Zang Toi Fall 2008 – New York Fashion Week

A couple of outfits from Zang Toi’s “An American Collection” for Fall 2008. (photo: Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

Malaysian-born designer Zang Toi closed out Fashion Week at the Bryant Park tents with his Adirondacks-inspired show, which sought to evoke, according to the accompanying notes, the “magnificent and sumptuous log cabins…built by William Avery Rockefeller that personified the romantic notion of roughing it in luxurious and glamorous style.”

Stunningly elegant and remarkably understated at the same time, Zang Toi’s impressive Fall 2008 collection was a show of contrasts: brilliant whites, bright reds and deep blacks. The production itself was an exuberant embrace of his adopted country, as the models strutted on a runway littered with fake snow to the strains of such tunes as Tom Petty’s “American Girl” and Lenny Kravitz’s version of “American Woman.” The lengthy show actually featured two separate collections, the eponymous Zang Toi line and the more youth-centered House of Toi. The looks segued smoothly from the heavy winter gear – often accompanied by striking snow goggles – to more casual sweaters to evening gowns. Dresses with patterns inspired by Native American crafts expanded the American theme to include its indigenous peoples. In all, Zang Toi’s engaging and visually pleasurable show ended Fashion Week on a high note.

Photo Gallery: Zang Toi Fall 2008 – New York Fashion Week
all photos by Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine