We live in very special times. In a pre-pandemic world, attending a fashion show (or, in the case of Christian Siriano, asking your best friend to walk in one) wouldn’t be uncommon, let alone potentially fatal. But boy, have things changed since then? But the proverbial show has to go on, and so it was today at Gotham Hall in New York City, where model and entrepreneur Candice Huffine not only appeared on Siriano’s show – she served as his muse.
Out of the confines of my apartment, just 25 blocks south of the venue, I – along with around 1,000 others – got a front row seat via Siriano’s Instagram Live. Surprisingly, the presentation felt the same – albeit virtual. About 20 minutes after the scheduled start time (fashion shows almost always start late), electronic musician Zhu’s “Stay Closer” boomed out of my laptop speakers as Huffine and other models emerged from beds near the venue to run across the runway ( we love) a piece of performance art). Further highlights were lime green and fuchsia, silky shimmer, XL frills, voluminous shoulders and of course size differences.
Rather than making cursory statements from other participants, I saw an influx of positive comments (“So inclusive,” “Come on, body positivity,” and “Aunt Candy!” To name a few). It reaffirmed what we already know: Christian Siriano is one of the most comprehensive designers in the game, always on the way to the next big way to expand his brand, be it through mask making, reality TV or for this collection by partnering again with the Online clothing retailer thredUP to raise awareness of fashion industry waste problem.
Plus, Siriano did everything with Huffine by his side. Here Huffine spoke to us (via video, Natch) about modeling for Siriano and the importance of body diversity in fashion.
