It’s not everyday that a small southern town like Savannah, Ga gets the opportunity to host a museum exhibit of designer couture worn by some of the most well known A-list celebrities, activists, and even a First Lady. But thanks to the Savannah College of Art and Design and famed fashion designer Christian Siriano these beautiful clothes are on magnificent display at the SCAD Museum of Art, and this one is a must see.
I’m sure most of you know exactly who designer Christian Siriano is but for those who haven’t had the pleasure of knowing his work, let me enlighten you. Christian Siriano started his fashion line back in 2008 after a well deserved win on Project Runway season 4. Siriano was the youngest winner of the show, claiming his win at only 21 years of age. He was clearly the stand out designer of the season and he took his victory winnings and embarked upon his journey to build the fashion empire he has today. Since his win he has built successful ready to wear, bridal, couture, accessories, fragrance, custom design, and sport collections, along with an interior design company specializing in sleek modern furnishings.
One of the most notable accomplishments of this designer is that he has directly changed the landscape of fashion in terms of inclusivity. It is thankfully becoming more common for designers to embrace diversity in their collections but Siriano was the pioneer in this area and was inclusive long before it was a hot topic. It has been the practice of many elite fashion houses to design red carpet looks for celebrities. But many stars were being met with rejection based on their inability to fit into sample size. When this frustration was voiced, Siriano jumped at the opportunity to dress the stars who had been cast aside by so many other fashion houses . In doing so he has created some of the most memorable and praised red carpet looks in the last decade. Many of these looks are here on display in his first ever solo museum exhibit, and you can see their grandeur first hand. His designs and runway shows have broken size and gender biases proving to the industry that a skilled designer can, in fact, design for anyone because people are people.
Lucy Liu – Tony Awards 
Celine Dion 
Celine Dion 
Sarah Jessica Parker 
First Lady Michelle Obama 
The infamous Vote gown from his quarantine runway show 
Keke Palmer 
Lizzo – Grammy Awards 
Janelle Monae – Met Ball 
Lili Reinhart – Met Ball 
Coco Rocha 
Heidi Klum 
Billy Porter – Academy Awards 
Coca Rocha – The one that went in the pool 🙂
These photos do not do justice to this incredible body of work. Each dress is numbered and you can scan the QR code under the artist bio to pull up a list of which celebrity wore which look. And remember, these are not replica dresses. These are the real-deal originals.
In addition to his tremendous contribution to reshaping our ideals about fashion, Siriano also became a hero of the Covid-19 pandemic when he saw a social media cry for help from the Governor of NYC, asking for aid in making PPE. He immediately volunteered his team to create and donate masks for New York’s front line workers. He then began selling masks online to the public to allow his company to continue making donations. For every mask pack purchased, a duplicate pack was donated to the front line. I have been wearing Siriano masks exclusively for that reason. You can still purchase them in his online store here.
In our Siriano Masks!
The Christian Siriano People are People exhibit will remain on display through January 30th, 2022. The SCAD Museum of Art is open 6 days a week and is located in the historic district at 601 Turner Blvd., Savannah, Ga. You can find info on operating hours and admission here.
xoxo Mimi
