Christian Siriano On Oprah, Lizzo, Project Runway and His Juicy Collab

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There’s no show quite like a Christian Siriano show! The beloved designer’s silver screen-inspired collection brought whimsical drama to New York Fashion Week—complete with Oprah, Lizzo, and more stars in the front row. We caught up with Siriano on dressing O, his juicy Capri-Sun runway cameo, and reflections on his Spring 2026 show.

Now that Fashion Week’s over, have you had time to catch a breath? How do you feel the show went? It was great. I feel really good about it. We felt really proud of what we did, and how much work we put into it. It was all the things I wanted it to be—beautiful and elegant, but playful and dramatic, and all those things. It never gets easier. But this one is probably one of my favorites.

What were the collection’s main themes or pieces? We started off with this idea of Marlene Dietrich. We wanted something that fell a bit vintage, something from the ’60s to the ’80s, all these different eras. I love this idea that it was a lot of black and white, the idea of a silver screen. Then all of a sudden, we turned the color on at the end. All the colorful satin looks at the end were really dramatic and beautiful, and some of my favorites. I loved the cool polka-dot gown that Coco [Rocha] closed the show in. I loved it so much. It was whimsical, and she made it come to life.

Coco always closes your shows! What makes her the perfect muse for you? Every designer wants their clothes to come to life. What Coco does is a bit more performance. I love a show. Sometimes, Fashion Week can become the same. You never really know what you’re going to get at mine, and you never know what Coco is going to do! That idea of anticipation is always fun for an audience, so that’s why I love it. She’s so amazing, and wears the clothes so beautifully, and she understands inspiration and what it should be. I just love that.

Oprah was in your front row this season—which was one of NYFW’s most viral moments! What did she think of the show? I’ve been dressing Oprah for a really long time. I just invited her. And you know what? Sometimes, it never hurts to ask. She was like, “Okay, sure.” It was very easy, to be honest. She was probably the easiest guest I’ve ever had—which is hilarious, because she’s probably the most famous and the wealthiest! Gayle [King] is incredible, and having Lizzo there was fun. They had so much fun. That also makes it feel really great that you’re not sitting there upset about what you’re seeing. We don’t want that! We want people to celebrate all the beauty that’s in the show.

You also had a Capri-Sun collab for the show. How did that come about—and did you drink Capri-Sun a lot as a kid? It was so fun! I love that we got to create this really cool pouch bag that was inspired by nostalgia. Growing up, getting a Capri-Sun was the gift that your mom could give you. It was the special drink that you could have. I really love that idea. We see so many people on TikTok and Instagram creating these DIY bags using the pouches, so we were like, “Okay, how do we make one that’s really glamorous and fabulous, put it on the runway, have a moment?” That’s what we did. It’s our couture version of the bags that everybody else is making at home, which made it really fun.

That sounds fun! Did you have a chance to see any more shows at Fashion Week? Oh my god, I didn’t. I could barely walk, I was so tired. I didn’t see anything. I think I went to two parties, and that’s it!

How did you celebrate after the show? We always throw a really fun party. We threw it at the new W Hotel in Union Square, which was incredible. We had such a great time. We always end at the Mulberry, that’s my tradition. It’s always chic, it’s always cool—so that made it really fun.

Was there a behind-the-scenes moment from Spring 2026 that took you by surprise? Who knows? There’s a million. A million things went wrong. A million things went right. We literally fit Lizzo the morning of the show, and her outfit was amazing. Oprah arrived before half the guests arrived. She was so on time. We had so many things that went right, and then we had lots of things that went wrong. The music went out at the afterparty, but we still danced. You can’t plan everything!

Totally. Are there any fun collabs you’re working on right now? We did six people at the Emmys, and now we’re taking the collection to London, then Paris. I’m doing a little fashion show in London, and then Paris. When I get back, I’ll already launch into holiday, and then we’ll take a break. It goes so fast, it’s wild.

You’re also a mentor on the new season of Project Runway. Was it full-circle being back in the studio with Heidi Klum and the new designers? It feels great. What’s so nice is that I get to come back and hopefully help this young generation. They really need another designer mentoring them who’s really in the business, somebody that is working with people. We did a really cool challenge for Wicked: For Good. They’re like, “Oh, I would love this dress to be for Ariana Grande.” I’m like, “Well, I just dressed Ariana last week, so I don’t think she would actually like that, so why don’t you do this?” I’m giving them very real advice that a lot of people wouldn’t be able to give if they’re not actually in the industry. That’s how I approach it. Having Heidi back was so much fun. We got to play dress-up every day! Having Law [Roach] there was amazing, because he’s crazy and wild. It’s a really fun season.

What are you up to this fall? Any fun plans, trips or the like coming up? I’ll be in Europe for a bit. I’m celebrating a big birthday in November. Maybe I’ll do another trip then, which will be fun. Hopefully some [countries] are warm. Maybe I’ll go to the Maldives!

Images: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images, Arturo Holmes/Getty Images, Sara Kerens/Getty Images, Gregory Scaffidi/Getty Images, Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images,

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