Christian Siriano has far and away been the most successful winner of Project Runway, and it couldn’t have happened to a better fashion elf. I remember watching him on season 4 as he zipped through every challenge, seemingly fueled by the magic of Disney woodland creatures helping him to sew with rapid speed. It all played out like he was there to claim his destiny. So it’s been especially gratifying that Christian made a point of building his brand to be inclusive of all body shapes and sizes. Now Christian is declaring it the dawning of a new fashion age, with the release of his second book Christian Siriano: The New Red Carpet. (His first, Dresses to Dream About, came out in 2017.) The New Red Carpet preaches Christian’s belief that “whoever you are, you should be celebrated on the red carpet.” Last week many of the people he’s celebrated through his designs showed up to the book launch party to celebrate him in turn:
With so many iconic red carpet moments to his name, Christian Siriano could literally write the book on celebrity dressing.
And with the release of his new anthology, “Christian Siriano: The New Red Carpet,” he’s done just that — all while spilling plenty of previously untold stories from his time as a fashion visionary.
“It’s called ‘The New Red Carpet’ because this is what I think the new world on the red carpet should look like,” he told Page Six Style at his star-studded launch party on Thursday night.
“It should look like all these different types of people … [whoever] you are, you should be celebrated on the red carpet,” he added.
“I hope the younger generation sees it as like, ‘Wow, this is what I hope to become one day.”
Several stars are on the same (literal) page when it comes to that vision, as Laverne Cox, Laura Linney, Rosie Perez and Coco Rocha — all of whom feature in the new book — partied at Soho’s The Mulberry to celebrate the release.
Cox even matched her shimmering gold coat to the cover of the Rizzoli-published tome, striking several poses for photos with the man of the hour.
While readers will have to pick up a copy to get all the behind-the-scenes details, Siriano gave us a hint about the contents of his go-to styling kit, saying he carries a needle and black and white thread “everywhere” he goes.
“I’ve had so many times [where] zipper breaks or something’s messed up,” he explained. “That’s my thing. I’d rather sew it on them, right then and there. I’ve done that! You never know.”
And while the “Project Runway” alum’s the common thread connecting the who’s who of Hollywood, he was hesitant to name a favorite look from his book, which is sorted from A to Z (Alexa Chung to Zendaya, of course).
“It’s such a good mix — from the first time I ever dressed Cardi to the first time I dressed Ariana Grande,” he tells us.
“They all have their own stories, and I think that’s what was kind of fun about it.”
First of all, I love how the book itself is practically bigger than Christian! Like I christened him before, Christian is a fashion elf. I’m so glad Christian is owning (and monetizing, let’s be real) his vision of designing for everybody. His celebration of all different kinds of people is A) the right thing to do, B) simply good business — he dressed 17 women for the Oscars in 2018 alone, and C) a dare to the big, old European fashion houses to do the same. I do think younger generations share his ethos, as he noted. I’ve said it before, but it still makes me smile how many different models I see when shopping online at Target. I’m old enough to appreciate that change! Or perhaps a better word than change is expansion, because it’s that finally more body types and personal styles are being invited to the party. Christian will celebrate your spirit, any and all figures welcome, and no idea off limits. And that includes designing the tuxedo ball gown of a little boy’s dream.
Photos credit: Zeppelin / Avalon, Patricia Schlein / Wenn / Avalon