Clothing can seduce both the viewer and the wearer. It is the physical layer between ourselves and the world, and can cast shadows both ways. Though interpretation is blurred by individual perspective, clothing nonetheless communicates thoughts and emotions. It can psychologically transform and define us, and at the same time, physically react in symbiosis with our bodies.

Isabel Toledo's work embraces this visceral approach to mind and body. She creates sensual garments with the ability to draw strong physical and emotional responses. While the man-bra, which was first designed for a female impersonator, modifies the bust, its accompanying slip conceals to reveal the object of desire. Both garments shock by emphasizing unmentionable naturally hairy regions of the human body. The cut of the slip eliminates elastics, bulky fasteners and gathers, while allowing for fit, expansion and comfort. In it form follows function: the extended hip yoke sections open at the center front to permit dressing, then cross over and attach at the back for closure. The gradual layering of sheer fabric creates a stable hem and an elongated triangle that slims the lower torso and accentuates the pubic area. The play of fabrics becomes a game of light and shadow, a new take on an erotic tradition.

In many of Isabel's garments, the shadows fabrics cast on the body create a tantalizing cloud of seduction. Diaphanous fabrics such as lace, sheer jersey, silk gazar and chiffon are used not only for effect, but also for the way they feel on the body, a crucial factor for Isabel. In the donna blouse the graphic pattern of the lace covers the wearer's body like intricate tattoos on the skin. Part poetry, part biology, the convoluted pattern is also reminiscent of the curvilinear maze of body hair, a pet subject that Isabel likes to present in witty and stylish ways, as in the case of the pubic hair bikini. In it, as in the padded organdy ensemble, Ruben's surreal shadow can clearly be seen. The unconventional use of organdy and the play with light and volume are hers, while the hieroglyphs of black thread on the batting are transpositions of Ruben's squiggles.