NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, presented in partnership with Nashville Fashion Week, will host a conversation with designers Marina "Poni" Silver. The program, "Suiting the Sound: Designers Marina Toybina and Maria 'Pony' Silver in Conversation," will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 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.
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.
About the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum collects, preserves and interprets country music and its history for the education and entertainment of diverse audiences. In exhibitions, publications, digital media and educational programs, the museum explores the cultural importance and enduring beauty of the art form. The museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, and is among the most-visited history museums in the U.S. The Country Music Foundation operates Historic RCA Studio B®, Hatch Show Print® poster shop, Haley Gallery, CMF Records, the Frist Library and Archive and CMF Press. Museum programs are supported in part by Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and Tennessee Arts Commission.
More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.org or by calling (615) 416-2001.
About Nashville Fashion Week
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.
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