Yesterday evening I had the pleasure of attending an event held at The Toledo Penthouse to honour designer Isabel Toledo who will be receiving the Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion at FIT’s annual Fall Fashion Week benefit luncheon. Isabel’s work from 1985 – 2008 will also be on display in The Museum at FIT’s major 2009 exhibition beginning June of next year. The event was hosted by Glenda Bailey, editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar and Valerie Steele director of The Museum at FIT.

(Isabel and husband Ruben Toledo with two fabulously dressed women)

As I walked into the stunning penthouse overflowing with art by Isabel’s husband Ruben (most of the art is inspired by Isabel herself), both Isabel and Ruben were making their way-up the stairs, so I took the opportunity to introduce myself and both Toledos kindly greeted me with a kiss on each cheek!

It was my second time meeting the couple (the first was at the El Museo Gala the two hosted earlier this summer), and they are both unbelievably gracious and so obviously, even after decades together, still madly in love with one-another. Later in the evening both Bailey and Steele toasted the designer and Bailey aptly said “I can’t help but think if Isabel didn’t exist, Ruben would have created her.”

(Guests received fans hand-painted by Ruben. Each fan had a slightly different portrait of Isabel)

After making my way past the entryway I was handed a fan that had been delicately hand-painted by Ruben, as there was no AC!

(I told Simon Doonan that I wanted to snap a photo of him showing-off his fabulous Goyard bag!)

It only took me a few minutes to catch sight of Barney’s creative director Simon Doonan who looked delightfully quirky in a button-down shirt made from Liberty of London fabric printed with tiny black insects, along with a Goyard bag painted with his initials. The wonderfully charismatic Doonan told me that I should plug his new book “Eccentric Glamour: Creating an Insanely More Fabulous You,” in my write-up – he need not have asked me because I would have plugged the fab read anyway.

(Fashionista Patrick “Dandy” McDonald)

Other notable attendees included Linda Fargo who looked carefully put together in a timeless form-fitting dress and skinny belt, Cynthia Rowley who looks gorgeous in person, Patrick “Dandy” McDonald looking eye-catching as always, and Narciso Rodriguez who was so dressed-down I barely recognized him in a t-shirt and backpack!