Christian Siriano Goes for Bold Beauty With a Nod to the Automotive for Fall 2025
After bringing the fashion flock uptown for the past few seasons, showing in hotel ballrooms with the spender of a bygone era, Christian Siriano pivoted for his fall collection, bringing everyone downtown to Chelsea to a raw space. But of course, under his purview, the space was transformed into a bright red box with massive bouquets of red flowers, red chairs and a very red carpet runway. Situated in the center of the room was a brand new Toyota Crown. Seventeen years of shows means Siriano understands the importance of a collaborative sponsor with deep pockets. “This idea of automotive, aerodynamic — the automotive world is very masculine, but how do you make that very feminine romantic?” he said of the inspiration, adding that he took “the silhouettes, the handle of a door that looks like corsets” as ideas.
The first look on Winnie Harlow — a black tank dress exposing the shoulder with red ruched fabric that wove around the arm to make up the skirt — showed that Siriano meant to do something different this time. “I wanted the whole beginning of the collection to feel cool and almost a bit more wearable and then it goes into my fantasy world that I love.”
The world has changed and Siriano wanted a bit of defiance on his runway, including a massive red cloak that was a direct nod to the final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” He collaborated with Hulu to design a custom piece that has been used as a sign of protest in the fight for women’s rights worldwide. The protest idea was seen with a mix of his early red looks with cascading fabric that felt restrictive yet powerful.
The automotive theme was highlighted in a mix of iridescent fabrications that sometimes read like an oil slick like on a long slipdress or flashing bright on a blue-hued bubble dress that hid one shoulder. Other looks used shoulder pads and sharp-edged corsets to telegraph his woman’s power on his red carpeted runway. The past few years he has added a menswear look or two but now he went bolder, adding a range of sexy suiting and abs on the runway. “Our men’s business is like tripled,” he said backstage. “We’re making suits every day. It’s so cool. So it’s something that I want to do more of and figure out. It’s a different business, but I’m into it.”
His finale pumped up the torque, with a mix of ballgowns using sheer corseting and exposed boning that created massive shapes, exposing what is typically on the inside for all to see. In the face of economic and cultural uncertainty, Siriano isn’t going anywhere, meeting the moment head on. “I really wanted this to be a different type of show. I want this to be cool and powerful and strong. I think that we kind of need that right now. We don’t need a lot of frills. We need to be tough but still beautiful.”
