COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME® AND MUSEUM
HOSTS “SUITING THE SOUND” CONVERSATION
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, presented in partnership with Nashville Fashion Week, will host a conversation with designers Marina Toybina and Maria “Poni” Silver. The program, “Suiting the Sound: Designers Marina Toybina and Maria ‘Poni’ Silver in Conversation,” will take place on Wednesday, September 4, at 6 p.m. in the museum’s Ford Theater.
Country music performers have been turning heads in custom-designed stage wear since the late 1940s. During this program, moderated by Museum Writer-Editor Angela Stefano Zimmer, Toybina and Silver — who both work with Carrie Underwood and other musicians — will discuss their careers and their design processes. Underwood is loaning stage wear created by both designers for display during the program.
Toybina is a seven-time Emmy-winning costume and fashion designer who has collaborated with Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, P!NK, Taylor Swift and many others, as well as on television shows such as “The Masked Singer,” “So You Think You Can Dance” and “The X Factor.” She is also a judge and mentor on the Hulu competition series “Dress My Tour.” Toybina is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and launched her first fashion line, Glaza, while still in school. Her work has been featured in various magazines including Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour, People, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue and Variety.
Silver is head of wardrobe for Underwood’s REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency and has also designed stage wear for Ruby Amanfu, Adia Victoria and others, as well as for the Nashville Ballet production “Seven Deadly Sins.” She is a Fashion Institute of Technology graduate and Nashville Fashion Week’s 2017 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient. Designs from her brand, Black by Maria Silver, which launched in 2011, have been featured in Elle, Glamour, Vogue and other publications. Silver is also a musician: she has been a touring drummer since 2004 and has recorded six albums.
Free tickets can be reserved on the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum website. Separately, the museum also has a free-to-access online exhibition, Suiting the Sound: The Rodeo Tailors Who Made Country Stars Shine Brighter. Drawing from the museum’s galleries and extensive collection of stage costumes and archival materials, the exhibition examines the dazzling artistry of western-wear designers whose couture fashions helped create an indelible image for country music.
Nashville Fashion Week kicked off in 2010 with a city-wide celebration of Nashville’s thriving fashion and retail community and its vast array of creative talent and has continued to gain momentum each year. Featuring local, regional and national designers and industry professionals in an array of creative events encourages both Nashvillians and visitors to explore the city’s diverse fashion and retail spaces through events, promotions, partnerships and educational workshops. NFW was founded and directed by a collaboration of fashion, retail and media professionals who combined their passion and resources to create a completely volunteer-led and run event spotlighting Nashville's growing fashion community with a sustainable focus for philanthropic support of our creative community through the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. For detailed information, please visit NashvilleFashionWeek.com.
