LA FASHION WEEK.COM

Dita Von Teese Shows Off Summer Style in Los Feliz

Dita Von Teese rocked a flower girl look in a recent jaunt through Los Feliz on August 23, 2011.  

 

 

 

Gorgeous!

Interview with designer and celebrity stylist Marina Toybina

A CONVERSATION WITH MARINA TOYBINA

By Bryan Andrew Shackleford

 

Designer/Stylist Marina Toybina

Marina Toybina has reached a level that most fashion designers only dream about. Her creations have been seen on some of the hottest trend-setting celebrities of our time; from Britney to Katy, Miley to Pink. Marina’s work as a personal stylist and fashion designer have taken her from the set of photo shoots to worldwide tours. Her work has garnered her clients Best Dressed nods and has been seen in award winning music videos.

The Russian-born designer, who spent her adolescent years in Arizona, is tiny in stature and unassuming in nature. You’d never know that this angelic young woman was kicked out of public school in the first grade for allegedly yelling at a teacher, forcing her to learn English so that she could enroll in the city’s art academy.

Sitting down with her for a quiet lunch at The Village Idiot in Hollywood, Marina talked with me about her inspiration, her jealousy of music, the indescribability of her design process and her infatuation with Barbie.

 

BRYAN:  Did you always know that you wanted to be a fashion designer?

 

MARINA: . I was always interested in style and the beauty of things. We were living in Moscow, and my extended family would send “cool kid” clothes from Arizona.   I would combine these cool clothes with the latest hair style. And I was always a doodler, sketching, and when I got into high school, I started taking my artwork seriously. I think my mom had a lot to do with it and my dad was always really supportive of my art. Getting into fashion was an experimental process. Someone had introduced me to a seamstress who agreed to make the clothing from my sketches and then I paid the yearbook photographer to take photos of the pieces.

 

B:  How did such a diverse background, growing up in Russia and Arizona, inform your art?

 

M:  Growing up in Russia and traveling around Europe had a lot to do with me learning about art and history, and it was constantly fascinating being surrounded by so many cultures. I feel like my work is really inspired by the past, and the techniques of the past. I don’t feel beholden to modern standards when it comes to making clothes.

Nicki Minaj in SSX Magazine

 

B:  What inspires you from the past?

 

M:  The details; craftsmanship.

 

B: Do you remember the first time that you saw someone that you considered to be a fashion icon?

 

M:  Absolutely! Michael Jackson. I saw the video for Thriller. It was the first time that I had seen reality and fantasy come together like that. It was magical.

 

B:  Is that what introduced you to the idea of costume design?

 

M: That and my mom would take me to see the plays at the Bolshoi. I was always more aware of the costumes and the design, and captivated by the environment than I was with the actual story on the stage.

Dita Von Teese by Patrick Hoelk

 

B: You’ve worked with a lot of musical artists. Are you often inspired by music?

 

M: I’m jealous of music. People can be so moved by a melody or a lyric. It is a lot harder to reach people emotionally through fashion. This is why music choices are so important at a fashion show. It’s a challenge to tell a story physically with fabric. My sewing machine is my guitar.

 

B: Do you feel that there is an advantage to creating a custom look versus creating a look through styling other designers’ work?

 

M:  Stylists have to represent the client’s interests and the integrity of each piece that they use. You have less creative freedom in the process, but you can always pull items to cheat the final look that you had hoped to achieve. It can be very political. Designing a custom look gives you more freedom to create the exact look that you have in your head. The collaboration with the client on something custom can be challenging. They have their story that they want to tell, and you have the story that you want to tell, and capturing the essence of both in one look can be really emotional.

 

B: Can you talk about your design process? What makes it so emotional?

 

M: It’s hard to describe. I get caught up in my own little world, and then I have to try to balance that with the reality of making a piece that works for the client, and getting it done on time.  Sometimes designing can be like hell in paradise, but that’s how you grow as an artist. It’s a gift to be able to understand what others feel and how they perceive themselves. As a designer, they trust me to help them define their identity.

 

B:  Rumor has it that you want to design for Barbie.

 

M: It’s a childhood fantasy! Barbie just makes me happy. She can be and do anything.  And no one ever knocks off Barbie.

Juliette Lewis by Mark Squires

If you would like to see more of Marina’s work, visit her website: www.marinatoybina.com, or you are welcome to “like” her Facebook page here.

 

Robyn Rhodes Trunk Show, Sat. Aug. 20th, Studio City

Desigual Santa Monica says "come in your skivvies... Win a free out fit"

Desigual is Euro-party line started in Ibiza, and recently gaining traction in the U.S.  If you show up to their new store in Santa Monica on Tues. Aug. 30th in nothing but your undies... You could WIN a 2-piece Desigual outfit, your choice of items. Here is the 60 second teaser video: http://bit.ly/UNDIEVID      Join the event on Facebook.

Georgeous Jennifer Lopez Launches New Collection for Kohl's

Kellan Lutz for Dylan George, Fall 2011