Christian Siriano Takes Us Holiday Shopping, Talks Maternity Line, TV Show and Payless

by Beth Cooney Fitzpatrick (Subscribe to Beth Cooney Fitzpatrick's posts)
Posted Dec 6th 2009 at 8:00AM

Christian Siriano backstage before his Spring 2010 runway show. Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for IMG

When StyleList heard Christian V. Siriano, "Project Runway's" most celebrated winner ever, was going to be in the quaint suburb of New Canaan, Conn. for its annual Holiday Stroll, we were fascinated by the juxtaposition of the two worlds.

The diminutive Siriano, after all, is more city kid than country club member. New Canaan is among the most affluent suburbs on Connecticut's Gold Coast and the town that famously inspired the "Stepford Wives." Somehow, the idea of Siriano's famously fierce style seemed out of place in a sea of prepsters.

Yet, the busy young designer's ready-to-wear collection has been selling so well at Diane Roth's L'Armoire, an upscale emporium of couture clothing in downtown New Canaan, that Siriano came back for his second trunk show in six months.

The designer arrived after hopping off a red-eye from Los Angeles, where he was working on new pieces for his expanding Fierce Mamas maternity collection.

StyleList sat down with the designer, in between customers and signings of his new book, "Fierce Style," to catch up on everything from Payless to pregnant women.

StyleList: Welcome to the 'burbs. Do the women here "get" you?
Christian Siriano: Actually, they do. They tend to go for my more casual pieces, but they appreciate what I do and they are very friendly and sweet... It is fun. I like it here.

SL: Bravo announced earlier this year they were working with you to develop a possible reality series. What's up with that?
CS:: Well, we do have something in the works, but there's nothing concrete.

SL: I was thinking there might be cameras here today.
CS: No, I don't want that at all. I am not sure if it's going to be a full series. I am thinking more along the lines of a documentary. Maybe an hour, that's it. I would like it to be a cool fashion, behind-the-scenes kind of thing; like how do you put together a runway show. I am not sure if I want all that goes with a full series... We'll see. We did some filming, but it was so long ago. I am just not sure what is going to happen.

SL: I can't stop staring at your sneakers. They are great. Who makes them? [Flat Converse-style sneakers with zipper details instead of shoelaces, black accents and a tropical blue fabric.]
CS: These are for my Payless spring collection. I am really excited about the collections we put together for holiday and spring. They are the best we have done so far and so affordable. You could get them all and not go broke, which I love. The fabric is from my Spring [2010] ready-to-wear collection. It is my vision of the Amalfi coast in Italy. I was going to go there with a bunch of my friends, but it didn't work out. So I imagined it and put it into my clothes and shoes.

SL: You've got new shoes for Payless. Today you are here selling ready-to-wear to holiday shoppers. You do bridal. You just finished a two-month book tour. And, of course, there is your maternity line.
CS: I came in on the red-eye this morning from LA, where I was working on that. This is our third season. And I have to tell you, that is the line I do for the challenge. Dressing women for maternity is the hardest thing. It is a totally different customer and I actually like having to think about clothes in a completely different way.

SL: The most shocking thing to me about my pregnancies was how the body morphs. It is so unpredictable.Your hips can be wide in one pregnancy. Your stomach huge in another. And every woman is different. How do you get the fit right?
CS: I am lucky. I collaborate on this line with Moody Mammas, which is a great line produced by two women. They are a great team and I am a guest designer with them doing a celebrity collection. They do so much fit testing and market research and I learn from them. They were the ones who first told me a lot of pregnant women are not comfortable in bras. We found ways to put the support in the clothing. And then there is the whole belly thing. I will be doing a dress and just be like, okay, "Where do I put the stretch panel? Does it need a panel" I don't know. They help me with that.

SL: What kind of feedback do you get from pregnant women about the state of maternity fashion?
CS: That they want formal clothes: great dresses, party dresses, cocktail dresses, even evening gowns.
That is a huge challenge for women who are pregnant. They can't find anything for when they are going out for a special occasion. And you know there life doesn't change until after the baby is born. They are still going out. They want party clothes. I am going to be doing more of that. It is a real void in the market.

SL: What did you think of this season's "Project Runway" winner Irina Shabayeva? Did you watch?
CS: I didn't watch -- only because I was on my book tour for the last two months -- but I was at the shows for Fashion Week and I saw all three collections. They were okay, but there was nothing that really blew me away. I did like the idea that it was an all female finale. And I knew the minute Irina's collection came down the runway it was the winner. It was absolutely obvious to me that her collection was best. I was kind of disappointed the viewers couldn't see her work up close because the details were amazing.

SL: Since we're here for a holiday shopping event, I am going to give you a challenge. I've got $100 to spend on my holiday look. Let's go over to your clothes and find something for me to wear to a party.
CS: [Acts shocked.] You won't find it here. Go to Payless, get five pairs of my shoes! You'll have fun and look great.

SL: Okay, but say I want something from your ready-to-wear collection and I'm on a budget. What's a good investment?
CS: If you can spend $300 get one of my T-shirts. [He pulls out a marvelous long-sleeve black top in stretch fabric with an intricate, draped collar -- anything but a T-shirt.] You'll have this forever and you can wear it all kinds of ways because you can manipulate the draping at the neck. If you are stuck on the $100 get one of my scarves from the spring collection. They are beautiful and fabulous and will dress up anything.

SL: We made it through this entire conversation without you calling anything "fierce."
CS: I know. What's wrong with me? I am so exhausted today. It is good to be busy. But it's been extreme lately. I need some time off, bad. In a couple of months, after Fashion Week, I am going to go away with my boyfriend. I want to go someplace exotic and interesting. Maybe Dubai. I have been traveling so much for work, but it's not the same when it's work. I just want to go off someplace no one would ever think of and be inspired.

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