by Gina Scarpa

It's safe to say that Christian Siriano has made a name for himself in the fashion world since Project Runway. The season 4 winner is now a regular at New York Fashion Week, has a line of shoes with Payless, released a book, and of course, has his own very successful line. He's dressed many a celebrity including Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Project Runway host Heidi Klum - to name a few! This past weekend, we spent time with Christian Siriano at Mohegan Sun's SunDayz event to hear about his fall collection, his thoughts on Oscars fashion, and what he has coming up.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: I love your current line of shoes with Payless. What made you decide to partner with them?
A. Christian: I've been doing eight seasons with Payless, which is crazy! We just signed a new deal, which will be another three years. We do flats and cute sandals and now, we'll be taking it even further which will be really fun. For me, coming off of a show like Project Runway, you're thrown into this world where you have a big fan base and they're looking for something to buy. They want a piece of you. I knew my label was expensive and I didn't really want to jeopardize that because I wanted that business to grow. I thought Payless was a good way for young fans to really get something. At the end of the day, it was about accessibility for people in the real world.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: I saw pictures of your collection at fashion week and loved it, especially the dresses!  What was your inspiration?
A. Christian: Last season, I was inspired by different cultures and it was very bright with very intricate details. This season, I wanted the same detail to be there but a little darker, creepier, edgier. I was inspired by these dark, black, orchid plants. I felt like they were very beautiful and romantic but you normally wouldn't think of that because they're dark and creepy like. I just wanted the clothes to still be organic and feminine and feel wearable. There were some things that were more fantasy but I like that mixture.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: In Tim Gunn's book, "Gunn's Golden Rules", he called you a prodigy and spoke very highly of you. What does that mean to you - to have him say such great things about you?
A. Christian: Tim's been really great. After the show, you have to push forward on your own and you're kind of thrown into it. We stay in touch. I think he's a great person. I think that helps if you stay in touch with people that kind of helped. You don't want to alienate yourself. For me, I wanted to keep that. I think people like that, when you still ask for help. Tim's really cool and really nice. He's sweet. We email. We email a lot!

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Are you dressing anyone for the Oscars this year and what trends can we expect to see on the red carpet?
A. Christian: I'm not sure. We have a couple dresses out for girls but nothing confirmed yet. We were doing the show and most girls are fitting when Fashion Week is happening. It's interesting because the two dresses that we have out don't fit in any trend. One is very bright and colorful and out there and the other is dark. I don't know if it will be a trend because at the Golden Globes, there were the very pinky, pastel tones that were happening and mod things that were going on with the younger girls. It's going to be very tough to figure out and see what the trends will be. All of the nominees are so different! I think that will be exciting.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What other exciting things do you have coming up that we should know about?
A. Christian: The other fun thing we're launching is a new collection with Spiegel, which is super exciting. It will be my first clothing collaboration at an affordable point. The clothes are really gorgeous and interesting but like, $150. That's one of the most expensive pieces. I'm excited about that!

(Image courtesy of Mohegan Sun)

Follow Christian @csiriano and Gina @ginascarpa

For more Project Runway links, visit SirLinksALot.net