Sparks

What inspires me is process—how a thing comes to be, not the thing itself. That’s why my designs are so technical. I don’t have fantasies or stories in my head, I have techniques. It’s not about images. I mean, of course I’m looking at art all day long and watching Ruben paint. That’s inspiring. But if I’m looking at a building, it’s not the shape that interests me; it’s, ‘How is that wall standing there?’ If I have to think about a human, I’m fascinated by its bones. If I’m looking at a stitch, I’m imagining how to use the stitch, not how the dress will look. It’s all about, ‘How do I put this together?’ I love puzzles. If I make a kite of a garment—big around the body—I’m thinking about the body of the woman, how she stands, how she moves. So I’ll anchor it from under the bust up to the shoulder. I’ll make the dress hug her. I think it’s very romantic, the craft of how things are made.

Toledo, who studied at FIT in the early ’80s, is the
subject of a retrospective exhibition that runs through
September 26 at The Museum at FIT. She and her
husband, artist and illustrator Ruben Toledo, have
worked together since 1984.
Pictured: Apron dress, spring/summer 1997.
Purple, azure, and blue ombré silk chiffon. Photo: William Palmer