“We just have a consumer that the minute collections are up, they want them,” Christian Siriano said point blank, at an appointment in his SoHo studio in Manhattan. It’s a continuing conversation industrywide about when clothing should hit the retail floor. Siriano chose to step away from most wholesale accounts in favor of direct-to-consumer channels, allowing him to sell a collection when he says so — right away — and retailing it for longer.
He continued, “I’ve just noticed that our collections are stronger when they’ve come out. We don’t hold them back in the way the wholesale world does.” It’s proved a smart pivot for the designer and TV personality, whose Twitter, Instagram and TikTok light up the minute he drops new ideas or one of his dramatic looks shows up on a red carpet on the likes of Oprah, Zendaya, Billy Porter, Janet Jackson and many more.
So while this collection is labeled pre-fall, Siriano was thinking in real time and musing on holiday parties and events. The seasonal twist: a new idea for layering — something generally associated with separates. “Evening is hard — how do you modernize it?” he said. “How do you make it like not just a great dress?”
Siriano does lush so well, using mostly Italian fabrics for the season, like a zebra textured brocade suit with nip-waisted blazer and strong shoulder, which could look fantastic with dark denim and a heel or as a suit. This idea of breaking up pieces underscored his layering proposal: a tiered pink tulle skirt with black sheer panels, which could be styled under a dress or popped over one of his column gowns to add a bit of razzle-dazzle.
Crystal embellishments were sprinkled throughout, like on the bodice of a strapless voluminous Barbie pink gown that would be a stunner this coming awards season. She’s a “Holiday Barbie,” the quotable designer said with a laugh. He sweetened the collection with a looks inspired by candy confections like a caramel-hued laser-cut blazer with pointed shoulder; cut off to bare the waist, it came with a matching skirt with a high slit up the front. The color came from an idea of the nugget in a chocolate bar, he quipped, and many looks wrapped the body, a technique often found in his work. Another idea came from an oversized knit scarf laid over a sharp bustier and pants, an intriguing conversation in textures.
Siriano decided to shoot the collection on dual models, one a size 12, speaking to the versatility that his work has always shown, ”so two people could really see what the silhouette can be. Which I thought was kind of important.”
The assortment is “tight” but he still offered a range of shapes. A few dresses could even do double duty, like a sheath dress that can go to work or work for a cocktail party. When traveling from party to party, Siriano has an evening duster coat, sure to cause a presale buzz upon release.
