I’m getting the sense that Christian Siriano is BURNT OUT. This show feels perhaps a bit more scattered than usual, and then there’s a) this Instagram I shared of his a while back, b) this one from before the shows, and c) this quote, when asked about star-studded front rows and big runway displays:
“It’s why I still love fashion,” he said. “Without the shows and the glamour and the front row and all my great girls, this business really sucks.”
“Fashion is having such a hard time. We’re all getting beaten — magazines, customers… We’re all just having a rough go. Let’s just have some fun and bring some glamour.”
It has to be a grueling slog. We see all the dresses getting placed on red carpets and think that must mean things are going brilliantly, but if a designer like Zac Posen — iconic in Hollywood — can be forced to close up shop, then it can’t be as lucrative as we imagine. I bet the constant hustle and grind is wearing, and Christian told WWD that he’s doing costumes for an upcoming Susan Sarandon movie, so clearly he’s got an eye toward other income streams. Even with how uneven this is… all shows are, and there is still plenty here to dream of, even if it’s surrounded by stuff that has me, too, wondering what is real. I’m so glad we’ve had Christian as long as we have. His shows ARE super fun and exuberant — they were always our favorites at Fashion Week, and he STACKED that front row every season — and he’s inclusive in ways other designers either pretend to be or just straight-up don’t care to. Hang in there, pal. You’re petite in stature but you’d leave a very large void.
