In the world of costume design, careers don’t come more star-studded than that of Marina Toybina. The Moscow-born costumer has created custom pieces for everyone from Taylor Swift to Britney Spears, and she just took home her third consecutive Emmy for design, this time for her work with “So You Think You Can Dance.” For her victory lap, Toybina talked with The Post about her greatest hits.
Katy Perry
For Perry’s current blockbuster “Prismatic” tour, Toybina created this cheeky fishbone dress for the “cat-ure” segment. “It’s a fashion take on cat wear and cat toys,” says the designer, who also did all 188 costumes for the tour’s backup dancers, singers and band. “It was such a cartoon take on costuming in general, so it had to be fun and unique.”
Taylor Swift
Swift’s most recent “Red” tour broke all the rules for a country star, thanks in part to Toybina’s designs. Her favorite was the closing costume, a ringleader look Swift wore during a circus scene.
“It was something so different for her,” says Toybina.
Carrie Underwood
Many of the eight to 10 dresses Underwood wears on her “Blown Away” tour have a decidedly flowy, wind-swept look, for obvious reasons.
The gowns have a very “specific silhouette and cut,” says Toybina. “I worked very close one-on-one with Carrie to make sure when we did our fitting everything not just accented her body in the best possible way, but was also something she felt comfortable in.”
Shania Twain
Twain met Toybina in person to discuss adding a new look into her tour. The result was this dramatic, hand-beaded look.
“It had an enchantment element to it with the accentuated long cape and the veil,” says Toybina. “Onstage, it was a quick change so the dancers could peel away pieces of her [outfit] into the transition of a new song.”
Selena Gomez
Toybina created a sultry purple Bollywood-inspired number for Gomez’s performance of her single “Come & Get It” on “Dancing With the Stars.”
“It was my first time designing for her, and I based it on the single,” she says. “I created the sketch, Selena loved it, and I had like a two-day turnaround.”