Christian Siriano is already plotting how his new diamond designs will grace red carpets for years to come.
The designer, 39, touched down in New York at 6 a.m. Tuesday for a brunch celebrating his Rare Carat jewelry collaboration, barely pausing after the Emmys wrapped in Los Angeles. The quick turnaround reflected a scheduling squeeze he had never faced before: his New York Fashion Week show landed closer to the Emmys than ever, forcing a last-minute sprint to finish multiple custom gowns.
Kaley Cuoco, 38, emerged as one of his standout clients for the night. The pregnant “Big Bang Theory” alum, who is expecting her second child with fiancé Tom Pelphrey, wore a custom pink babydoll gown with strategic cutouts framing her baby bump. “She still wanted to be sexy,” Siriano said Style of the actor’s brief, which guided the revealing design.
The pastel creation stood in deliberate contrast to another of his Emmys looks. Lisa Ann Walter, 60, went in a completely different direction with ruched tulle sleeves that demanded far more technical effort. “She was going for vampy,” Siriano said of the “Abbott Elementary” star, calling her dress the “opposite” of Cuoco’s softer silhouette. The dramatic sleeves made Walter’s ensemble the most challenging of the batch to construct.
Siriano also outfitted Michael Urie and Brittany Broski for the ceremony, adding to the pile of pieces that had to be completed against the Fashion Week clock. The compressed timeline made the post-Emmys hop to New York particularly grueling, with the designer arriving for his jewelry launch essentially straight from the after-parties.
The Rare Carat collection itself centers on mix-and-match pieces meant to blend with accessories already in customers’ drawers. Siriano told reporters he favors pairing real diamonds with costume jewelry, a styling approach built into the line’s DNA. His personal picks from the range include stud earrings framed with pink stones and an engagement ring accented with sapphires, both intended as updated takes on familiar forms.
The designer made clear he expects these pieces to circulate among his celebrity clients indefinitely. “For like a million years,” he said, describing how long he plans to dress stars in the collaboration.
Siriano launched his eponymous label in 2008 after winning the fourth season of “Project Runway,” becoming one of the show’s most commercially successful alumni. His brand has since become a red-carpet staple known for inclusive sizing and theatrical silhouettes, with his atelier regularly dressing actors for major awards shows.
The Rare Carat partnership marks his latest expansion beyond ready-to-wear and custom gowns, following previous forays into footwear, eyewear, and home goods. The direct-to-consumer diamond line is available online without the front-row exclusivity of his runway shows.
Siriano’s next New York Fashion Week presentation is scheduled for September in Manhattan.