Christian Siriano transports New York Fashion Week attendees to the silver screen

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NEW YORK (AP) — Hidden behind cream curtains, designer Christian Siriano transformed the athleisure aisles of the Herald Square Macy’s department store into a cinematic universe as he ushered his New York Fashion Week runway show attendees on a journey through film from black-and-white gowns to full Technicolor looks.

Much like his inspiration for his runway show, the VIP guestlist was straight out of Hollywood. Whoopi Goldberg sat between Oprah and singer Lizzo. Front row celebrities cheered as longtime Siriano muse Coco Rocha opened the catwalk in her classic high powered supermodel strut, wearing a black-and-white stripe and polka dot organza blazer paired with a mini skirt and matching hat.

For his spring 2026 collection, Siriano said he drew inspiration from actor Marlene Dietrich and how she played with both feminine and masculine styles.

“A lot of the collection is black-and-white, but a lot of texture,” he said. “We have this beautiful plaid sequin, polka dot, stripes ... that she’s worn in her kind of repertoire of clothes and then we end in this idea of like, what if all of a sudden the film turned to color?”

Sticking with the old Hollywood glamour theme, models wore their hair in slick backed buns with one pin curl wave. In a modern twist, some models wore their structured blazers with only tights.

From tailored blazers to voluminous bubble dresses, Siriano played with patterns and structure throughout his collection.

Siriano relied on his color palette to transport attendees to the silver screen with black-and-white patterns from polka dots, stripes and plaid at the top of his show before transitioning his looks to Technicolor fabrics including a tiffany blue ball gown and a barbie pink deconstructed tuxedo dress.

The show was a first for “White Lotus” star Natasha Rothwell. “I want to spend an insane amount of money,” she said after the show. “For my first fashion show, it was everything.”

Attendees came dressed ready for the drama in their tulle and corsets. Singer Adam Lambert arrived in a bronze belted blazer coat with matching oversized bronze sunglass shades.

On the runway, Siriano dressed models of all sizes, genders and backgrounds in his designs. The designer continues to champion inclusivity while others have pulled back.

“It’s just important to have a mix of beautiful people, he said.

Siriano accessorized his designs with an array of flat top and oversized whimsical hats. The designer himself has worn his fair share of hats.

Siriano, who won the design competition “Project Runway” in 2007, recently returned to offer his expertise as a mentor to emerging designers on the newest iteration of the show, which features image architect Law Roach and supermodel Heidi Klum.

Siriano is also serving as creative director for Macy's ready-to-wear I.N.C. brand as it marks 40 years. Siriano said by bringing fashion week to Macy's he hoped to bring customers back to retail shopping.

Minutes before the start of the runway show, Siriano's backstage crew were sewing and touching up the final look of the night worn by Rocha, whose showstopping moments have become a signature element of Siriano's shows. In a black-and-white polka dot billowing gown, Rocha elegantly posed as she sauntered in the off-the-shoulder tulle look to close the catwalk

“I love my shows to be a little bit more like a performance too,” Siriano said. “I want people to feel like when they walk in the room, they’re in a different world. We work so hard on making all these beautiful things, and I think it’s escapism. We need that so much right now.”