Christian Siriano kicks off New York Fashion Week in color

NEW YORK — With Katie Holmes and Lil’ Kim in the front row and singer Marina on the microphone high above her runway, Christian Siriano helped kick off New York Fashion Week’s first major pandemic round of Tuesday’s live show with a frenzy of neon and lace partially inspired by all the Italian women in his life.

From ornate Gotham Hall, beneath 70-foot stained-glass windows, Siriano’s commitment to size inclusivity has never been stronger as he opens and closes the show with plus-size breakout model Precious Lee. She first walked in in a stunning yellow trouser suit with wide baggy pants and an asymmetrical jacket, a matching crossover bralette underneath.

The crowd was reduced to 300 from the usual 800 guests due to the pandemic, Siriano told The Associated Press he wanted to bring luxury in today’s dark times. He recalled some old photos of his paternal grandmother vacationing in Positano on Italy’s Amalfi Coast during the 1960s and 70s. She wore vintage sunglasses on some of her models as they wore bright yellow, sunset orange and emerald green dresses and dresses with oversized ruffles for the sleeves and a round skirt.

“Fashion Week is back. It’s a good feeling. New York is feeling great,” said Siriano, with Kristin Chenoweth, Alicia Silverstone and muse Coco Rocha also in the front row.

The pandemic, he says, has evoked nostalgia for many, including himself. She remembers the apricot dress with polka dots being among her grandmother’s favorites.

“He’s still alive at 101 years old,” Siriano said. “I just feel that and have the luxury that I love. I’m surrounded by women who dress every day. That’s lipstick. Hair and makeup every day.”

She wants this spring-summer collection to be “very strong and strong”, but also sexy.

There’s a look that’s barely any black lace, a little bra top paired with trousers and a full skirt, and a body-hugging slinky dress with a neck-to-calf cut. As Marina sang from the stage at the end of the runway, models of all sizes also walked in classic evening looks in black and white, including a one-shoulder dress with one long sleeve and an open chest piece. Another appearance is decorated with rows of vertical feathers.

“I love that. I miss that,” she said of a touch of old world drama and glamour. “I think that’s also what people miss about fashion. We have friends who are going to a birthday party and they want dresses. It’s interesting to see what we missed.”

Fashion, Siriano said, “is in a very difficult place” right now.

“Business is really struggling everywhere. It’s not at all what people are used to shopping for. But luckily, for our world, people are really looking for that aspirational item. They spend more money on it. Friends I just got married. She canceled her wedding three times. I made her the biggest dress I could make for her. She wanted it. She’s a curvy girl, and pregnant, and she was like, I don’t care.”

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Associated Press video producer Gina Abdy in New York contributed to this story