Simon Doonan, the marketing genius behind Barneys New York; style and pop culture commentator on VH1, Full Frontal Fashion and America’s Next Top Model ; and best-selling author, swings into St. Louis for the first time, bringing style advice, celebrity anecdotes and his just released book ECCENTRIC GLAMOUR: Creating a More Insanely Fabulous You, Tuesday, April 15th beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Dillard’s Galleria; presented by the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival in partnership with Dillard’s. Tickets for the event are $15 and may be purchased by calling 314-442-3299 or in person at the Dillard’s Galleria Credit Office.

“We are thrilled to be bringing Simon Doonan to St. Louis and partnering with Dillard’s on this exciting event, ” said St. Louis Jewish Book Festival Director Marcia Evers Levy. It will be fun, fashionable and, to quote Simon, ‘Fabulous!’ ” Co-chaired by Kim Miller and Lynne Isaacs Palan, the evening includes: attendance gifts; a reception from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. with ‘mocktails’ and hors d’oeuvres; drawings for prizes; and modeling of the latest fashions from Dillard’s. Doonan’s presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. and will be followed by an audience question & answer session and a book signing. Books are $24 and will be sold at the event.

With the observations and opinions that have made him a fan favorite in his ‘Simon Says’ column for The New York Observer, Doonan, Creative Director of Barneys New York specialty store, has hit the best-seller list with several previous books Wacky Chicks; Nasty; and Confessions of a Window Dresser. In ECCENTRIC GLAMOUR, he presents a tongue-in-cheek guide to personal style filled with cultural commentary, wildly provocative advice, and interviews with some the World’s most glamorous people. Doonan celebrates the women and men who cultivate a unique and creative personal style and holds that eccentric glamour is every person’s birthright; conformity is the only fashion crime and dressing down is the only faux-pas!

Doonan’s 2005 memoir Nasty is currently being produced as a BBC comedy series by Jon Plowman, producer of AbFab and The Office, both massive U.K. hits with tremendous cult followings in the U.S.

All proceeds from the event benefit the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival, a program of the Jewish Community Center. The St. Louis Festival, the largest festival of its kind in the United States, presents literary, media, business, sports and entertainment giants to audiences which number more than 23,000 over an 11-day period each November.

The St. Louis Festival also presents special author programs throughout the calendar year and invites people of every race, religion and age to hear wonderful speakers and entertainers, share thoughts and express opinions. The 30th Anniversary Festival will take place November 2 through 12, 2008 at the Jewish Community Center in Creve Coeur. For more information visit our website at www.stljewishbookfestival.org