Haute to the Core ... Zang Toi F/W 08-09

If there is one reason one could dispense on why women like Sharon Stone, Ivana Trump, and Eva Longoria could not part away with Zang Toi, the answer is because he knows how to make celebrities and rich women look more than what they worth.

For this year’s fall/winter collection, Toi is again playing with the idea of a filthy rich Manhattan socialite whose little black book is filled with addresses of high-end couturiers in Paris or Milan, plus black calfskin bound Hermès organizer loaded with important get-together dates, luncheons, dinners, and superb elite parties that made a beeline from New York to Honolulu.

Oops, not to mention, a secret nip-and-tuck appointment with Dr. Pitanguy in Rio as well!

Four main colours dominate the working palette and they are black, white, red, and green. Adding pizzazz to the collection is a splash of timeless Scottish tartans in olive green and red, simply injecting the traditional warmth and joy of, you know this very well, Christmas.

Living up to his reputation, rich fur embellishments on lapels have always been a must for Toi in his purely dramatic fall/winter collection ever since the time could tell. Kicking off his fall/winter 2008 runway at New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week last February was a line of dresses and ensembles in black.

Furs aside, Toi also used velvety materials for the first group of his collection, as velvety fabrics tend to provide more warmth and comfort like furs do. Making New York’s dames des sociétes stampeding into his store at more than 150 km/h is the silky black fur-lined lapel outerwear paired with knee-high shin boots.

Next, the mood changes from plain to plaid. Olive green plaid, one of Scottish classic plaid patterns, was set as the background for the second segment of his fall/winter collection.

Again, furs lined the lapels of the jackets and dyed in olive green to match the plaids. Besides lavish outer coats with thickness of high proportion, there are also simple short dresses in rather thin fabric of the same pattern as well as chic ensembles for day-to-day use.

Done with the green, the red plaid took over the stage later on. This time, Toi displayed a bit of innovation by mixing the classic tartan print with stripes.

One of the dresses on display, which is a body-conforming tartan tube dress paired with red and black long sleeved striped top with funnel neck, plus a skinny pants with heightened hem reminds me of Cher Horowitz (played by Alicia Silverstone) from that cult girl flick of the 90’s, Clueless.

Besides luxurious womenswear, there were also occasional sights of menswear on stage, especially at the last segment of the runway presentation. Over with black and tartans in green and red, the show moved on with white.

Again, the white line seduced New York society girls, led by Toi’s number one fan Ivana Trump.

Perching high on their surveillance list is the mesmerizing ensemble of white shirt with puffed long sleeves worn with elongated pencil skirt flared at the hem and high-waisted black cummerbund. Trés chic!

Zang Toi’s fall/winter 2008 collection will be available at Zang Toi boutiques and Nordstrom stores starting this fall.

*Photos by Imaxtree/nymag.com

Zang Toi – Third Floor, Parkson Pavilion, Pavilion KL, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.