Christian Siriano: A Brilliant Mind…//

Christian Siriano

is on the rise and he knows it. In the lead-up to his Spring 2017 show, he made headlines for dressing Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention and stepping up when Leslie Jones tweeted that no designer would dress her for the Ghostbusters press tour. He kept up the momentum with his Spring collection, notable not just for the variety of silhouettes shown on the runway but also for the models who wore it. In a decision that is still surprisingly rare in the fashion industry, Siriano cast models of all body types and ethnicities to strut in his Capri-inspired line. Several times throughout the show, the audience broke out into applause as a plus-size model walked. For the designer, the choice to include a variety of sizes wasn’t just politically correct but reflective of his customer base as well—in the front row were the voluptuous Christina Hendricks, the classic Neve Campbell, the sylphlike Coco Rocha, and a pregnant Leigh Lezark.

Those women and their real-world counters come to Siriano mostly for occasionwear. Here, he showed cerulean, tangerine, and black numbers that ranged from an elegant robe dress to a cute flared midi with a button-front. Siriano’s penchant for drama produced overwrought flou that read a little heavy, as did the awkward layering of bra tops over shirting in the show’s portion of daywear looks. No mind, a beaded multicolored minidress in a chevron print made up for any overdone details. Siriano’s muses will have to battle it out for who gets to wear that look on the red carpet.

Credit: Vogue