Des Lee Gallery: Thursday, 6 October 2011

OFF THE RAILS
New York Fashion Designer Todd Thomas Showcases
A Unique Installation of His Work

October 6 – 31, 2011
FREE Opening Reception on Thursday, October 6, 6-8pm
FREE Lecture at Washington University’s Kemp Auditorium, 4:30 pm, October 5

Craft Alliance is pleased to announce a one-man exhibit at the Des Lee Gallery, featuring the stunning creations of New York fashion designer Todd Thomas. The exhibition follows the audacious career of fashion designer Todd Thomas, starting with his story-like, local beginning here in Saint Louis. Currently, Thomas occupies a glittering position in the world of fashion, and he credits Saint Louis with establishing his creative foundation during the relatively brief but productive period he spent here in the early 1980s. It was the pinnacle of a kind of Do-it-Yourself Renaissance in Saint Louis, where anything was possible for young artists, clothing makers and performers, all of whom found endless inspiration in each other and what they were doing.

A mass exodus from the city center to the suburbs in the 1960s and ‘70s meant big empty spaces at cheap rents. The rag trade meant endless cheap clothing and fabrics to play with, and punk rock and art flourished in this fertile, jumping counterculture. From Saint Louis, Thomas went to New York, where he developed his craft in many different realms, from designing for the theater and films, to working in the fashion houses of Seventh Avenue.

Today Todd Thomas couldn’t live in a more glamorous world, designing for the likes of Katy Perry, Sarah Jessica Parker, Deborah Harry & Blondie, Cindy Sherman and Parker Posey. He created Deborah Harry’s distinctive look for her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he’s dressed up Sex and the City, helped Jennifer Lopez in developing her fashion line, and sharpened up the Scissor Sisters. He has collaborated with a veritable Who’s Who of the most important fashion editors, stylist and photographers, including Katie Grand, Tonne Goodman, Lori Goldstein, Steven Meisel, Patrick Demarchelier and Terry Richardson. And for the last eight consecutive seasons, Thomas has been responsible for the ultimate glamour event: The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, creating fantastic, opulent works of art to adorn the most beautiful and well-known super models in the world. When designing for celebrities, Thomas’s creations are at once chic, elegant and “red carpet,” sometimes over-the-top and veering into the fantastic. His own collections, for both men and women, are always very conceptual, making use of original prints and eclectic choices of fabrics--beautiful, surprising even when classic, and always wholly original.

Gallery Hours: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 1 - 6pm. For more information, please call (314) 725-1177 or visit www.craftalliance.org.

THE DES LEE GALLERY
1627 Washington Ave
Saint Louis Mo 63103