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Introduction

All of Everything

Todd Oldham Fashion
April 8 - September 11, 2016

From 1989 to 1999, American designer Todd Oldham (b. 1961) blazed through New York’s fashion landscape, producing meticulous, extravagantly embellished ensembles that were paraded down the runway by budding supermodels. All of Everything: Todd Oldham Fashion showcases a stunning array of pieces from this raucous, playful opus.

Oldham’s approach to design is well described by writer Gertrude Stein’s phrase “and then there is using everything.” He draws meaningful inspiration from everything around him: the sewing skills taught to him by his mother and grandmother; memories of the bazaars in Tehran, where he lived as a teenager; thrift-store finds; vintage catalogue illustrations; narratives from Three Stooges episodes. Equally important, Oldham has tested the limits of technology and craft. His fixation on novelty has led him to embrace and explore traditional techniques that were starting to fade as fast fashion gained a foothold in the 1990s. The resulting garments are feats of imagination and technique that continue to defy boundaries and challenge definitions of propriety and excess.

Oldham served as the designer for this exhibition, and his voice is presented in the label texts. Arranged in the style of a formal French garden, the installation highlights ideas and techniques rather than strict chronology. The majority of the pieces on view come from Oldham’s archives or from a large group of garments recently donated to the RISD Museum by the Todd Oldham Studio.

Selected Objects

Todd Oldham, designer

Zebra Dress, Fall 1994

Todd Oldham, designer

Chinchilla Dress, Fall 1997

Todd Oldham, designer

Turban Dress, Spring 1998

Todd Oldham, designer

Dress, Spring 1993

Todd Oldham, designer

Brooch Dress, Fall 1996
No Image Available

Todd Oldham, designer

Coat, Fall 1997
No Image Available

Todd Oldham, designer

Lite Brite suit, 1990s

Todd Oldham, designer

Vest and Skirt, Spring 1994

Todd Oldham, designer

Lei Ensemble, Spring 1991
No Image Available

Todd Oldham, designer

Pants, Fall 1996

Todd Oldham, designer

Trousers, 1990s

Todd Oldham, designer

Skirt, Fall 1992
No Image Available

Todd Oldham, designer

Shorts, Fall 1990
No Image Available

Todd Oldham, designer

Top (woman's), Spring 1994
No Image Available

Todd Oldham, designer

Top (woman's), Spring 1994
No Image Available

Todd Oldham, designer

Lite-Brite Suit Jacket, Fall 1991
No Image Available

Todd Oldham, designer

Lite Brite suit (skirt), 1990s

Todd Oldham, designer

Coat, Fall 1994

Todd Oldham

Dream Dress, 1990-1999

Todd Oldham

Positano Tile Dress, Spring 1996

More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

All of Everything : Todd Oldham Fashion

April 8 - September 11, 2016
View Checklist PDF

RISD Museum

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