NEW YORK (AP) — In glistening gowns with sleek constructed lines, designer Christian Siriano pulled inspiration from his shared love of cars with his father for his latest New York Fashion Week collection Thursday.
Models strutted past rose beds and a bright red and black Toyota parked on the runway as fashion industry onlookers documented everything on their phones and a group of Siriano’s starry celebrity friends clapped and cheered for his latest looks. Breaking away from the masculinity associated with cars, Siriano said he crafted a collection of feminine and glamorous looks.
“The lines of a car to me look like the lines of a corset,” Siriano said.
Sexy red car or sexy red dress?
For his latest collection, Siriano playfully shaped fabrics to resemble elements of car design. Models walked to pulsing techno beats in jersey fabric made to look like oil slicks, embroidery designed like tire tracks and bell bottoms lined with a pattern similar to the leather of a tire.
“I was like, who doesn’t love that iconic, sexy red car?” he said. “But who doesn’t love that iconic, sexy red dress? And how do they kind of go together?”
In a contrast between masculine and feminine, longtime Siriano model Coco Rocha posed in a black tuxedo blazer mini dress draped with a red silky fabric down one of her legs. The dress colors perfectly matched the Toyota parked inside. In true Siriano fashion, models of all sizes and genders walked the catwalk.
Male models walked the runway baring their abs under glossy cropped jackets and wide leg pants.
Singer Adam Lambert arrived just before the show began wearing Siriano’s dark brown long line blazer coat.
In the front row, actors and celebrities cheered for their favorite looks throughout the show. Actor Katie Holmes sat between Julianne Hough and Whoopi Goldberg. Actress Tiffany Haddish said she feels beautiful in all of Siriano’s clothes.
Bravo celebrity Bronwyn Newport posed for pictures in her baby pink tulle dress from Siriano’s last runway show. “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star said as Siriano’s close friend she thought it was his best show yet.
“I wanted every look,” she said.
Siriano transformed the Chelsea industrial space for his New York Fashion Week show — filling the room with red from red draped walls, red gift bags and a red carpet. Siriano is no stranger to the red carpet. The designer has made a name for himself transforming red carpet looks by embracing body positivity and inclusivity.
“Over the years, as my body has changed, Christian has always been supportive and had something fabulous for me to wear,” Laverne Cox told The Associated Press. “Like he has such a diverse range as a designer.”
Siriano famously dressed actor Billy Porter in a velvety tuxedo ball gown for the 2019 Oscars. He even published a recent book on the topic titled “Christian Siriano: The New Red Carpet.”
Bringing the drama to his runway red carpet, a change of music to violin and melodies closed out the show with models posing in evening dresses. In see-through abstract corseted gowns, four models stopped in front of the Toyota to pose before confidently walking down the runway.
Giving back to Los Angeles
Wanting to do his part to help those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, Siriano said he raised money by selling his own paintings and donating money from ticket sales to his New York Fashion Week show to the cause.
“We had people buy tickets that aren’t even attending, which was so wonderful,” he said. “Nobody needs me to donate clothes.”
Associated Press Writer Brooke Lefferts contributed to this report.
