Shape

Nearly every garment created by Toledo is a piece of soft sculpture. In fact, many of her creations contain more than one distinctive three-dimensional shape. A single ensemble might have sculpted sleeves, a bodice that sits away from the torso, and a full skirt.

The sharp, conical shape of the Pie Coat, which appears to be a two-dimensional pyramidal wedge when viewed from only one angle, surprises the viewer when multiple perspectives clearly show that the coat is an asymmetrically shaped cone.

Among the most dazzling of the Shape garments Toledo has crafted are those made with richly woven textiles. Guipure lace is used to make the highly feminine, full-skirted Bamboo dress and Butterfly Wingspan jacket, while a surreal moiré ikat is sculpted into an infanta silhouette for the Woodgrain dress and matching bolero. The Double Tier Pagoda dress is crafted from a brocaded blue and white fabric that resembles Chinese porcelain.