Ever since the 2006 movie “The Devil Wears Prada,” where Meryl Streep’s character, Miranda Priestly, infamously said, “Florals for spring … groundbreaking,” fashion designers have been challenged to make spring florals feel fresh rather than mundane. It’s easy for a designer to simply sample a floral pattern and say, “Look, spring is here.” However, for his spring 2027 collection, Christian Siriano, one of New York Fashion Week’s favorite evening wear designers, looked for floral inspiration beyond blooming flowers and traditional floral patterns.
Siriano’s solution to creating groundbreaking florals began with inspiration from 18th-century France, reimagined through the lens of the underrated French fairy tale “The Queen of the Flowery Isles”. The fairy tale tells the story of a princess whose extraordinary beauty provokes the jealousy of a magical, vain rival queen.
Siriano built his latest world around flowers, beauty, decadence, and escapism. The opening look drew the audience into a world of dark fantasy and beauty with a black mesh duster with floral leather patches paired with matching pants. It was a groundbreaking choice for Siriano to open a spring collection with black, whereas more designers would typically opt for color or a neutral white to usher in spring.
The collection leaned heavily on black as part of the color palette, but it also played to the dark inspiration of the evil queen. From dark florals, the collection transitioned to white and gold printed patterns, evoking a brighter, happier spring.
The opulence of the fairy tale-like French courts informed many of Siriano’s detail choices, such as corsetry, dramatic volume of skirts and bodices, delicate lace, and ornate embroidery. Beyond floral prints, the floral inspiration appeared in sculptural forms, cascading ruffles, intricate embellishments, and soft layers of chiffon and tulle.
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Beyond his signature gowns, which, as always, were inclusive of plus models, Siriano is also expanding his menswear footprint. He stuck to variations on black, including tuxedo pieces, sheer tops with satin pants, and a snakeskin-print ensemble. Siriano welcomed us into a fairy tale, and it had a happy and fashionable ending.
Kristopher Fraser
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