A Christian Siriano show is always a bit of an outer body experience, what with seeing his steadfast celebrity supporters in the flesh as they take their seats front row, and witnessing catwalk legends up close and personal on the runway. But for Fall ’22 he went a step further, and created a kind of world and characters that we’d yet to witness. On Saturday evening, the designer immersed his loyal crowd in what he calls the Victorian Matrix…allow us to elaborate.
Really, we could have been anywhere but a basement in the middle of Midtown Manhattan; perhaps a club in Berlin or an after hours party in another era, where the well-to-do Victorian ladies let their freaky side fly. Opening the show, Karen Elson and Coco Rocha stomped down the concrete runway in the underbelly of the Empire State Building to a trance music soundtrack in second-skin navy latex looks.
Siriano called the collection “exciting” and “experimental” which certainly felt like an apt description for an offering that refused to be categorized by one audience. But then again, Siriano has forged an incredible career due to his ability to dress so many types of women. Here, for Fall ’22, we had it all: elegant suiting in saturated cobalt, floor-sweeping gowns that fused dominatrix-style elements with the regality of a proper Victorian woman, plus hooded and quilted separates, plaid, ball skirts, and body-conscious silhouettes to flatter every figure. One gaze over at his eclectic front row—which included Susan Sarandon, Alicia Silverstone, Drew Barrymore, MJ Rodriguez, Aquaria, and Symone—and you could picture various pieces on each of them with ease.
Despite the sparse and stripped back show space, there were undeniably elegant moments too. Take, for example, a nude-colored corset with tulle ruffles, and several iterations on Siriano’s favorite sheer crystal-embellished dresses. Proving to be the perfect accompaniment, models and muses like Rocha, Elson, and Daphne Velghe wore rare, fluorescent sparklers from Luminous Diamonds, which glistened and twinkled in the strobe-style lighting. (Luminous Diamonds is the first brand to use these type of diamonds, which allow for two designs: the one it presents in natural light, and the one it reveals under UV light.)
“My collection let’s the imagination run free to explore the world we are living in,” the designer explained. “I accessorized with rare, fluorescent Luminous Diamonds which are inspired by a person’s inner light, which formed a perfect compliment to the experimental runway looks.” Siriano will continue his partnership with the luxury brand, including the emerging designer scholarship program, the Fashion Scholarship Fund.
See the full collection below:
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