An Ode to Palm Beach Glamour
House of Toi — 2022 Spring Collection
It was an invitation 32 years ago that changed Zang Toi’s life as a designer. Martha and Lynn Phillips, the mother-daughter duo known as pioneers of the high-end boutique, invited Toi to their legendary Palm Beach boutique, Martha, for his first-ever trunk show. “Here I was, this young, unknown designer and Miss Martha and Miss Lynn introduced me to the glamorous life of Palm Beach,” he says.
Toi’s Spring 2022 collection, “Glamorous Palm Beach Gals,” honors the place and the women who helped give him his start. It’s full of corals and seashells, pink orchids and palm leaves; you can almost feel the languid, salt air as you envision the designs floating around poolside at a Palm Beach soiree. Toi describes his new collection as romantic, glamorous and uplifting—all things the world desperately needs right now. “It is time to get back to life,” he says. “Ladies are ready to get back out and feel glamorous in what they’re wearing. Life can be beautiful if you don’t let fear take over.”
Forty years ago Toi arrived in the United States from Malaysia, fearless, with $300 in his pocket. He had a vision and was determined to fulfill his dream in couture. “I had a love and passion for fashion, and I have worked very, very hard for this life. I love this country for giving me the opportunities that have come my way. Anything can happen with hard work and a love for what you do.”
Toi recalls how the sales for that first, two-day trunk show exceeded $200,000—no small sum now, and even more substantial in 1990—saying, “Miss Martha was beside herself with excitement and she invited me for dinner at her home, which I learned was not common. I remember her home being peach, pink and glamorous, but most of all, it was the beginning of our long connection. We were loyal to each other, and I worked with Miss Martha until she closed. I hold the most wonderful memories of her.”
In his ode to Palm Beach, two of the special prints in the collection were designed by Toi himself. The seashells and coral pattern and the palm leaf and pink orchid combination set the tone for the entire collection, the perfect mix of glamour without trying too hard. Toi has reordered the fabrics twice since the collection launched, an indication of the collective desire for all things bright and beautiful.
“Everything is made in the USA, in my atelier in New York City on 48th Street between Fifth and Madison,” Toi explains. “Creating it in my shop is how we get the workmanship and quality we need and our clients desire.” He attributes his success and repeat customers to staying true to what women want. “I have dressed some of my women for over 25 years, and they are from all over the country. If you stay true to your vision and refine your collection and make it better each season, the customers will stay with you.”
And Toi is crystal clear about how he wants women to feel when wearing his clothes: “I want them to feel special, to feel like a queen, to bring energy. I know when they wear Zang Toi they are guaranteed attention. They don’t attend an event, they arrive.”
Glamorous Palm Beach Gals Trunk Show
March 3 – 5
Balliets, Nichols Hills Plaza
6443 Avondale Drive
It’s been six years since Toi was in Oklahoma City, and he’s anxious to return. “I am so looking forward to being back in Oklahoma City at Balliets. Bob and DeDe [Benham] are so gracious, and I just love the people in Oklahoma City—they’re so warm and welcoming.”