10/21/11: DC Scout at Pink Rocks the Runway

Christian Siriano was in town to headline the Pink Rocks the Runway Fashion Show to benefit Pink Jams! Before the show, DC Scout got a chance to sit down with Christian Siriano to talk shopping, style, and his recent collections with Payless Shoes and Spiegel.

The DC Scout newsletter mainly focuses on shopping, sales, and style tips. What shopping or style tips do you have for DC fashionistas on a budget?

Oooh I think for fall, you should really go for that one splurge piece, which should be a great jacket or a coat. I always say that you’re going to wear your jacket or your coat over everything all winter anyway so it’s almost like your dress that you’re wearing. You want that to be special. That’s my number one splurge piece I think is important.

I think as far as for a way to wear fashion that’s kind of new and exciting is with accessories. You know--handbags, shoes, even jewelry. And you know, that’s what’s great about Payless. You can go there and get things for under $50. It’s pretty fabulous. And the quality is amazing and they look good.

I think jewelry should be the same. If you’re shopping for jewelry, there is great jewelry out there for under $30. You know I work with and am the cofounder of the company Send the Trend, which [offers] accessories under $30 and it’s amazing. I think things like that are really important when you’re shopping.

What’s your “must-have” item you think women should always own or wear?

I think there are a few things. I would love for every woman to have a great statement shoe because I think that’s really special. I also think, obviously, a beautiful black dress. I love any type of beautiful button-front blouse whether it’s in chiffon or white cotton or black. I love a tailored almost very chic blouse that you can wear with jeans but you can also wear with an evening pant. And I love a trench coat. I think a really fitted-waist trench coat always just looks chic on women.

Recently you launched a line for Spiegel and you also have your line for Payless that’s really expanded. What made you decide to team up with these retailers?

With something like Payless, it’s easy for me to explain because I’ve been working with them for a long time now. The whole idea at the beginning was that I wanted something that the young, kind of cool, fashionista girl, the fan that came obviously from the show [Project Runway] could afford. Not everyone can afford a $1,200 dress. Why alienate all those fans and all those customers who want to shop and feel fabulous? That was the whole idea.

What’s great about Payless is that it’s a long-term thing. You know a lot of guest designers are amazing but it’s a one-time thing. So you almost feel like “oh it’s amazing and I get it but I want it again and again every season,”--which is usually how most people shop. They go back to their same store that they love season after season or their same designer.

With Spiegel it was a little bit different. It was more of a special thing. It was supposed to be small, quick, and easy because it wouldn’t have worked as a long-term thing. It really worked as a “get a party dress”. So I think in that way, both worked for that meaning.

 

-Dominique Vu for DC Scout