Country music performers have been turning heads in custom-designed stage wear since the late 1940s. During this program, moderated by the Museum’s Angela Stefano Zimmer, designers Marina Toybina and Maria “Poni” Silver discuss their careers and experiences working with country artist Carrie Underwood and others. Filmed on September 4, 2024, this program was presented in partnership with Nashville Fashion Week.

After sharing a few details about how they started their careers, Toybina and Silver discuss their work with Carrie Underwood. Toybina primarily designs Underwood’s stage attire, while Silver overseas Underwood’s wardrobe onsite at performances, including costume changes and costume maintenance. They discuss the intricacies that go into a design—from its conception to the performance, accounting for setting, mood, song selection, and other factors—and use three of Underwood’s outfits that are onstage with them as specific examples. Toybina designed the red dress worn by Underwood at the American Music Awards and the silver dress and harness she wore at the Academy of Country Music Awards, while Silver designed a look worn by Underwood during a performance with the rock band Guns N’ Roses. They also highlight the team of people behind the scenes that make Underwood look flawless and make her costume changes seamless during quick turnarounds.

Additionally, Toybina discusses designing outfits for television, including as Michelle Williams’s butterfly costume on “The Masked Singer,” while Silver highlights her work for the Nashville Ballet’s production of “Seven Deadly Sins.” The program concludes with a clip of Toybina’s time as a judge and mentor on the Hulu competition show “Dress My Tour.”

Toybina is a seven-time Emmy-winning costume and fashion designer who, in addition to Underwood, has worked with Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Pink, Taylor Swift, and many others, as well as on “The Masked Singer,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” “The X Factor,” and other television shows. She is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and launched her first fashion line, Glaza, while still in school. Toybina’s work has been featured in outlets including “Billboard,” “Entertainment Weekly,” “Glamour,” “People,” “Rolling Stone,” “Teen Vogue,” and “Variety

Silver was head of wardrobe for Underwood’s “Reflection: The Las Vegas Residency” and has also designed stage wear for Ruby Amanfu, Adia Victoria, and more. 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, 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.

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