NEW YORK — While trends come and go, animal prints never go out of style. Designers continually come back to lion, tiger and zebra stripes to punch a wardrobe. For fall, Christian Dior designer Raf Simons abstracts animal prints in distinctive hues for a different take. Christian Siriano is a bit more traditional, with an interpretation based on a dream he had about a Congo rainforest. But the 29-year-old designer, who trademarked the phrase "fierce" as Project Runway winner, has a few tricks up his sleeve.
Siriano opens his collection with a sheath dress, coat and jacket in a brown-and-black tiger wool cashmere pattern — the outerwear has big collars that extend to the shoulders and could be raised to cocoon the head — and later shows a cropped blouse, skirt, gown and cape blouse in a metallic gold-and-black zebra design.
Siriano always has a flair for the dramatic, which shines though in his big ball gowns in an African floral pattern.
The zebra pattern shows up again in two-tone rust shades with modern tailoring, as with a banded figure-flattering sheath with a square neckline. A crop top and skirt in contrasting leopard jacquard fabric or a mini-dress covered in a tulle overlay that sweeps the floor have a hip "rumble in the jungle" attitude.
Siriano always has a flair for the dramatic, which shines though with his big ball gowns in an African floral pattern. The shapes are vintage Siriano — he usually closes his collection with a series of hoop-skirt gowns — but this time the colors are more vibrant, with metallic-hued flowers bursting on a teal or brown shaded background.
Even more striking is an illusion blouse inspired by the orange-hued heliconia plant and a gown of petal appliques inspired by an African tulip tree.
Siriano, who has a long-term relationship with Payless Shoes, has some fun with footwear, too, with wedges in colorful tribal patterns, animal print sandals and open-toe slip-ons with tufts of fur.
Christian Siriano's first three looks had an animal print theme. In foreground, tiger wool cashmere sleeveless sheath dress, left collar coat (left) and leaf collar jacket (right).
