For Christian Siriano’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection, the designer gave a very specific and focused inspiration: bats and ‘30s film noir. Siriano released an artist’s statement declaring his infatuation with the mystique of the bat: “These flying demons of the night intrigue me with their creepy, dark, and dramatic presence.” Dark and dramatic are words that could be used to describe this collection, but also refined and sophisticated are applicable ideas. Although Siriano considered extensively his muses, the garments do not dwell greatly on the subject matter. They reference his retro motivations, but are executed with a cutting edge sensibility. This is an important aspect in the victorious effectiveness of this Ready-To-Wear collection. Within viewing the first few looks of the collection, it is an apparent realization of wearable and beautiful, American sportswear.

The grayscale tones bring to mind the idea of antique film but the silhouettes remain fresh, and the prints, modern. Siriano explained in his statement that the grainy nature of old films was an influence on the minimalistic neutral color palette. The collection is comprised of mostly thoughtful dress designs with a slight nod to the 1930s  but still wholly void of elements that would make the pieces too derivative to be inventive. Siriano’s use of metallic fabrics, leather, and extremely elaborate piping elements reinforce the anatomical structure of the bat as a source of inspiration. Siriano wanted to reflect features of the bat that spoke to him aesthetically by emulating the “intricate details of the veins and bone structure of their wings. I find beauty in the wings of the bat, which can be seen in the details of the clothing.” Siriano enjoyed the duality of his concept and the idea of the glamorous juxtaposed with the horrific. Although the original juxtaposition is perceptible in thought behind the collection, there is no horror here, only pure glamour.

By Sarah Humphries

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