Christian Siriano: Showcasing People from 'Different Walks of Life' & his Latest Book

In 1821, a red carpet was rolled out to a river in Georgetown, South Carolina to welcome president James Monroe at his arrival, but it wasn’t until the 20th century that the concept of the red carpet earned its popularity and became a stage to celebrate fashion and receive celebrities to Hollywood events; which later expanded to any kind of event with a pop culture angle where celebrities, press and fashion intersect.

It is through these red carpet-appearances that fashion history very often takes place. Designers push the boundaries forward and actresses celebrate fashion and adopt it as their costume for a role they would perform on the red carpet. But in order for fashion history to happen, we need designers who are willing to create memorable moments that are milestones in fashion —and in the way we see and perceive each other through fashion.

That is what The New Red Carpet by Christian Siriano is all about.

“The reason why I called the book “The New Red Carpet” is because I want people to know what I think the red carpet should look like and what's new and fresh about it. It’s really important to showcase all different types of people from different walks of life and how they can all be fabulous, though maybe not the normal thing you would see on the red carpet.” Christian Siriano told Political Fashion.

Fashion on the red carpet has the power to inspire many people —regardless of their background—. It is the photographs of those celebrities that end up hanging on teenagers’ walls, and Pinterest boards, saying in an almost unconscious way that there is something about this fashion, this person, and the confidence that they portray, that they feel inspired by and attracted to.

Christian Siriano is diversifying those sources of inspiration for people around the world. Siriano is putting artists like Alex Newell, in a glamorous disco-inspired gown that empowers them to walk on the Tony’s carpet and become the first out non-binary performer to earn a Tony Award. Siriano is suggesting Billy Porter to wear a tuxedo gown for the Oscars, and challenge one of the most long-standing gendered norms in fashion.

The New Red Carpet is about pushing the boundaries forward on the fashion that we see celebrities wearing, but it is also about giving space to muses of all sizes, genders, and ages to look spectacular.

One of the most recognizable and outstanding pieces by Christian Siriano to this date, is perhaps the Met Gala 2019 dress that Janelle Monae wore under the Notes on Camp theme.

There is tailoring, but there is surrealism inspired by Picasso’s paintings (which were very often inspired by African masks), but there is engineering that makes the eye blink for twelve hours straight. It is also sexy, over-the-top, but at the same time is not overwhelming to the point when it doesn’t make sense and the viewer is confused. This is a dress that students can study to understand proportions and balance executed impeccably and why these concepts are so important when designing around someone’s body to ensure the muse is wearing the dress and not the other way around.

Then, there is also Oprah Winfrey, a loyal customer of Siriano’s gowns and suits. Earlier this summer, at the DNC, Winfrey delivered a speech wearing a purple suit to encourage the American people to come together.

“Despite what some would have you think, we are not so different from our neighbors. When a house is on fire, we don't ask about the homeowner's race or religion. We don't wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No, we just try to do our best to save them.” Winfrey said.

The purple on her clothes represented the unity Winfrey wanted to bring merging Blue (Democrats) and Red (Republicans). It could also be a nod to The Color Purple movie which Winfrey starred in back in 1985.

The messenger is strong but the message is even stronger when the clothes carry a story that boosts the confidence of the spokesperson. The partnership of Siriano and Winfrey prevails and strengthens as Oprah is able to present herself with so much confidence and joy —those are the feelings that clothes convey to the customer and go across the screens to the viewers.

‍

Billy Porter’s tuxedo gown for the 2019 Oscars was one of the most Googled images of the year. There was a magnificent duality of masculinity and femininity between the tuxedo and the gown; there was sophisticated tailoring and several thousand dollars worth of fabric. This high-end construction was critical in order to avoid the misconception of this tuxedo gown being some type of costume or prank.

Porter has stated that there is a before-the-Oscars and an after-the-Oscars for him. This tuxedo gown opened the doors to question pre-established norms on what people should wear for red carpets. So it makes us wonder, what other norms are there to break on red carpet fashion?

I think probably the most important thing to think about when dressing anyone for a big event, a red carpet, or anything is to celebrate the person and to make sure they feel like their most authentic self. Whether that be in a dress, a suit, or a beaded ball gown, it’s however they feel most authentic and that’s how you break the stereotypes of what someone should wear. That’s what I think about when I dress someone.

In a fast-paced fashion environment where new generations are pushing for clothes that represent their true selves, we are seeing new generations of fashion leaders paving the way to live fashion in a way that feels more genuine to them. These desires make us wonder whether we are following obsolete fashion norms that are no longer serving us any purpose and if it’s time to let them go. We have artists like Billy Porter, Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet or Billie Eilish, who are bringing these questions to the red carpet. And we have designers like Christian Siriano who leaves stereotypes aside and focuses on dressing his clients to celebrate their authentic selves.

Political Fashion asked Christian Siriano: After so many accomplishments, designs and milestones. How do you want to be remembered in the fashion industry?

A long time ago I decided it wasn’t enough to just make pretty clothes. It’s really important to me that I leave something bigger behind - to change the perception of what’s fashionable on the red carpet, runway, etc. It’s really about celebrating people of all ages, gender, and size and what’s beautiful in our world. So I would rather leave that behind than anything else.