Yesterday at the swanky Pierre Hotel in New York City, Christian Siriano debuted his spring 2024 collection—a special moment for the designer, given he was celebrating his 15-year anniversary. “I’m proud of everything that we’ve done,” Siriano tells Vogue of the milestone. “It’s not for everybody, but I’m proud of who it is for. I wanted to go back to creating fantasy, dreamlike clothes.” A star-studded front row came out for the affair, including Janet Jackson, Avril Lavigne, Kesha, and Laura Linney. But it was the surprise musical performance by Sia that had the crowd buzzing with excitement. The elusive musician made a rare public appearance to sing two of her megahits, “Chandelier” and “Diamonds,” during the show’s grand finale.
Turns out, Siriano and Sia have been friends for a long time. “He was the first person to ever dress me, even before I was famous,” Sia tells Vogue (he also happened to design her first wedding dress). “He’s always dressed people of different shapes and sizes, and people who aren’t being dressed by anyone else. I love him for that.” Siriano saw Sia’s talent before the rest of the fashion industry caught on. “When I first met her, she started singing in my face, and I had never heard anything like her,” says Siriano. “She has a magnetic presence. I wanted to dress her. I made her the worst things; she asked me for a vagina dress one year.”
While she wanted to support Siriano’s 15 years in business, Sia admits that performing at a Fashion Week event was anxiety inducing for someone who prefers life out of the limelight. “It felt really scary, to be honest,” she says. “I love singing in my house and in my underpants, but I don’t love singing publicly. It scares me a lot. I get worried that I’ll forget the words. Christian knows that, so he knows it’s a gift to him—also because nobody can afford me.”
Siriano also created a custom design for her to wear—a frothy, pastel ombré gown that was both whimsical and over the top. “I really love the number that Christian made for me,” says Sia. “He made me [something similar] for a magazine spread, and I thought it was the most flattering shape, so I asked if he could do something in that shape again.” The look was complete with one of Sia’s signature sky-high wigs. “My girlfriend does my wigs, and she bleached 10 synthetic wigs to make this one, in a pink that matches the dress,” she says. “I looked like some sort of jellyfish. It’s one of my favorite looks ever.”
Following her flashy set, don’t expect Sia to make another appearance during fashion month, however. “I don’t really want to be famous, so sitting in the front row at shows is not interesting to me,” says Sia. “Also, human bottlenecking is my nightmare. I’d rather watch from afar and be fashionable at home.” As for what other projects she has on the horizon? She hints at new music on the way: “I haven’t really been doing much music, just writing a song here and there. But I’ve got a song coming out on the 13th, and I’ve got an album coming out next year. It’s been [seven] years since I’ve put out a proper record!”
