French artist Henri Matisse once said, “A thimbleful of red is redder than a bucketful.” The quote has been interpreted to mean that a small, concentrated amount of red can appear more intensely red than a large quantity of diluted red.

For his fall 2025 collection, Christian Siriano tested how full he could make an entire coterie of red clothes appear on the runway. From the moment guests entered the extravagant venue, which for this season, he opted for a small warehouse-sized in New York’s artsy Chelsea neighborhood, guests were immersed in a sea of red. A red carpet served as the runway, but, rather than an homage to Hollywood (the obvious assumption since Siriano is known for red carpet dressing), the collection touched on the current political climate.

Siriano has long been a champion of women’s empowerment and is known for how inclusive his world is. He’s dressed women of color and has been a champion of body diversity in fashion, often using more plus-size models than any other designer at New York Fashion Week (NYFW). The thimble of red that was redder than the bucketful in this case was a giant cape he designed, reminiscent of the costumes in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

The Margaret Atwood novel, set in a dystopian future, takes place in a totalitarian society where a fundamentalist regime treats women as property of the state. Given the current attack on women’s rights in the United States, from the restriction of reproductive rights to the current presidential administration disengaging with the United Nations Humans Rights Council, it’s a rough era for women’s empowerment.

Despite the current political climate of the US, Siriano continues to incorporate glamour in his collections. In times of uncertainty and instability, it’s still important to make art. Fashion is the art we live in, so why not create some opulence and drama?

The show opened with supermodel Winnie Harlow in a black dress with an attached red off-the-shoulder ruched shawl and ruched red skirt. This opening look set the tone for the red-centric color palette, also accompanied by black. Siriano’s use of red included a halter top, midriff-baring dress, celebrating a woman’s freedom to show some skin, a red grommet trench coat for some fall edge, and a statement-making tulle bodice gown with a hoop skirt that supermodel Coca Rocha closed the show in.

Images courtesy of impression.com

In addition to his use of red and black, the color palette also featured blue, gold, and silver. Siriano has also been slowly expanding his men’s offerings, which is still finding its footing. A red turtleneck with a chest cutout seemed more nightlife-ready than eveningwear ready compared to his gowns. However, there were some men’s pieces pushing gentlemen to a bolder frontier, like a metallic red suit.

The range of his women’s looks are, as always, red-carpet worthy. NYFW is often criticized for how commercial it is, and while he is still trying to sell clothes and keep his celebrity clients happy, Siriano still found a way to bring both artistry and a red carpet-ready selection. In this case, he can have his cake and eat it, too.

Kristopher Fraser