Christian Siriano is fashion royalty, and his designs stand as proof: known for an infatuation with intricate detailing and a flair for rich, feminine silhouettes, Siriano has dressed some of the red carpets’ brightest belles, from Sarah Jessica Parker to Lady Gaga. This season, he’s whisked us to a sun-drenched paradise that will melt winter right out of memory with designs that burst with fruity hues in playful cuts — but the enchantment doesn’t stop there. Read on to uncover his line’s newest trends and what’s next for the designer.

Q: Your SS14 collection was inspired by your first-ever vacation. What about that experience sparked these designs for you?
A: We went to an island called Isla Mujeres, which is Spanish for “Island of Women.” It’s about celebrating different crafts that women do, like basketweaving or making textiles. Just being there was really inspiring, with the colours and the locals’ way of life, which was easygoing but romantic and beautiful. And that’s what I wanted the collection to celebrate.

Q: The line plays with a lot of spring’s hottest trends, from sheers to florals to cut-outs. Do you have a favourite trend for this season?
A: I love mixing patterns and prints. We played around with that a lot in our collection, and I think that was my favourite, mixing gold stripes with raffia textures, [and mixing] greens and yellows and corals, and all of those things, I just love doing that for spring and summer. Our goal for the warmer months was something vibrant and bold and fresh after coming out of a dark winter.

Q: As a former makeup artist, how would you complement an ensemble from your SS14 collection?
A: I think it’s the best time of year to mess around with more exciting makeup. If you’re going to a beach wedding and you’re wearing your creams and light colours, try a coral lip. That’s what’s so great about makeup in spring and summer — you can get away with so much more. You can be overly bronze, or you can do fuchsia lips and bright colours on the eyes, and that’s what we tried to achieve on our runways this season — a dewy complexion, a bright cheek and yellow on the nails, which was really fun to do.

Q: You were asked by Disney to design the wardrobe for Serena, the main character in the new animated film Pirate Fairy (in theatres this April). Tell us about that experience.
A: Disney reached out to us when it was starting to think about what Serena looked like. It’s been a really interesting project for me, because Disney is so iconic, and so are its characters. They last forever, and it’s exciting to be helping bring one of those characters to life.

Q: And we hear you might be adding eyewear and other accessories to the brand?
A: Yeah, we’re launching some eyewear this May with the online retailer EyeSpy.com and with another company called Modo, and then we’ll launch more for fall. We also just started a small collection of bags, which won’t hit retailers until fall of 2015. We’re really excited about it!

Q: Lots of big things are happening for the brand. How have you, and the Christian Siriano label, evolved since its launch in 2008?
A: The collection gets bigger every season and offers different things for different women, and that’s really important. I also try to keep up with collaborations, and we just opened up a new shop about a year and a half ago in New York. It evolves every day. We’re always looking for new projects and adventures. I like trying different things, and some things work, some things don’t, but that’s how you grow.

www.christiansiriano.com