetric hems, braid trim and smocking are important elements in this collection. Tissue knits and silk are available at prices that range from a $48 tank (34 euros) top to a $148 (104 euros) maxi dress. 
 

New York (USA) – Fashion designer Isabel Toledo is often described as "a designer's designer." Although she is little known to the general public, her work is greatly admired by members of the fashion community. However, Toledo achieved notoriety when Michelle Obama wore one of her designs - a yellow wool lace dress with matching overcoat – at the inauguration of her husband, President Barack Obama.

The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York is presenting this summer "Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out," a mid-career retrospective displaying approximately 70 iconic looks from the mid-1980s to the present, including pieces from Toledo's highly praised 2007-2008 collections as creative director of Anne Klein, and mannequins and drawings by her husband, artist Ruben Toledo, with whom she closely collaborates.

Born in Cuba in 1961, Isabel Toledo learned to sew as a child. Fascinated by her grandmother's sewing machine, she became committed to mastering the techniques of fine dressmaking. She held her first fashion show in 1985 and was immediately heralded as a great new talent.

Her focus on technique, her willingness to experiment, and her strong personal vision make her work stand out. Her clothes are undeniably different. None of them have traditional construction. Her patterns, silhouettes, use of materials, and methods of draping are all highly experimental.

"I really love the technique of sewing more than anything else. The seamstress is the one who knows fashion from the inside! That's the art form really, not fashion design, but the technique of how it's done," she said.

Toledo does not sketch, as most fashion designers do; instead, she uses construction as the point of departure for each of her designs. Each idea begins as a three-dimensional vision that evolves as Toledo manipulates fabric and cuts patterns. She works closely with her husband to give her visions shape, gesturing to show how a fabric should fall. "I think of it as fashion from the inside out," she said. "I can describe an idea or even a feeling to Ruben, and he’ll sketch it."

"Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out" will be on view until September 26, 2009. 
 
 

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