Christian Siriano returned to the Upper East Side for his spring show, taking over a ballroom at the Pierre Hotel and turning it into a magical forest with willow trees, moss, a bit of smoke and twilight hued lighting. It set the mood for his dark fantasy world. “I really wanted people to feel like they’re transported into this kind of storybook dream world,” Siriano said backstage of the Grimms fairytale fantasy he created.
Fairytales may be read to children, but at their origin they are a romantic dark fantasy. And who better to give fantasy and romance than Siriano? His journey began with a mix of all black looks: a cut out leather off the shoulder dress on Jessica Stam mimicked the bark of a — possibly magical— tree.
As orchestra music swelled, Lil’ Kim entered fashionably late—not part of the show— joining his roster of front row guests who included Cyndi Lauper, Tiffany Haddish and Christina Hendricks. After the onyx hued start, Siriano moved to a section of color, full of his theatrical and voluminous silhouettes — tulle on tulle for a pink cloud-like dress and sheer turquoise lace on a loose halter jumpsuit turned up the volume: these girls could be his story book princesses. Coming back to earth, Siriano partnered with Circ, a sustainable technology, using Circ Lyocell – a material made from 40 percent recycled textile waste collected from the supply chain. He crafted the fiber into two looks— a floor length boxy shouldered coat and a top and pants with draping details, again both in black. Even with all his pomp and frills, Siriano focuses on sustainable practices. “We have a no-waste plan,” he said, explaining he doesn’t over cut or mass produce his work.
While there were a few asymmetrical takes on suiting, a category he says is strong, the mostly gown lineup seemed a bit long winded, with several riffs on the same silhouettes within the same black color story. That said, awards season isn’t far off and for his high wattage clientele there was plenty of fantasy to choose from.
