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Christian Siriano has won many hearts and minds, and in such a way that the bodies attached to them unabashedly stand and cheer at the end of his show, while those with money go to Neiman Marcus and buy his eveningwear. Still, his quest to be taken seriously continues. Today marked his second season working with stylist Danielle Nachmani—a girl trusted by the Olsen twins to find something to wear for the Met Gala. Backstage, Siriano cited Katharine Hepburn as inspiration—an unexpected reference. (Certainly she could be described as fierce, but not the way he means it.) The first half of the show reflected that no-nonsense glamour in simple shapes like T-shirts belted into lean bias skirts, and crisp white shirting with paper-bagged palazzo pants, hopped up by acid hues. Nothing groundbreaking, but nothing offensive either. And suddenly, it seemed as though Siriano couldn’t bear the restraint anymore, and in rolled a storm of flocked tulle and organza, capped off by a dramatic finish of dimmed lights and streaming models. The crowd ate it up. It’s what they were waiting for. But it didn’t exactly help his case. Getting the respect that Siriano wants will require more than heeding a cool stylist. But you have to ask the question: Does he need it? In fashion’s new landscape, editors and designers are scrambling for the reality-TV stardom that Siriano already has in spades. Perhaps all he needs is a change of perspective. (by Meenal Mistry style.com)

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September 9

2pm

Christian Siriano

Christian Siriano began designing at just thirteen years old and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts and the American Intercontinental University in London, where he interned with punk legend Vivienne Westwood, and with Alexander McQueen. Upon returning to the United States and moving to New York City, Christian’s break came when he earned a spot on season four of Bravo’s hit program Project Runway. He became the show’s youngest winner, fan favorite, and a rising star in the fashion industry with his clothing sold in Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and stores around the world.

Christian shows a full collection every season at New York Fashion Week, with past shows being sponsored by LG, Sprint, Victoria’s Secret, Cibu International, and Aveda. He has designed for many celebrity clients, most notably Rihanna, Heidi Klum, Victoria Beckham, Lady GaGa, Vanessa Williams, Christina Hendricks, Pink, Estelle, Mena Suvari, Kelly Rowland, Becki Newton, Kat DeLuna, and Whoopi Goldberg in her role as host of the 2008 Tony Awards. He has signed on to design a full couture collection to appear in the upcoming film Eloise in Paris, starring Uma Thurman. Alexis Bledel, dressed in Christian’s designs, was named to Vogue’s “Ten Best Dressed” list in September 2009. Oprah Winfrey calls his designs “works of art.” Tim Gunn calls him “a prodigy” and “the next great American fashion designer.”

Christian’s current additional projects include joining the likes of Isabel Toledo, Alice + Olivia, and Patricia Field in creating an ongoing line of shoes and bags for Payless which first became available in September 2009. He also created a line of makeup for Victoria’s Secret for stores in the fall of 2009, a limited edition design collaboration for Starbucks for the 2009 holiday season, and a collaboration last year with Puma. Between his design projects, Christian has also written a style guide titled Fierce Style: How to Be Your Most Fabulous Self, available now, and he embarked on a book tour in the fall of 2009.

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