Isabel Toledo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Isabel Toledo
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Isabel Toledo at the Anne Klein fashion show, photo by Ed Kavishe, Fashion Wire Press
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| Born |
Maria Isabel Izquierdo
April 9, 1960 |
| Died | August 26, 2019 (aged 59) New York City, U.S.
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| Nationality | Cuban-American |
| Education | Fashion Institute of Technology |
| Spouse(s) |
Ruben Toledo
(m. 1984) |
| Awards | Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, 2005 |
Isabel Toledo (born Maria Isabel Izquierdo; April 9, 1960 – August 26, 2019) was a talented fashion designer from Cuba and America. She lived and worked in New York City. People in the fashion world admired her for her careful craftsmanship. They also loved the simple, yet fancy, style of her clothes.
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About Isabel Toledo's Life
Isabel Toledo was born Maria Isabel Izquierdo in a town called Camajuaní in Cuba. When she was eight years old, her family moved to the United States. They settled in West New York, New Jersey.
She went to Memorial High School there. At school, she met Ruben Toledo, who would later become her husband. He also became her creative partner. They got married in 1984.
Isabel once shared that she started sewing when she was only eight. She said it was because she "couldn't find anything I loved" to wear. She studied painting, ceramics, and fashion design. She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons School of Design in New York. In 1979, she left Parsons. She then became an intern at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Isabel Toledo passed away on August 26, 2019. She died from breast cancer in a hospital in Manhattan.
Isabel Toledo's Fashion Career
Isabel Toledo showed her very first collection of clothes in 1984. This event happened at a place called Danceteria. Her friend, Joey Arias, helped her organize it. In 1985, she officially joined New York Fashion Week. This is a big event where designers show their new clothes.
Soon, her designs were sold in famous stores. These included Barneys New York, Colette in Paris, and Joyce Boutique in Hong Kong. Her unique work quickly became very important in the design world. Another designer, Alber Elbaz, once said that many people were inspired by Isabel's ideas. He explained that her work was all about shapes, cuts, and trying new things with fabric.
In 1998, Isabel decided to change how she worked. She stopped showing new collections twice a year. Instead, she chose to create new designs whenever she felt ready. This gave her more creative freedom.
In 2006, she became the creative director for Anne Klein. Before this, she had only worked under her own name for over twenty years. This new role helped her designs reach many more people. Isabel Toledo showed her first collection for Anne Klein in February 2007. However, she and Anne Klein decided to go separate ways later that same year.
Awards and Recognition
Isabel Toledo and her husband, Ruben Toledo, won a special award in 2005. It was the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award. They received it for their amazing work in fashion.
Isabel also received an Otis Critics' award. This award was named after her. It came from the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles.
On September 3, 2008, Isabel Toledo received another honor. She was given the third annual Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion. This award was from The Museum at FIT. The ceremony took place in New York's Rainbow Room.
Designing for Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama first wore a design by Isabel Toledo in June 2008. This was for a special event in New York City. Michelle Obama learned about Toledo's work from a store in Chicago called Ikram.
Isabel Toledo designed a special dress for Michelle Obama. It was a bright lemongrass yellow color. The dress was made of wool and lace. It also came with a matching overcoat. Michelle Obama chose to wear this outfit for a very important day. This was on January 20, 2009, when Barack Obama became president.
Exhibitions of Her Work
Isabel Toledo's designs have been shown in several art exhibitions. These shows helped people learn more about her unique style.
- "Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out" was at The Museum at FIT in 2009.
- "Isabel and Ruben Toledo: A Marriage of Art and Fashion" was first shown in 1999. It traveled to other museums, like the Ben Maltz Gallery in 2002.
- "Interpretation: 20th Century Clothing and Illustration" was shown in 2000.
- "Spirals & Ellipses: Clothing the Body Three-Dimensionally" was at Kent State University Museum in 2005.
