Since he started showing at NYFW, Zang Toi has invited viewers to participate in his larger-than-life fashion fantasies. In past years, he’s referenced Marie Antoinette, Bond Girls and dozens more icons of femininity. This time, Zang and his “House of Toi jet setters embarked onto (the) supreme SpaceX starship on a glamorous futuristic journey to outer space”. The journey was punctuated by dramatic fog clouds, from which the models emerged, with space-age updos and Silver lips that added to the frosty fantasy.
Lest one think this show was just a gimmicky ploy, think again. Zang knows how to design dresses and gowns for his ladies whose days are occupied by luncheons and evenings attending fundraising galas.
The palette was solidly Black and Silver with shots of eighties Cobalt Blue that evoked a sparkling alternative planet. On his fashion SpaceX, Zang had plenty of Saga Furs to keep his ladies warm. despite the CFDA’s admonition to New York designers to not show it on their runways. If a designer wanted to be on the official CFDA NYFW calendar, they had to drop the fur. Zang elected to stay true to his aesthetic and good for him, as it just would not be a true Zang presentation without it.
There were the signature Zangi-sms – a perky Judy Jetson Silver leather peplum mini skirt (#3), and metallic hand-loomed jumpsuits worn underneath a sharp sculpted leather jacket (#4) or topped with a wool/rayon cozy cardigan wrap (#11). As for pants, the skinnier the better, whether they were shown in corduroy or a lacquered leather (#10).
It’s in the dress category though, that Zang really excels. Here, his use of draping and tucking and use of sumptuous fabrics are on full display. This is a designer who cuts his designs to flatter the curves of a woman’s body. He used horsehair to add volume to a sexy Black velvet keyhole dress (#15) and luxurious zibeline to give an oversize cut-away coat its structural look (#20). He saved the best for the last of the show’s 3 segments. The Black silk gazar cape with an intricate hand-beaded skyscraper image (#24) was best in show, but it wouldn’t be a Zang show without a bride, in the French couture tradition. House of Toi’s 2026 bride emerged from the last fog cloud in a sparkling White tulle gown embellished with silk butterflies wrapped in a cloud of White sparkling tulle (Grand Finale). Fittingly, a tuxedo-clad Zang took his victory lap with his bride.
-Vivian Kelly ( @thefashionhistorian )
