Oct, 02, 2026
Media AlertsSpecial Events and ProgramsFashion Design
CFDA Fashion Designer Christian Siriano Brings Spring/Summer 2027 Collection to Phoenix Art Museum and Unveils a Newly Commissioned Gown
One-night-only runway show celebrates 60 years of fashion at Phoenix Art Museum and launches the Museum’s new publication, Colorwear
PHOENIX (October 2, 2026) –In honor of the 60th anniversary of the Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) fashion collection and Arizona Costume Institute (ACI), PhxArt will host a special one-night-only evening with CFDA Fashion Designer Christian Siriano, featuring a curated runway show of his Spring/Summer 2027 collection and the unveiling of a newly commissioned work by Siriano for the PhxArt fashion collection. The event will also celebrate the launch of the Museum’s newest original fashion publication—Colorwear—which explores the history of the institution’s renowned fashion holdings and features Siriano’s commissioned design on its cover.
Hosted at the Museum on October 20, 2026, from 6 – 9 pm, the historic event will also feature a cocktail reception and Q & A with Siriano, as well as the opportunity to purchase a copy of Colorwear pre-signed by the designer. The following tiered tickets to the event are now available to the public:
Runway Show + Reception
$250 for the public
$175 for Arizona Costume Institute members
Oct. 20 | 6 – 9 pm | Phoenix Art Museum
Tickets at this level include access to:
• Christian Siriano Runway Show
• Reception + Q & A with Christian Siriano
• Commission Unveiling in the Ellman Fashion Galleries
Tickets to the runway show + full celebration can be purchased here.
Reception Only
$100 for the public
Oct. 20 | 7 – 9 pm | Phoenix Art Museum
Tickets at this level include access to:
• Reception + Q & A with Christian Siriano
• Commission Unveiling in the Ellman Fashion Galleries
Tickets to the reception only can be purchased here.
A copy of Colorwear pre-signed by Siriano can be purchased with either ticket option for an additional $50.
“We are thrilled to welcome Christian Siriano back to Phoenix for what will be a truly historic moment for Phoenix Art Museum and Arizona Costume Institute,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. “As ACI celebrates its 60th anniversary, we are also marking the official release of Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion and the unveiling of the extraordinary gown commissioned from Christian for the Museum’s collection, which fittingly graces the cover of the publication. Bringing these milestones together with a runway show featuring Christian’s Spring/Summer collection, fresh from New York Fashion Week, creates an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate both ACI’s remarkable legacy and the vitality of fashion today. Since 1966, generations of ACI members and leaders have championed fashion as an art form and helped build a collection of national significance. We are deeply grateful for their vision, dedication, and enduring support, and to Christian for helping us commemorate this milestone with an unforgettable celebration of fashion, creativity, and the next chapter of ACI at Phoenix Art Museum.”
Christian Siriano is a CFDA award-winning designer and member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America who launched his eponymous collection in 2008 following his studies in London under Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. Known for whimsical and showstopping designs, his collection is shown each season at New York Fashion Week and sold in retailers across the globe. Siriano’s designs have been worn by former First Ladies Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, Oprah, Zendaya, Angelina Jolie, Billy Porter, and Cardi B, among many others.
The October 20 evening with Siriano is part of a full season of 60th-anniversary events for Arizona Costume Institute and fashion at PhxArt. The runway show portion of the evening will feature approximately 15 looks from the designer’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection, which debuted at New York Fashion Week in September. Siriano drew inspiration for the collection from the 18th-century French tale The Story of the Queen of the Flowery Isles, creating garments that exist at the intersection of the story’s darker themes and its dreamlike ending. In Siriano’s designs, graphic black tailoring, structured corsets, and laser-cut shapes and silhouettes meet romantic florals, chiffon, and tulle, offering a compelling visual interpretation of the dark fairytale.
As part of the evening’s festivities, attendees will also hear from Siriano during a Q&A at an exclusive reception following the runway show. Additionally, they will be the first to view in person an extraordinary ombré gown created by Siriano designed exclusively for the Museum’s renowned fashion collection. The commissioned work features a vibrant fuchsia bodice that gives way to a cascading skirt of 16 ruffled tiers in varying shades of purple. The colors of the gown are inspired by Elsa Schiaparelli’s “Shocking Pink” of the 1930s and the powerful statement colors of 1980s fashion. The vibrant look will be unveiled in the Kelly Ellman Fashion Galleries as part of the Colorwear exhibition.
The October event additionally marks the launch ofan original PhxArt publication, Colorwear. The book features more than 150 ensembles from the institution’s fashion collection, arranged across 13 vivid chapters organized by color. The publication, which showcases Siriano’s commissioned gown on the cover, reveals how designers through time and across continents create wearable art that continues to inspire. It also includes contributions from celebrated fashion historians and DRESSED podcast hosts April Calahan and Cassidy Zachary.
“Over the past 60 years, ACI has grown into a community united by a love of fashion and a belief in its enduring place in the arts,” said Donna Johnson, President of Arizona Costume Institute. “What makes this anniversary especially meaningful is knowing that the passion and support of ACI members have helped build a collection and a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations. Celebrating that legacy alongside a designer as imaginative and influential as Christian Siriano, and welcoming him back to Phoenix, feels like a wonderful bridge between where we have been and where fashion will take us next.”
ACI was founded in 1966 to support the Museum’s fashion department through the acquisition and preservation of garments and accessories of historical and aesthetic significance. Today, the PhxArt fashion collection numbers more than 9,000 objects, and ACI has created a vibrant community of fashion and design enthusiasts who support the museum through various fashion-forward fundraisers, including the organization’s signature event—the ACI Holiday Luncheon. In 2024, Siriano appeared in conversation with Chrissy Sayare, co-founder and CEO of To Be Continued…, at the ACI Holiday Luncheon. Considered the Valley’s premier fashion fundraiser, the Holiday Luncheon brings in more than $800,000 in support of the PhxArt fashion collection in each year.
For more information about the Christian Siriano event, the PhxArt fashion collection, or Arizona Costume Institute, please contact the Communications Office of Phoenix Art Museum at press@phxart.org.
About Christian Siriano
Award-winning CFDA designer Christian Siriano has established himself as a tour de force in the fashion world since launching his eponymous collection in 2008 following his studies in London under Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. Siriano’s designs have been worn by today’s biggest names including former FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden, former FLOTUS Michelle Obama, VPOTUS Kamala Harris, Angelina Jolie, Oprah, Zendaya, Ariana Grande, Julianne Moore, Lady Gaga, Tiffany Haddish, Billy Porter, Cardi B, Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Roberts, and Jennifer Coolidge, to name but a few. Having just celebrated the brand’s 18-year anniversary, the Siriano design studio continues to celebrate beauty and diversity in this ever-changing fashion industry. As a result, Christian’s work has been featured in a multitude of prestigious museum exhibits including his first ever solo work retrospective titled Christian Siriano: People Are People at SCAD in Savannah and Atlanta, respectively, as well as The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. He’s also contributed pieces to Kensington Palace’s largest exhibition to date titled Crown to Couture, the Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear exhibition at the V&A, Grit to Glamour at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and The MET Costume Institute where he broke a Met Gala record for having three separate looks featured in the 2021 exhibit In America: A Lexicon of Fashion. Christian himself was also named among Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2018 for his leading contributions to body diversity on the runway and red carpet, was a member of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 class of 2015, and was the youngest person to ever appear on Crain’s “40 Under 40” list at age 24.
Apart from his thriving fashion empire, Christian has been the host and mentor for Disney’s hit series “Project Runway” and recently added best-selling author (Dresses to Dream About and Dresses to Dream About: Deluxe Edition) and interior designer (Siriano Interiors) to his impressive list of credits. In 2024, he launched the second collection of his furniture line and a new coffee table book titled CHRISTIAN SIRIANO: THE NEW RED CARPET. Most recently, Christian launched RUNWAY by Christian Siriano, a seven-piece “masstige” skincare line, backstage at his Fall 2026 runway show.
About Arizona Costume Institute
Arizona Costume Institute was founded in 1966 to support the fashion department of Phoenix Art Museum through the acquisition and preservation of garments and accessories of historical and aesthetic significance and through events and fundraising efforts that support and deepen awareness of the Museum’s fashion exhibitions and education programs. ACI’s support of this collection area depends on the enthusiasm of dedicated volunteers. The current ACI Board of Managers president is Donna Johnson. To learn more about Arizona Costume Institute, visit arizonacostumeinstitute.org.
About the Fashion Collection at Phoenix Art Museum
The Fashion Collection at Phoenix Art Museum strives to tell an accurate history of fashion and is actively pursuing works that represent a broader and more inclusive glossary of designers. Comprising nearly half of the Museum’s permanent holdings, the collection houses more than 9,000 examples of fashionable dress and accessories from the 17th century to the present. Celebrated for its quality and comprehensiveness, the collection explores the art of dressing and seeks out the rarest examples of these dress traditions, with particular strengths in 19th-century womenswear, works by 20th-century designers, and significant examples from major representatives of European and North American fashion history. Special archives within the collection include the Ann Bonfoey Taylor wardrobe of more than 200 examples by mid-century couture designers; The Emphatics Archive of more than 400 works from avant-garde designers; the Geoffrey Beene Archive, with more than 300 evening gowns and custom designs; and the Paper Dresses Archive.
About Phoenix Art Museum
Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) has engaged millions of visitors with the art of our region and world. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, PhxArt creates spaces of exchange and belonging for all audiences through dynamic exhibitions, collections, and experiences with art. Each year, 300,000 guests on average engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions and the Museum’s collection of more than 21,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern, and contemporary art and fashion design, along with vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson. PhxArt also presents live performances, outstanding examples of global cinema, arts-education programs and workshops, a monthly live-music series, and more for the community. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.
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