Toi

Toi or TOI may refer to:

Toi (song)

"Toi" (English translation: "You") was the Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1975, performed in French by Irish singer Geraldine. The entry had a high pedigree, being penned by three authors/composers who had all written/composed previous Eurovision winners. Pierre Cour had been partly responsible for the 1960 winner "Tom Pillibi" and Bill Martin and Phil Coulter had created the 1967 winner "Puppet on a String".

The song is a ballad, with Geraldine telling her lover that "my life doesn't exist without you" and pledging her unending love to him. Geraldine recorded the song in two languages; French and her mother tongue English, the latter as "You".

Another singer with a similar name, Géraldine, represented Switzerland in the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, finishing last with 'nul points', but as John Kennedy O'Connor's The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History notes, despite the similarity in name, the two singers are unique. This Geraldine later married the song's composer, Phil Coulter.

Toi (name)

Toi is a fairly common man's name in Māori and other Polynesian languages.

The best known men named Toi are the following from Māori legendary history, who are sometimes confused with one another:

The descendants of Toi-kai-rākau are named Te Tini-a-Toi – the many descendants of Toi. In the part of the Bay of Plenty where the Mataatua canoe landed, these descendants were divided into at least 18 groups or hapu. Sometimes also the name Te Tini o Toi is used.

Jean Patou

Jean Patou (pronounced: [ʒɑ̃ pa.tu]; 19 August 1880 - 8 March 1936) was a French fashion designer and founder of the Jean Patou brand.

Early life

Patou was born in Normandy, France in 1880. Patou's family's business was tanning and furs. Patou worked with his uncle in Normandy, then moved to Paris in 1910, intent on becoming a couturier.

1910s - World War I and later

In 1912, he opened a small dressmaking salon called "Maison Parry". His entire 1914 collection was purchased by a single American buyer. Patou's work was interrupted by World War I. He was mobilised in August 1914, shortly after the German invasion of Belgium. Patou served as a Captain in the Zouaves Reopening his couture house in 1919, he became known for eradicating the flapper look by lengthening the skirt and designing sportswear for women and is considered the inventor of the knitted swimwear and the tennis skirt. He, notably, designed the then-daring sleeveless and knee-length cut tennis wear for Suzanne Lenglen. He also was the first designer to popularize the cardigan and moved fashion towards the natural and comfortable.