The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: The Story Behind the Curtain

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The Tonight Show Curtain

Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY (PRWEB) June 1, 2009

Before the curtain goes up on the new Tonight Show, viewers will see a dazzling sight: the curtain itself! Tonight Show Production Designers, John Shaffner & Joe Stewart chose the magnificent silk jacquard weave, “Golden Sunburst” from Jim Thompson’s Tony Duquette fabric collection to make a bold statement for Conan O’Brien’s set.

The fabric chosen for the Tonight Show Curtain was designed by Hutton Wilkinson, who worked in partnership with American design icon, Tony Duquette for 30 years before Duquette's death, aged 85, in 1999.

The Duquette/Wilkinson team has a long and impressive history in the entertainment field. Tony Duquette, who as a young man designed costumes and sets for Fred Astaire musicals at MGM with famed director Vincente Minnelli, was the first American to have a one-man exhibition at the Pavilion de Marsan of the Louvre Museum in Paris. Duquette went on to design costumes and sets for opera, ballet and the theatre, his costumes won a Tony Award for the original Broadway production of "Camelot".

As well as his work for the theatre, Duquette with Wilkinson designed interiors for residential and commercial installations internationally. All of their work was custom designed ranging from furniture to table top, from parties to even jewelry for their international clientele. Today, one-of-a-kind pieces of Tony Duquette jewelry, which Wilkinson continues to create under the international trademark "Tony Duquette" are coveted by collectors around the world.

Jim Thompson invited Wilkinson, owner and creative director of Tony Duquette Inc., to create an exclusive collection of woven and printed textiles for decorative home and commercial installations. Wilkinson was enchanted with the opportunity to collaborate with Jim Thompson, the Tony Duquette fabric collection was launched in January 2009.

About Jim Thompson:
Jim Thompson is the largest producer of hand-woven fabrics in the world today. With it's own mulberry plantation, silkworm farm and over 600 weavers in Thailand it is unique in the industry.

Using both very traditional handlooms and state-of-the-art machinery Jim Thompson is able to produce a wide range of silks, cottons, blends and contract fabrics of unrivaled quality and complexity.

Fabric Description:

Manufacturer: Jim Thompson
Collection: Tony Duquette
Pattern: “Golden Sunburst”
Pattern Code: 3337/06
65% Silk – 35% Rayon
Available in 6 colorways

For this magnificent silk jacquard weave, Tony Duquette’s “California Sunburst” pattern has been repeated in a large scale pattern as a veritable celebration of his signature motif.

The complete Jim Thompson “Tony Duquette” fabric collection is available worldwide, through architects and designers. 1-800-262-0336; http://www.jimthompson.com

Press Contact:
Lyn Schroeder
201-568-4500 ext. 11
lyn (at) schroederinc (dot) net

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