In a grand ballroom inside the ritzy Pierre Hotel in New York City, designer Christian Siriano transformed the space by erecting a giant weeping willow tree (fake, of course) smack-dab in the middle of it. Suddenly, the room—filled with black tie-clad showgoers like Selma Blair, Cyndi Lauper, and Lil’ Kim—felt just a little less stuffy, and a little more fantasy-like. “I really wanted this dark, Grimms’ Fairy Tales feeling,” said Siriano. “It’s a bit of a fairyland—but a dark fairyland.” Naturally, the designer—known for his theatrical tulle gowns and voluminous silhouettes—had the clothes to match. This season Siriano riffed on his signatures (tulle, lots and lots of sequins, and more tulle), but aimed to give them more of a twisted-romantic feel.
Candidly, the designer said that the more macabre sensibility this season reflected his inner workings when crafting the collection: While grappling with uncertain changes to his business, he said, “I was feeling all that [darkness]—but I was also in an evening, glamour mood.” Hence he decided to fuse the eerie with the elegant. The first look was a black, off-the-shoulder leather dress with beaded cutouts that were meant to mimic the pattern found on tree bark. “You feel like this amazing nymph thing in it,” said Siriano. The first 17 looks continued on with the black focus—a downer of a shade for a designer who does fun and levity so well. Black soon transitioned to white, though, where Siriano did his take on a fairy bride. There were asymmetrical tuxedo jackets, and strapless corset gowns with a built-in draped skirt.
While the assortment was largely devoid of color, there were attempts to make it not so much of a snoozefest, like the “tattooed” black lace work on tops, pants, and gowns. “When you wear it, it looks like it’s tattooed onto your skin,” said Siriano. Plus, as one of the few New York designers who continues to make size diversity a real noticeable focus on the runway, it’s hard to criticize him for having too many black looks, when they do come in all silhouettes and sizes.
Siriano’s more colorful, eye-popping designs shined brighter—a happy ending to his fairytale. He experimented with pink tulle frocks with widened shoulders and an even wider skirt; and a floor-length tulle gown with bell sleeves and a long, sweeping train—in a dégradé shade of blues and purples.“It was all about creating texture, and different shapes and silhouettes,” he said. Florals, given the fantasy theme, also appeared—though very literally, on the sleeves of ball gowns, and shaped as a giant lily across the chest.
Embroidered metallics applied onto sheer mesh netting worked well on the knee-length cocktail dresses—sure to be a red carpet hit with Siriano’s A-list clientele—but after the 10th iteration, it began to feel like a storybook that would never end. The collection could have used an edit. But the ending was well worth it: Jessica Stam and Coco Rocha emerged as Siriano’s silver fairies—Rocha in a sculptural gown with an exaggerated neckline and built-in hood, and Stam in one of his silver appliquéd gowns. When in doubt, call in some supers to end with a bang.
