Christian Siriano: Style and substance? Issue #39

At 23, this young designer has already taken pop culture by storm, but is he fierce enough to stay on top in the fashion world?

By Eavvon O'Neal
Published: March 1st, 2009 | 2:28pm

Christian Siriano, whose skills once captivated a whole viewing nation during the fourth cycle of Project Runway, is now at a point in his young career where his concepts are more the matter of interest. With a fully publicized introduction to the world of ready-to-wear opulence, Siriano now finds himself in a very exciting yet overwhelming position; validating that there is substance in his style.

Siriano has realized and acknowledged the daunting tasks of his young age juxtaposed to his acclaim; living up to the title gifted to him by Tim Gunn, as “America’s next great fashion designer.”

“Isn’t that scary,” he starts humbly, “that’s kinda a lot. I mean, that’s a lot of pressure,” Siriano admits as we chat in his Williamsburg loft. The space, which doubles as a home and work studio, is filled with vibrant organzas and half-dressed mannequins, reminiscent of his first solo show this past September. In various places, like coy flashes of inspiration, there are elements (secret elements), which are to be incorporated into his fall ‘09 designs. “We did great sales for [the] first season, we sold trunk shows, and we have a lot of private customers,“ he mentions without an ounce of arrogance.

His spring ‘09 collection took “ideas” from the sky: expressed through large assortments of grey — a more muted palette than many of his contemporaries — it displays a crafted hand of exuberance through minimalism. Moving forward, Siriano’s muses for his next presentation are also organically developed. “I don’t want to give it all away, but we’re a little bit inspired by Egypt, but not necessarily Egyptians. More like the desert and the colors … it’s lots of really chocolate browns and it’s really warm, and very strong, and it has a little Cleopatra vibe in there but it’s not literal.”

A reality that opposes Siriano and the rest of his peers (among whom he considerers Alexander Wang, Ohne Titel, Proenza Schouler, Jack & Lazaro, and Zac Posen) is that both youth and success are fleeting — and even more so when presented in tandem. While aware of this, Christian’s optimism may be the most stylish thing about him. “My life has changed so much already, I worry about how, by age 25, my life is going to be changed even more. But I think it can just go up.“