Has any PR contestant, winner or not, ever been this much of a media figure?
First, this:
"Project Runway" winner Christian Siriano had a coming-out party last night in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Roosevelt [...] he was planning to meet with Victoria Beckham this morning to start selling her his collection; he'll be on "Jay Leno" Friday night; he made a dress for Kimberley Locke to wear on "American Idol"; and an appearance on "Ugly Betty" is in the works."
With Ugly Betty actress Becki Newton and her husband Chris Diamantopoulos.
With Eve
With Uncle Nick and Kit Pistol. Speaking of Uncle Nick, he's been covering LA Fashion Week on his blog. Click here for the dish.
And finally, this:
This kid is on fire.
[Photos: WireImage/Getty Images]
77 comments:
I don't think he needs a bed. He obviously doesn't sleep. How else would he be finding the time to whip up all these new outfits for celebs? (Ah, youth, indeed!)
What is it this year with men wearing brown shoes with anything, in this case with a gray suit? (Ah, fadism. Almost rhymes with sadism--and it's killin' me!)
Love him. He makes me smile. What a happy lil dude!
His personality, look and story are super media-friendly, so I am not surprised he is getting so much press. I hope he has a great time and great success with it!
I think the increased media attention is a product of the increase in attention for the show and the fact that he was made for this. Talented and great entertainment. Good for him.
That's fabulously fierce!
I think it's sad but more truthful, that PR gave the win to Christian in order to prove they have some "designer" who can work the media.
So now..how many 21 year olds managed that attention well enough over the long run, to convert it into a long-term fashion career. Who aren't in music or acting. This should be great to watch in retrospect.
We all know that PR wants to make sure Christian is going to be around - and VISIBLY so - media proof the show works. This is a corporate construction and it will function.
This was his focus too: one-liners, soundbytes, a dumbed-down, Tyra-level mindset that suppresses anything about being gay, concious, or anything to do with society and the business of fashion. The only thing wrong with the world, was that Christian was not a major designer. How...interesting...
Packaging as a simple, naive 21 year old who is just sweet for the mothers and harmless for the fathers, and little sisters and brothers can find him fun.
PR 1 rules - when Jay won, he won for being fiercly gay, coming from nowhere with a unique vision of the world and his fashion in it, and with a complete philosophy of method, color, materials, and the like. His win was really the point about PR, the one you wouldn't have imagined, who had a complex personality, and could bring it to the stage, and blew everyone away.
It was because he won't be packaged by the dumbed down Posh-view of media and fashion that he had hassles with PR. He was concious, gay, and NOT going to fit into the categories - that's the POINT of new fashion viewpoints.
Can you imagine Jay sitting in a crappy corporate sponsored car and saying "fierce" on national tv?
Christian has no concept of a worldview, even for a 21 year old who supposedly traveled, except the narrow reflections befitting the narcissist. Yes, his family is great blah blah, but notice really the point-of-view: my family, my sister, my parents are all so great because they support MEMEME).
Christian has no interest in the world, but in models making his fashions look good: Girls - Don't EAT. That's Christian's only clearly stated PR desire: "I don't care what resonates with that statement, stay as thin as you can to make my limited fashion pallete look good."
He keeps everyone happy by not taking up being anything more than a "little boy", not gay or anything to do with sex. No responsibilities as he obviously is not sexual. Recall Jays interviews as "difficult" for hardly avoiding sexuality. A pr "nightmare".
Who better than the empty of empties, Posh Beckham, as his muse, model and customer. We all know what to expect of Christian on "Ugly Betty" etc..."Fierce" zzzzz
I look forward to the documentary on Jay's line. I read with interest the accidental revelations of PR through Jay's struggling with the PR "corporate gifts", and as a gay man, an engaged designer, and as someone who really won't "fit" comfortably - and thus has an audience.
Christian and his made to order business bio fits perfectly with the simplistic image/soundbyte demands of blogs, photo ops, runways and the like.
Wow. Now that's really hard to do...
I was noticing this yesterday. Everywhere I turned ~ there was Christian.
I'm not so sure this is a good thing. He's awfully young to be everyone's darling; given how our society tires of one *Supahstah* and moves on to the next . . . . .
Best to Christian.
I truly wish him long term success and hope he has a solid team supporting him.
I have said all along that part of the reason for his win is his personality. You can see how great he will be on talk-shows. And the biggest names in design are those who can work with the media. Sure, Jillian will make good clothes that sell, but she doesn't have the magnetism that people want to see on T.V. 5 minutes with her on Jay Leno would be deadly! Now Christian, you know he will be a hoot wherever he goes.
I predict that 10 years from now Christian will be the name people remember the most from Project Runway. He will be a force because he is quriky and interesting. An analogy: people always kept up with Andy Warhol because he was so quirky. Would his art work have sold as big if he didn't have a personna that intrigued people?
Dude is such a whore! We're all going to be sick of him next Tuesday.
Who of the Fab Five has had the biggest career since the end of their show? Carson? No, Ted Allen. Why? Because he really knows what he's talking about and he's not a circus side show.
Christian, get back in the workroom, and quick. Or you'll lose all credibility.
Wow, not often I disagree with the bunch a'ya's.
But I do. Christian is a smart boy and he knows exactly what he's doing. I'm sure that all this exposure is THRILLING Bravo, but I don't think they could have predicted it or made it happen.
Everybody loves when the underdog wins it, especially a charming, quirky one who was so down and out he didn't even have a bed. The Cinderella story is what all the press is about.
However, I think Christian has both the good sense and the talent to make it work for a long time from here.
The kid is a walking, talking, lovable CARTOON! Get all you can out of your 15 minutes, Princess!
In fashion, having talent isn't enough, you must be a personality, be self-confident, intelligent, as well.
I think he's the perfect combo.
Good for him! Hell, if one of the prizes on PR was a W bed and bedding set, I might even consider trying out!
PS - please tell me he didn'd design that chevron dress. Definitely not fierce.
Lima Bean's right --- I can't understand the gloom and doom and bashing of this kid. He is a unique person -- Read his history -- he started working in a salon at 13, he created and bagained to have fashion design as his curriculum at his high school (Baltimore School of the Arts - no slouch) when it didn't exist, went to London - managed to work with fabulous designers, and you have to admit, he worked every challenge -- He is a cute personality, he is a darling. Also, when he was telling his models not to eat, do you really think he was serious and not being his sassy self?
Fashion is all about style and only rarely about substance, and I think Christian has the native intuition to navigate those waters very successfully.
I wish him well.
Gorgeous said, "please tell me he didn'd design that chevron dress. Definitely not fierce."
Definitely not. AND she's wearing it with brown (or maybe burgundy) shoes!?!?
anon 10:38 beat me to essentially what I was going to say... all you Christian-bashers are very typical, though, I suppose. Can't just be happy for someone without predicting their doom. I think Christian is actually special. And even if he did tell his model not to eat, how can you assume he thinks all women everywhere should not eat? He wanted to win the competition, he wanted the dress to look good on the model, it was his last chance to "make it work."
Wow, what negativity this morning, especially anon 9:55. Christian is so much fun! Bravo has got to be loving the publicity he is generating. He really knows how to work it, which hopefully will mean great success for him personally. This is NOT someone who was handed success on a silver platter, as some seem to imply, nor is he a shallow fop. He is SMART, unself-conscious, and glib. And I actually LIKE the fact that he doesn't have a foul mouth - even the kids can watch him without censorship. I subbed for a middle school class yesterday and the 12-13 year old girls were all talking about him and ENJOYING him. Everything was fierce! And he is smart to forge ahead right now and get all the press he can while he is hot. You go, Christian, it's all a hoot!
This is a really cute clip with Christian that made me smile...
http://www.bravotv.com/blog/andysblog/2008/03/
ferosh_or_not_ferosh.php
I love what he says about "Cameron Diaz!"
I think Bravo's keen to make sure that the winner is actually successful. Jay's making them look bad.
I agree with all of you who believe that Christian is where he is because of talent, personality and a lifetime of hard work.
I think the point of many of the detractors is not that he shouldn't have achieved the success that he has, but it is more about the dangers of early fame. It's not a knock against Christian, but really against that destructive celebrity lifestyle that leads to washed up young talent and eventually turns into a sad hour-long special on E!, ending in tragedy.
It's clear that Christian is an amazing prodigy, and I would love to see him fly with this and make an incredible career and life for himself. I'm in his corner and rooting for him all the way. At the same time, I just hope that his took kit includes the decision making skills, self-control and the thick skin he will need to navigate the new world he is entering.
Oh, Princess Puffysleeves, you are definitely made for the media. I hope you work hard to produce, grow, build a business and leave the silliness behind because it will get tiresome for the media and those Fierce Ferosh and Fabulous soundbytes may have a way of becoming a "Daily Show" bit or being turned against you when you're trying to be taken seriously.
Get some good people around you who will be in for the long haul, not for the 15 minutes of fierce ferocious fabulous fame.
And get some good sleep on your fabulous new bed.
MWAH!!!
I second the notion that getting lots of press now is a good thing, and hope that Christian does have the wisdom and the support to use that press to take his career to the next step. As several have said, early fame is a path that's full of pitfalls. We've certainly seen a number of people have difficulty navigating that path. Hoping that PPS doesn't stumble isn't being negative, it's just acknowledging that the pitfalls are there.
He's smart, savvy, young, talented and witty. Another plus is that his personality is media-friendly. While I am very happy for the little guy's victory, I hope that it doesn't go too much to his head and that he has good friends that can fend off pernicious hangers-on.
I sincerely offer best wishes that he enjoys his moment in the spotlight; while keeping up the hard work that will sustain his promising career through the initial publicity blitz and beyond.
I just want to know where he's going to put that bed in his teetiny apartment!
Seriously, though, good for Christian.
Even though I thought Jillian's collection showed more range, I think Christian is eerily media-savvy and knows EXACTLY what he's doing. He's the new Queen of All Media -- take THAT, shock radio jocks.
I hope this early exposure helps propel him to great success. And that he learns, somewhere along the way, that not every woman in the world is a Size 00 and finds a way to design for those of us in the 8 to (dare I say) 12 range.
He was a total superstar all along just waiting for the world to notice. Now it's showtime. I don't see anything wrong with it. This is what our culture offers these days, why not milk it? He's obviously got the chops to stand behind it. And he's hardly hiding the fact that he's gay. But he's also a kid and completely consumed with his work and that's what he's talking about. He's going to have to put the bed in the living room and move the couch to the closet.
i am with Lima Bean on this. I think he really knows what he is doing. So what if he gets over exposed, if/when that happens then he can go back and make great clothes. I thought I was going to HATE HATE HATE him but quickly he won me over.
He reminds me of a 'little brother'. Just like a real life little brother, he can be annoying but turn around and make you laugh milk out your nose. He thinks he is all that and you roll your eyes then he does something so amazing that secretly you think he is 'all that too'. You complain about him but you love him.
What is that thing on Uncle Nick's jacket? ick!
Wow -- why the Christian hate??
I'm sure Jay would have loved to have won a car -- show wasn't as big then, though.
No one is comparing Jay to Christian (except the monologue up above). Why throw that out there? All the readers/posters of this blog know that Jay is fab! All of us are willing to buy what he puts out there because he's great and he's a great designer.
Christian is a different person. He's also very young and happens to be very talented. He deserved to win.
Also, the more he is on TV pushing the show - the more publicity for the show. Win/Win situation from my perspective.
Fabulous! The media loves him right now and he should take advantage of it. He'd be a fool if he didn't.
Christian, you are feers!
I have a tendency to cringe at all this saturation, because so many young talents don't make it through the process in one piece.
I really hope that he can work this into a long, successful career once the blitz calms down.
I'm glad Christian is working the media. He should. He won, he wants to make a name for himself and he's doing what he has to do. Public relations is everything in that business. Nick Verreos has been working the media for years and no one is complaining about him. I personally would not wear Christian's clothes, because I don't have the body, lifestyle or budget for them, but I hope he does well, there's room for everyone. My wish for him is to make smart decisions and surround himself with the right people who will really look out for his best interests.
As for Jay not winning a car,(anonymous 12:15) Jay refused to accept the prizes offered because he felt that there were too many strings attached. He followed his conscience, and seems to be doing OK on his own. Everyone has to follow his/her own path.
Everybody loves when the underdog wins it, especially a charming, quirky one who was so down and out he didn't even have a bed. The Cinderella story is what all the press is about.
Christian was NEVER the underdog! He worked at it and is a fierce sewer, but he did not get criticized like any of the other sewtestants for similar issues. He was fawned over and praised and could do no wrong. He's definitely Bravo's wet dream winner.
You know he looks in the mirror and says, "I'm smart enough, fierce enough, and by god everyone knows I'm soooooo good looking."
The fashion world is fickle, my dear, get it while you can. Can't wait to see your line for Target.
He is so perfect for the me me now now generation. No color. No subtly. Worship youth. Love it!!!!
The things that matter to me about Christian are his abilities as a designer. The rest of this stuff, fanning the fires of fame, the rush of Hollywood hills brushfires, the hot gossip, the blaze of stardom, will all burn itself out pretty quickly. He's not the best informed kid of his age (it seems he doesn't know the sixteenth or eighteenth from the seventeenth century,) but he does seem to genuinely love doing his work. I'm talking about his real work, which is making remarkable garments and finding ways for people to actually wear them. He may not have the broadest possible education, he may know little about painting and history, but he appears to be shrewd and he works intuitively. I believe he'll handle it all pretty well, like a real fire-demon.
Thanks for the fine reading,
Dale Wittig.
Good for him! I think it's as it should be.
I think he has a good head on his shoulders and great family and friends. He's media-savvy, camera- ready and super-talented!
It's not his fault he's more colorful and captivating than say, Chloe Dao (sorry, Chlo Chlo, I love you too).
go siriano!
love your work man!
don't become such a whore and lose credibility...keep doing what you do best, being ferosh creating showstopping garments...
Go Christian Go! Hope you do well. Get your sleep in that fabulous bed. Then slay them all!
Why is Nick there? Looking desperate as ever!
Give the kid some breathing room you tacky faggot!
It's Christian's night not a fucking PR reunion special, eck!
Good for Christian!
Christian . . . did not get criticized like any of the other sewtestants for similar issues. He was fawned over and praised and could do no wrong. He's definitely Bravo's wet dream winner.
For weeks we all said Rami was the designer who could do no wrong. But he didn't win, did he? As others have said here, Jillian would have been a less compelling interview, Rami too.
Kit and Kevin come across as nice people. Sweet P or Carmen may have been interesting on the winner's media circuit, and the idea of Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien interviewing Elisa would've been priceless.
But really, with the possible exception of Chris (who starts to sound like a cranky old grandmother after about two minutes), only Christian -- creative Bravo editing or not -- has shown here the personality it takes to be a media star.
Whether that is coincidental to his winning season four, we can only speculate. Let him enjoy the ride.
I wouldn't say there's a lot of Christian hate, you guys. The only specific hate post was made by anonymous 9:55, who sounds more like a troll than an actual hater.
Christian knows how to work the media, he's got people talking, and he's got celebs lining up to wear his clothes. He's making PR look awesome.
I think we need an Alex cartton about all this media whoring. FEERZ!
Anonymous 9:55, are you high? Or are you seriously trying to say that Christian is hiding his sexuality? Maybe you should take a trip to his MySpace... he has a bunch of pictures up of him hanging out with his boyfriend, sitting on his lap, etc.
Your whole post was ridiculous.
"Tlo said: Has any PR contestant, winner or not, ever been this much of a media figure?"
No. But I would compare this to the Olympics. Every Olympics there is a new crop of Gold Medalists; some become media darlings and some fade back into the woodwork before the closing ceremonies.
The difference is in a combination of things. It's not just that they win, but also how they win. Do they capture the imagination of the public? But the biggest piece of the puzzle is personality. Christian has a personality that is made for TV. He is non-threatening to teeny-boppers, and he comes complete with sound bites. Every segment producer LOVES an interview that makes their job easier.
Someone compared Christian to Jay, and I'd say that if you want to make that comparison, I'd do it in relation to the '84 Olympics. With Jay as Carl Lewis, and Christian as Mary Lou Retton.
Christian is the pixie.
--GothamTomato
It is so much fun to be watching him enjoy this exposure! I wish him the absolute best!
Love Christian, love his work, love his personality, love his talent, love the opportunities he has in front of it.
Make the most of it, Ferosha.
The novelty will wear off soon, I hope. I'm already tired of this boy's face.
He deserves every bit of attention he's getting. You go PPS!!!
oh my god i love Christian!!! thank you so much for the video i missed that you guys rocks.
I can't take it anymore. The word "fierce" was overused back in 1987 (!!!!) when I started college. He has talent and a definite point of view, but I have to put the mute button on when he speaks - nothing new or original about his persona - just grates my nerves.
Blogger Kristin said...
The fashion world is fickle, my dear, get it while you can. Can't wait to see your line for Target.
Oh, good. Then I could afford it (and he'd probably have to make some large sizes).
Christian in Target would be... interesting.
Observations:
1) The media interest has grown with the show's popularity. Look at the difference between the media presence of Kara Saun and Laura Bennett for evidence. Both talented, both successful, but whose picture do we see all over the place? Uhhuh. The media blitz would have happened no matter who won.
2) Christian's a terrific TV personality. And if he's building a brand, it's not a bad idea to be recongizable for investors. It sounds nuts, but he could sell in Target -- imagine all the 15 year old girls wearing puffy-sleeve hoodies and skinny sweats with his picture on the t-shirt with the ruffled neckline. Goldmine.
3) He needs to be wary of being too overthetop, especially with all the events he's doing. If he keeps it somewhat lower key, he'll survive this period of slight overexposure. If he goes all young cocky boy talent and Ferosh Coutura he'll be over shortly. And aforementioned investors will fall away.
He's not my cup of tea, but I wish him well.
It seems to me that Bravo has changed the prizes awarded to the winner since the first season. I recall that when Jay won, there was a internship at Banana Republic. I can see why he might turn that down. His style is pretty far from the BR line, and an internship may have taken time away from creating his own line. Also, I think the $100,000 had some big strings attached such as giving up a portion of ownership in his business to the Bravo producers or something like that. As an attorney, I would advise a client against that if it could be a problem down the road. Christian gets an opportunity to sell his line on Bluefly, which is potentially much more beneficial than an internship at a mall store. He immediately has an outlet for selling his clothes to the public, worldwide. That's huge for a young designer. So don't put Jay down for his decisions, he had a totally different prize package to consider.
If only more of today's youth could be as focused as Christian! It appears he has been goal-orientated from an early age and has worked hard to achieve his goals. His media spotlight of course would figure into his longterm plan.
In talking to some young guys and girls, they're inspired by what Christian's achieved at this young age. While they might be critical of his persona, they're impressed by his work ethic.
Girl is workin' it EVERYWHERE!!!
I agree that people should not put Jay down for his decision to turn down the 100K. It was a bad deal with those strings attached.
Personally, I think that since Bravo has changed that contract, they should do the right thing by Jay and give him 100K under the same conditions as latter winners were able to get it. Afterall, had there not been a Jay in Season 1, there likely would not have been a Season 2 and beyond.
Just my 2¢ adjusted for inflation.
--GothamTomato
Lighten up, Haters. The only reason he might seem overexposed is because we are looking out for him - trolling the entertainment pond for more news of him. The rest of the workaday world may hear only once about him.
He is a savvy man and is ready for all of this. His parents/mentors must have instilled in him a real sense of self and of purpose.
I'm loving his poses in all of these pictures. Fabulousness, indeed.
Sounds like he's got an incredible agent and pr mechanism behind him. Everyone has their "I'm going to Disneyland" moment and this is his. Good for him. I saw Nick the other day at MBFW. He looked great.
PPS was just on Jay Leno. :]
I agree with Sarah. I don't see much hate here -- seems to me that the majority of these comments are quite positive. Except for, as mentioned, anon 9:55, who is, not to put too fine a point on it, crazy.
Personally I think that Christian is one savvy kid, and I admire him for working the hell out of his fifteen minutes. Because he has the talent and the passion to back it up, I'm confident that he'll be able to turn his moment in the spotlight into a lifetime of success. Best of luck to him!
wow. i've never seen a PR winner who got this much exposure! Go Christian!
I'm two sips in to my first cup of coffee after a 1 week abscence (quelle horreur!)...did you see Amy Poehler's skit of Princess on SNL last week? To die for... Hang on...you two sharp wits might have it on here. Need more coffee...
Who saw PPS on Jay Leno last night? He was hysterical!
The W Hotel just gave Christian a huge bed with linens & duvets:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-WLiNxVSV4
He is really milking it!
"Anonymous said...
The W Hotel just gave Christian a huge bed with linens & duvets:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-WLiNxVSV4
He is really milking it!"
We know, the video was posted in this very same post by TLo.
I love it and you just KNOW some of the other designers who weren't his fans are gnashing their teeth =)
Happy for him =) And finally an actual bed - awesome!
He's just so sweet really - I mean, his excitement was adorable =)
I'm really happy for him. I just perused my People Magazine and saw an article on him with a step by step pictorial on how he does his HAIR. ha!
Awww...he's such a "personality" and gotta love that. I wish him the best.
Also, yes the footprint on Uncle Nick's jacket?
Not so fabulous.
good for him~ a bed, can you imagine?
after watching that video, I'm glad he got a nice bed and all that stuff, scientist say we need to sleep to "clean" our minds and "learn" things over night, and such talented designer deserves some rest in a fabulous bed!! I am just so happy for him he won PR and he's truly embracing and enjoying it, he said once he was a celebrity in his own head, well, he envisioned it and it's making it real!!!!! Congrats princess!!
Christian has really represented himself and the show well in the media. I think Rami was the projected winner, and definitely the one Nina wanted (in more ways than one), but Christian pulled it out. Good for him. He is young and is handling all of this really well. Good luck to him.
Looks like someone spent a big hunka' their winnin's on a savvy PR person. Very smart.
In the media/fashion/entertainment biz, if you're not in the consciousness @ all times, you're forgotten (very quickly). Talent just keeps you there.
Work it, Ferosh!
Emma P.
Anon 9:55:
Jealous, much?
You might look up another young fashion phenom by the name of Esteban Cortazar, who was the youngest fashion designer ever to show @ NY fashion week @ 18. He's now head designer @ Emmanuel Ungaro.
He's 23.
WHEN is his 15 minutes over? The BOY will do anything for press,I predict rehab.
Mike.URBFC --- I think you are wrong -- I think he will handle it well. He's done the press that Bravo wanted and because he is young, cute and a character, he has gotten more attention. Just look how much he stood out from just this blog -- He grew on us and I'm sure he will get down to business. He appears to have goals.
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