The Heat Brave

Glenda Bailey & Valerie Steele toast Isabel Toledo's FIT Couture Council award and exhibit
Wednesday, July 23, 2008

(NEW YORK) On an especially sultry day, guests had to deal with a few obstacles at the cocktail party honoring Isabel Toledo's upcoming FIT Couture Council Award and exhibit. There was a very intimate elevator that could take only about five at a time to the penthouse that hosted the event, as well as an especially humid studio that served as the main reception area. (Other floors were air-conditioned.) Still, no one seemed to mind as cheerful groups toasted the beloved couple with Toledo mojitos. And there were plenty of hand-painted fans, conceived by Ruben Toledo, to keep things as cool as possible.

"Having so many people in our home is really disturbing and exciting at the same time," said the gracious host at his wife's bash. "But they definitely have to deal with the elements tonight. In the summer, it's hot like hell here, and in the winter we have to wear our coats to function. I guess on this floor, we pretty much live outdoors!"

"My entire archives are downstairs," noted Isabel Toledo. "So I guess I have to get used to all the FIT people coming in and out for selections as well as all the photo shoots. We're usually very private people, but this huge honor makes it all worth it!" The warm wishers included Stan Herman, Marylou Luther, Joe Zee, Joanne Pailey, Yigal Azrouel, Pamela Fiori, Michael Vollbracht, Simon Doonan, Kai Kühne, Kristina O'Neill, Carmen Dell'Orefice, and fellow Garden State native Narciso Rodriguez. "There must be something in the air in the area of New Jersey where the Toledos and I are from," laughed the designer. "And the ironic part is that I didn't know them in those lands!"

Glenda Bailey hosted the cocktail party along with FIT's Valerie Steele. "Isabel has a rare gift," said the editor. "Her designs are works of mathematical genius combined with this wonderful creative wit. And she's so much more than a designer. She's an artist, dancer, and just an overall dame."

Meanwhile, a few ladies offered up their tips for suffering the heat in chic. "A good pedicure is really all you need," declared Helen Lee Schifter. Linda Fargo had another solution. "When it's hot and you start seeing random fashion in your sleep, the trick is literally just grabbing as much ice cold water as you can and really refreshing your face over and over again. That will do it!"
VALENTINE UHOVSKI