There are several things I just didn’t expect to see in my lifetime that have now taken place- a black president, Beyonce’ with a pixie cut, and now average sized models at a “traditional” womenswear show. While the presence of normal women on the runway of a show intended to promote and selling clothing to normal women shouldn’t have been shocking for me it was. I couldn’t hold my applause as Sabina Karlsson, Precious Lee, and Marquita Pring each emerged gracefully from backstage this season at Christian Siriano and the rest of the crowd seemed to feel the same way.
Read more about the designer’s daring show below.
Siriano is an artist with immense talent reminiscent of the late Oscar de la Renta. His clothing is luxe and ladylike. This season he used an unexpected avenue to integrate a pop of color into what otherwise might have been a basic black dress instantly making it an awards season contender. He also expertly incorporated his signature affection for ruffles into tops and jumpsuits. The impeccably styled models looked cool and unaffected. They also looked real. Models’ appearances ranged from slender blondes with blue eyes, to beautiful black women with TWAs. Every skin tone and dress size was accounted for an, unfortunately still, remarkable feat.
The fashion world is changing and that change is affecting designers, consumers, editors, and even writers like myself. As commerce trumps convention creatives are going to have to work harder to reflect their audience’s’ wants and needs even if it means eschewing long-term institutional practices. Thankfully Siriano has a little help in that department. “If the industry isn’t always around to support, there are really famous women who are,”- the designer quipped to the New York Times backstage in reference to the star-studded front row at his presentation for Spring 2017. Celebrities who have been vocal in their support of the body positivity movement like bombshell Christina Hendricks and former Fashion Police co-host Kelly Osbourne were joined by actresses Neve Campbell, Jaime Alexander, and Pamela Anderson, singer Brad Walsh, and supermodel Coco Rocha in the show’s front row.
Siriano has taken the unconventional route to fashion stardom. The Project Runway standout is committed to “dressing everyone” and that commitment manifested in a consistent effort to be democratic despite any criticism. The designer’s eyebrow raising partnership with Payless is now years strong (selections from its most recent offerings were seen on the runway this spring). His line with mass retailer Lane Bryant drew much praise for its portrayal of the plus-sized woman as *gasp* a woman and now he’s doubling down on that declaration.
What did you think of Christian’s decision to incorporate different sizes into his show? Are you feeling it?
Get more of his take on it at the Today Show!
Photo Credit: Keyaira N. Boone