Words by: Paula Conway
Walking into the lobby of the Delamar Westport, the show-stopper is a sweeping wall of Christian Siriano’s black-on-white sketches. The installation, known as the Siriano Sketch Wall, announces that this is no ordinary hotel lobby. It’s equal parts hotel lobby check-in and Siriano’s couture atelier.
Juxtaposed against this dramatic backdrop — his high-contrast design sketches range from sculptural to theatrical — is the designer himself. Wearing his signature casual-yet-deliberate black-on-black ensemble, he is relaxed, easy-going, friendly, and open. Siriano lives in Westport, Connecticut, and designing elements of the new Delamar, including the chic Siriano Suite, was a natural fit. Delamar is a luxury brand, and Siriano is playing right to his audience in the quietly powerful, tony Fairfield County enclave.
Since winning Project Runway when he was 21, Siriano imagined himself into one of fashion’s most dynamic modern brands, dressing everyone from Hollywood stars to political power players while expanding far beyond the runway into ready-to-wear, interiors, fragrance, shoes, jewelry, beauty, and publishing. Now 40, Siriano’s latest ambitions stretch even further.
Christian Siriano x the Delamar Hotel Westport
Siriano glides through the check-in lobby, greeting his own thoughts in three dimensions and admiring his favorite pieces — all of them. Among the confections: a custom booth designed by Siriano, upholstered in Pollack, and lounge chairs dressed in Holly Hunt. And a chic check-in desk topped with Bas Stone and built with Kostas Upholstery. In less confident hands, such details might merely decorate. Here, alongside a high-contrast work with one of Siriano’s favorite artists, Lisa Bagley, they perform.
There are 84 guest rooms and suites within the Delamar Westport, including three designed by Siriano. The 1,900-square-foot presidential suite is known as the Siriano Suite. It features two bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and an office.
Inside, every detail is deliberate. Soft palettes, layered textures, and sculptural silhouettes create a sense of calm that never slips into neutrality; a tension between ease and drama that mirrors the designer’s work on the runway. His designs soften the room, then steal it.
“There’s a calm to it, with soft palettes, layered textures, beautiful light, and there’s also confidence,” Siriano says. “The bold artwork, the sculptural silhouettes, the fashion-driven details. It’s that tension that makes it interesting. Ultimately, I want guests to feel inspired but also completely at ease. A little transported. A little glamorous. And very, very comfortable.”
Siriano’s original individual sketches are not exclusive to the check-in area. They’re displayed in the office of the Siriano Suite and wrap the hotel’s electric Volkswagen bus. With this clever perk, guests have the opportunity to scoot about the town while Siriano’s branded parade continues.
“We wanted to create something instantly recognizable and distinctly Delamar Westport,” explains Erin Spiegel, Director of PR and Marketing for Greenwich Hospitality Group. “Christian’s Sketch Wall is unique to the property, and extending that design onto the hotel van allows us to bring the artistry beyond our walls and into the community. The Sketch Wall has become a guest experience in itself — people regularly take photos in front of it — so carrying that visual identity throughout town creates intrigue and invites people to discover it for themselves.”
With each area of the hotel Siriano touched, he aimed for spaces that feel both soothing and striking — fashion-forward moments that give each space a distinct sense of personality.
“It’s that push and pull I’m always drawn to. The silhouettes in the furniture are sculptural, almost couture in shape. The art is bold and graphic. The details feel intentional. Nothing is random. Overall, it’s elegant, layered, and confident, a little dramatic, very refined, and completely immersive.”
Siriano and Cunard’s Transatlantic Fashion Week
For eight days last fall, guests aboard the Queen Mary 2 filled the Queens Room for two separate fashion shows during the six-night, seven-day journey from New York City to Southampton, England. Guests were ecstatic with excitement to attend a one-off Siriano fashion show during Cunard’s Transatlantic Fashion Week, curated just for them. The Cunard partnership was a watershed moment for Siriano, who spoke about the opportunity with a discernible pride.
“Partnering with Cunard made complete sense,” he shares. “They understand legacy and glamour. The golden age of travel where people dressed for dinner and the journey itself was an event. That aligns so naturally with how I think about fashion; it’s timeless, elevated, but still bold.”
As the models wore classic high-impact, Siriano candy-couture, they negotiated the rough seas in high heels. Coco Rocha worked with the models before each show, giving instructions on how to glide out of a wobble (and not fall) during the unpredictable, rough sea. Models flanked the space on both sides of the room, weaved through the tables in fluid procession, then headed backstage, only to return down the runway and back through the tables once again. This ensured that every guest had a front-row seat to the show.
Siriano scheduled two shows, so that every guest could experience its glamour and excitement — and his first-ever show at sea, a spectacular theatre.
“You can plan every look and every cue, but you can’t control the sea,” Siriano says. “There’s movement, there’s wind, there’s a rhythm to the ship that’s completely different from a traditional venue. It forces you to adapt in real time. But that’s also what made it exciting. The unpredictability added energy. It felt alive. You’re staging couture in the middle of the Atlantic, that’s not normal. And I love doing things that aren’t normal.”
One of the most fascinating aspects of Siriano is his deep connection to people and his intent on making fashion available to all.
“Doing two shows at sea for Cunard Transatlantic Fashion Week felt cinematic, and I love a moment,” he tells us. “Fashion should feel like an experience, not just a runway in a white box. Crossing the Atlantic already has this built-in romance and drama, so it was the perfect stage. But we also did two shows very intentionally. I didn’t want it to feel exclusive in a way that left people out. When you’re on that ship, everyone is part of the journey. I wanted as many guests as possible to actually experience the show, not just hear about it later. At sea, it’s intimate. You’re sharing this incredible crossing together. So creating two moments made it feel inclusive and immersive.”
What’s Next for Christian Siriano?
Seated in a private enclave within the Commodore Club — a polished salon where guests and conversation gather around the piano playing classic standards and songbook favorites — Rocha and Siriano posed for photos with a closed circle of guests and answered questions with nothing off the table.
Asked if he would do the same type of fashion show at sea in the future, Siriano did not hesitate.
“Yes! In a heartbeat,” he exclaims. “Showing at sea is romantic, dramatic, and completely transportive. It makes fashion feel like an experience, not just an event. With the right partner, like Cunard, it just makes sense. There’s nothing more magical than couture in the middle of the ocean.”
Siriano’s ambitions remain resolutely expansive. Among the more intriguing: a major motion picture.
“I’ve always loved storytelling, that’s really what fashion is for me,” he shares. “So film set and costume design feels like a very natural extension of that. It’s definitely something I’m interested in exploring more seriously. I love the idea of building an entire world, not just dressing one character, but shaping the mood, the silhouettes, the atmosphere. That excites me. There are always conversations happening. I think it’s about finding the right project. When that moment comes, I’m ready.”
Christian Siriano does not operate with a creative ceiling. And as private space travel accelerates, his imagination is already well beyond Earth.
“I mean, if we’re going to space, we can’t be boring,” he tells GRAZIA USA. “Function obviously comes first. It has to protect the body, it has to perform. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful. I’d love the silhouette to feel powerful. Clean lines, strong shoulders, something that feels heroic. Space is so stark and graphic, so I imagine a palette that plays with contrast, like maybe sharp monochrome, metallic finishes, and unexpected texture. It should feel futuristic, but still human. Even in outer space, you deserve drama.”
