Christian Siriano’s Designs

Christian Siriano studied under Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood before appearing on the 4^th season of Project Runway, a famous American TV show that includes an exhibition of fashion designs, and which introduced the young man to many other fashionistas in the US.  He is primarily a vocal advocate for greater inclusivity and diversity within the fashion industry, and this can also be noted in his designs (Hicklin, 2016). The trait was best shown when seventeen highly diverse women during the Oscars in 2018 and garnered intense attention in designing the gowns such as the one Billy Porter wore in the Oscars in 2019.

Siriano used to design with size inclusivity even before he became as renowned as he currently is, and his shows stand out as the best thing yet. He does not also highlight diversity in sizes and shapes on his runway, with his models always looking glamourous and confident in his designs. The look came through best in the looks that initially did not feel quite connected to the theme of his collection, such as the “Birds of Prey” one (NPR STAFF, 2016). The group displayed a punkish, rebellious feel to it, with its leather chockers, darker palette, and plenty of shine added to it.

It proved too hard to pivot from the soft silhouettes and bright hues of the past collections, and in many cases, the contrast proved to be somewhat jarring. Such can be seen from the supersized finale looks, those that stood like sculptures that like the actual clothing. The other looks did not capture the right anti-heroine presence of Maggot Robbie in “Birds of Prey” similar to the chocolate mid-sized trimmed dress with a few marabou feathers (NPR STAFF, 2016). The show ended being lengthy due to the magnificent garments that did not even need video editing. Siriano’s customers learned a thing or two about his designs from the film, that is, the more body-skimming and more straightforward propositions, like a trio of trapped stretch-satin gowns in a bright shade of rose.

Siriano understands the importance of designing clothes that accommodate different types of bodies. It is indeed super important to figure this out. The designer has dresses that look better in case the customer may have more of a bust or a plus-size hip, or something close to that. That is why, collectively, his designs are as diverse as possible. He believes in the need to be options for a lot of different types of women with varying types of bodies (Sun, 2019).

The need to dress women with different body sizes was the primary reason he decided to partner with the likes of Lane Bryant. It is more of throwing all of it to the consumers to celebrate all the different types of women. Siriano also believes there’s so much hate, so much craziness that goes on where fashion and clothes need to be fabulous and fun. He expresses the need for fashion not to be stressful, intense, or horrible (Hicklin, 2016).

As can be noted in his designs, Christian understands that what consumers are always looking for is inclusivity as opposed to exclusivity. With celebrities such as Amy Schumer and Lena skewering the notion of beauty in the industry, and the identity politics being a feverish pitch, the more accommodating and versatile a designer may be, the better. In the course of Siriano sending plus-size models down the runway for some of his recent shows like that in the New York Fashion Week, he appeared to be cheered on by front row celebrities including Christina Hendricks, Kelly Osbourne, and Pamela Anderson (Hicklin, 2016).

It had not gone unnoticed that the models that were also somewhat diverse. Indeed, there have also been other designers that advocated for body diversity in fashion for many years, like Isaac Mizrahi. Still, such feverish actions, times, and words may quickly be amplified. The empowerment of women in general, as shown in Christian’s designs, is indeed having its moment right now, and it is indeed a perfect time to put the message of inclusivity out there (Sun, 2019). These may be the principles speaking, and it’s a good business as well. After all, he admitted to having sold a good number of those blue cobalt dresses that go for $995 since the appearance of Michelle Obama in the convention of July 2016.

References

Hicklin, A. (2016, September 25). Christian Siriano: ‘I just assumed you had to dress all women.’ Retrieved March 12, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/sep/25/christian-siriano-i-just-assumed-you-had-to-dress-all-women

NPR STAFF. (2016, October 11). For Fashion Designer Christian Siriano, No Size Is Out Of Style. Retrieved March 12, 2020, from https://www.npr.org/2016/10/11/496859538/for-fashion-designer-christian-siriano-no-size-is-out-of-style

Sun, P. (2019, February 18). Everything You Need to Know About Christian Siriano. Retrieved March 12, 2020, from https://lover.ly/planning/news-tips/christian-siriano-wedding-dress/