Every season, Christian Siriano references Old Hollywood glamour in some way—a fitting inspiration, given the designer often dresses top stars for the red carpet. For pre-fall, Siriano continued this approach, albeit with more unexpected muses this time around: Irving Penn and his ultra-chic wife Lisa Fonssagrives, who is often touted as the first supermodel. The designer was so taken with the Swedish beauty’s timeless, elegant wardrobe, that he wanted to channel the mood with his new evening assortment. “Everything feels a bit vintage—a lot of the pieces come from archival shapes,” he said.
Naturally, Siriano enlisted his own muse—his longtime friend, Coco Rocha—to model the new frocks. The opening look is a strapless black gown with studs of oversized pearls. (The theatrical opera gloves, with huge ruffles along the side, are totally optional.) What the collection lacked in vibrant hues (Fonssagrives herself wore a lot of black), it made up for in striking textures and silhouettes. One gown had a metallic gunmetal tulle base, with stripes of gathered tulle, for a more 3-D effect. Tulle is one of Siriano’s favorite fabrics: He also could not resist adding it to tiered, full-skirted ballgowns, which appear in his line every season.
For those for whom full-on princess dresses don’t fly, a lot of the looks here were designed as two-pieces, for a bit more ease. A white, structured off-the-shoulder top—more minimalist—was paired with a tiered skirt—more maximalist. His shiny blue skirt suit also toed the line of conservative yet flashy. The menswear, meanwhile, channeled daring Hollywood gents. Sheer black lace tops and a white tuxedo suit with a built-in cape subverted trad men’s evening attire in a way that felt fresher than his women’s. He took any sense of stuffiness out of the equation. Who could Siriano see rocking such theatrical styles? “Jacob Elordi needs to wear this,” he said. “Or Alton Mason and Colman Domingo.”
