He does windows

Creative director Matthew Keller is responsible for making Louis Boston's decor and displays appealing to the store's shoppers. (David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Ever wonder who drapes those dapper mannequins at Louis Boston? Dreams up the whimsical themes? Decks out the tree and dresses the windows? Meet 30-year-old Matthew Keller, creative director. From his workshop in the store's basement - filled with props, paint, and glitter - Keller (and his partner in crime, women's merchandiser Meredith Moore) create the store's decor and displays, which play no small role in coaxing dollars out of the pockets of Boston fashionistas. We also discovered their "secret school" - a high-fashion training ground for local art, fashion, merchandise, and design students.

PAYSHA RHONE

Q. How did you get into this?

A. I studied studio art at the University of Findlay in Ohio. The only thing that was open for an internship was to go to a frame shop or I could go to a department store, J.C. Penney, and help them set up for Christmas. So I bit the bullet and I went to the J.C. Penney Company. The first day, we put together Christmas trees. The next day, we had to reset the little boys' coat wall. I knew right away I loved it.

Q. What's your job like?

A. We're somewhere in this weird gray area. We're not shop girls, but we do it all here. We do a lot of manual labor, we move merchandise, we do windows. It really lets you get your hands in there. It changes every day.

Q. Tell us about your "secret school."

A. It's kind of like a workshop. We have up to 12 interns. Some stay a few days, some for a semester. A lot of them take it for credit. My favorites are the ones who don't keep their noses clean, the ones where we have a free exchange. Normally, they are the ones who have the natural talent.

Q. You've got a wild circus theme going for Christmas.

A. We sort of wanted something that was childlike but sophisticated at the same time. It's a big party, full of music and amazement. We have red and green, but it's a ruby and teal and olive. I really wanted to make an enormous clown face but everyone was like, 'You can't!' Too many people are really freaked out by clowns.

Q. Have you ever made anything that just didn't work?

A. It happens all the time. This summer I made this enormous sardine, it was like a fish skeleton, and you could hang the clothes on his spikes. It seemed like really good idea; I made it out of cardboard and corrugated roofing. Once it got on the floor, it was like 'That's not right.' Two days later, my boss was like 'What's going on there?' So it went right into the dumpster. I had to carry it down the stairs and out the front door. It was like nine feet long. You feel a little defeated when something like that happens. But that's the process.