All grown up
We miss the fierce: Christian Siriano takes new approach to fashion withhigh/low lines
Designer Christian Siriano gets a little fierce at Payless in The Galleria.Photo by Heather Staible
The Orchid Pump from Siriano's upscale designer collection, $260. Available onlythrough his Website.
Christian Siriano adds a dash of color to his spring 2012 collection.Photo by Alessandro Lucioni
The Pearl Pump available in select Payless stores and online retails for $60.
A line started to form as fans waited to meet Siriano.Photo by Heather Staible
Christian Siriano is all grown-up. The diminutive 25-year-old designer is strictly about business these days and there’s nary a "fierce" or "ferosh" to punctuate his sentences.
Siriano’s serious about his high/low design aesthetic, creating shoe collections for Payless Shoe Source as well as designing luxe gowns, sold at Neiman Marcus, for “his girl” — a style-savvy shopper who isn’t afraid to mix it up.
On Thursday, Siriano squeezed in a quick trip to High Fashion Home — can you imagine the fun Project Runway contestants would have shopping from the stores for a challenge? — before hitting the Payless Shoe Source at The Galleria.
“High/low is what I’m doing, that’s what the idea behind great is. I have girls who have been doing it for years, mixing vintage or wearing a $3,000 pair of heels with a T-shirt for $5. My girl can wear my $40 shoes with a $1,500 blouse,” Siriano says.
Even though he had a full entourage in tow, Siriano was completely unaffected while chatting about his two collections for the low-cost shoe store chain as well as his high-priced fashion collection.
His Gold Collection takes cues from his designer line. The Orchid pump is a moss green embossed faux crocodile leather with black lacquered studded heel and gold hardware that retails for $260 while the Pearl Platform Pump shares the same green faux croc, a modern square toe and goldtone accent across the vamp for $60 at Payless.
“The Gold Collection is very similar, it’s almost like it’s running off the runway. I want it to be like that,” he says of his complimentary styles.
The Gold Collection is available at a couple hundred stores across the country, but Siriano’s more moderate designer array for the retailer is found at all 2,400 stores and retails for $35 or less.
Not bad for a guy who only did shoes as an experiment.
“It was just a trial to see if it would work,” Siriano says. “The shoes on my site are a special thing, kinda exclusive. We only made 20 of those (Orchid) pumps and there are only two pairs left. It fills a really tight niche.”
Siriano calls his customers “my girl” and keeps her in mind when designing.
“High/low is what I’m doing, that’s what the idea behind great is. I have girls who have been doing it for years, mixing vintage or wearing a $3,000 pair of heels with a T-shirt for $5. My girl can wear my $40 shoes with a $1,500 blouse,” Siriano says.
A line was forming just outside the Payless doors, proving that he has lots of his girls (and guys) who appreciate his approach. That may be one reason why Siriano has taken on a more mature attitude. He says he had to be real and professional, especially since he travels extensively with his clothing, showing in places as diverse as Barbados, Alabama, Miami and Chicago.
He’s keen on coming back to Houston too and spoke highly of his experience at the inaugural Fashion Houston event last year.
“I wasn’t asked to come back this year, but I would have loved to come back. It was a great experience and I would love to do it again,” Siriano says.
There are glimmers Siriano isn’t about all work and no play. After posing seriously with his shoes, he let loose a little, kicking one leg behind him, smiling cheekily for the camera.
Maybe there’s just a little bit of "ferosh"still left in Siriano after all.
Siriano is making a personal appearance at Neiman Marcus from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. today.
