Christian Siriano goes batty
A model walks the runway at the Christian Siriano fall 2012 show at the Eyebeam Art + Technology Center in Manhattan during New York Fashion Week. (Feb. 11, 2012) Credit: Bruce Gilbert
Bat wings may be tough for some to contemplate in great detail, but for Christian Siriano, they provided inspiration for his fall collection, a line dominated by Goth leather appliques, flowing capes and strange, veinlike textures.
“These flying demons of the night intrigue me with their creepy, dark and dramatic presence,” Siriano writes in his program notes. The results: a wing sleeve sheath dress, faux pony moto jacket and faux croc coat, which all give off sheen and a rocker chic.
And it wasn’t just bats, but a bat film — 1933's “The Vampire Bat,” starring “King Kong” damsel Fay Wray — that kept his creative juices flowing. The grainy nature of the film inspired the mostly black and white palette, and Wray’s elegant costumes were a model for some of his outfits, like the delicate white wide-neck top tucked into a black pencil skirt, or the flowing crepe dresses.
His evening gowns at the end, with their dramatic swirl of tulle round the shoulders and glistening beadwork, drew applause from the crowd. But the most inventive and intriguing dress of the show had to be his leather “bat vein dress,” a figure-hugging cocktail number that bore a combed texture, like the undulating swirls in the sand of a zen garden. But these are dark, primordial … and downright sexy.
