This season, designer Christian Siriano enlisted a close friend to model his new collection—and that friend just so happened to be RuPaul’s Drag Race star Gottmik, who has been the fashion contender to beat on this current season of All Stars. (Gottmik made history when he became the first trans man to ever compete on the series back in 2021.) “He was my muse this season,” said Siriano. “I love Gottmik’s fashions and confidence. I wanted to show people how beautiful and elegant he is.”
The spirit certainly matched Siriano’s designs this season, which also had an emphasis on whimsical elegance—albeit in a dark, twisted way. For resort, Siriano designed a mostly black collection. This was an unusual choice for him, given that Siriano is known for his sprightly, upbeat colors. “I really liked the idea of something being dark and sinister, yet very romantic,” said Siriano, who also cited vintage pinup images and Old Hollywood stars as references. “We used a lot of black, but there’s a lot of texture and movement around the body. We played around with sheerness and opacity.”
The designer created bold statement gowns with shapely silhouettes. They felt refreshingly pared-back for Siriano, who is known for bringing the drama. Corseted and boned bodices came complete with sheer, paneled ball skirts, and a draped, mesh gown was punctuated with beaded crystals. What the frocks lacked in color, they made up for in interesting materials—or a deliberate lack of them. “I was sick of seeing all these sexy sheer dresses. I wanted to show how you can show your body but still be kind of covered,” he said of his naked-illusion dresses.
A few pops of vibrancy came in the form of colorful gowns. The highlights were the big cape made of tiered ombré pink organza, or the strapless, corseted ball gown with a laminated iridescent finish. “I wanted you to feel the fabric through a picture,” said Siriano. A strapless baby pink gown had trims of gathered tulle at the bust, waist, and sleeves. “We did a lot of fabric manipulation this season,” he added. “It’s cool to give tulle its own sculpture.”
The finale gown was a purple ball skirt with a mesh top made of laser-cut flowers. It’s precisely the type of head-turning fashion you’d expect to see on Drag Race—or a fancy Upper East Side gala. “That was my whimsical, fairy-like creature,” he said of the gown.
