Fashion Group International (FGI) hosted their annual Night of Stars Gala on Thursday evening, celebrating the best and the brightest of the fashion industry. Christian Siriano was honored with the Fashion Star Award, presented by Law & Order: SVU actress Mariska Hargitay, and we caught up with the designer on the red carpet ahead of his big night.
“In fashion you never know where you stand some days,” Siriano told GRAZIA USA. “You hope that you’re doing the right things, and when people recognize it, it feels really great.”
The designer arrived hand-in-hand with the Law & Order: SVU star, who wore a tailored royal blue suit set with a jacket that opened to reveal her matching bra-top. “Let me tell you who works hard — Mariska,” said Siriano. “She films every single day. It’s wild, so it’s so nice that she could even do this.”
Their gala appearance together comes hot off the heels of Hargitay’s bombshell ensemble at the 2022 Emmy Awards, created by Siriano. “She had such a moment in that dress,” said the designer. “It was so glamorous, and she looked incredible. We just had a blast!”
Siriano remains the definition of “booked and busy.” He dressed seven other women at the Emmys, including Melanie Lynskey, Jean Smart, Rosario Dawson, Molly Shannon, Laura Linney, Robin Thede, and Vanessa Bayer.
“First of all, who manages to do that?” Hargitay said in her presentation speech. “It felt like this beautiful, luminous, welcoming little club, that I was so incredibly proud to be a part of. So, thank you Christian for making my night. Thank you for making me feel so beautiful, truly.”
Hargitay hailed his work towards a more inclusive fashion industry, his mask-making efforts in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the SCAD Museum of Art’s solo retrospective exhibition on the designer.
Siriano made his entry into the industry after winning Project Runway in 2007. One of the show’s longtime judges was designer Michael Kors, who was honored at the gala with the Superstar Award. “It’s really nice to be given an award alongside him, it feels really great,” Siriano said.
The fact that he managed to dress eight woman at the Emmys just four days after presenting his collection during NYFW, shows that the work never stops for Siriano. “It was horrible! But amazing! You never get to just have a beat.”
He did treat his staff after the busy days with a trip to the movies. “The day afterward, we went to a movie, Bullet Train with Brad Pitt, and just chilled. I took like half my office; it was so fun. We just wanted to like escape — you know, you need it!”
Until another red carpet season and fashion week nears, Siriano is focused on his new store in Connecticut. “We really want to focus on bringing our customer back, and figuring her out, and what she wants. So that’s been our journey,” he shared. “I love going to my store and being with people.”
During the night, Uoma Beauty founder Sharon Chuter was granted the Beauty Award, Prabal Gurung received the Humanitarian Award and Dionne Warwick was given the Trailblazer Award. LoveShackFancy founder Rebecca Hessel Cohen was honored with the Retail Award, and Elvis Presley was honored post-mortem with the Fashion Oracle Award.
