Christian Siriano: Scandinavian Modern Sheepskin & Wood Sofa
HOST: Let's head back to New York City for a visit with a style guru.
CELEBRITY: I'm Christian Siriano and I am a fashion designer.
HOST: Renowned fashion designer Christian Siriano's work can be seen on the world's runways... and red carpets. ROADSHOW met up with Christian to look at some of his treasures in two different locations that couldn't be more different-- his busy workplace in Manhattan, and his serene Connecticut home. First up, New York City's Millionaire's Row, where Christian showed us around his retail store and his archive of custom clothing designs.
CELEBRITY: We are here in my store, which is called The Curated NYC. Me and my team are lucky enough to be in a beautiful townhouse right off 5th Avenue. I love this space because it kind of feels like just a fabulous closet. (hangers sliding) It's seven floors of just unbelievable architecture. I thought it was a stunning place for women to come and shop. I thought that they would feel very inspired. That's why we moved here. I love this area because it feels like a little jewelry box and people come and shop, find something fabulous, and it's a great little space.
CELEBRITY: I grew up in Annapolis, Maryland.
HOST: Coming from humble beginnings, Christian eventually made his way to New York City, where he got his big break.
CELEBRITY: I was young. I was probably 19, 20 years old, you know, moved to New York, living in a tiny apartment, and, you know, having three jobs, and a friend of mine told me about this really cool television show called “Project Runway” I went on this show and I was 20 years old, I think, when I auditioned, I was a baby and I knew nothing.
JUDGE: You are the winner of "Project Runway."
CELEBRITY: Had a great experience, won the show, and then, you know, launched a career right after that, because it was like, "Wow, I had millions of people wanting clothes, how do I give them clothes?" And that was the goal. And that's been the goal, literally, ever since. This space is more of our showroom space, which I love this room because it's kind of just a place where we have all of our beautiful pieces always displayed. Right now, these are kind of archive moments, pieces that I've done kind of over time. The archive is getting a little intense because I've now been in business almost 15 years, so we've done four collections a year. Sometimes some collection is a hundred looks, so we have a lot of clothes.
HOST: ROADSHOW appraiser and textile expert Katy Kane stopped by to check out some iconic dresses from Christian's collection.
APPRAISER: Most of these have been worn by celebrities?
CELEBRITY: Yeah, most of them, yeah. You know, this is something that we did for Lucy Liu.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
CELEBRITY: This is one of my favorite pieces, this is... Celine Dion wore this just on her last tour.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
CELEBRITY: Gwen Stefani wore this. A lot of the pieces in here have been worn by different people for different reasons, whether it was a photo shoot or a tour or an event, and we do get them back because at the end of the day, most of the actresses or musicians don't buy them. So they're really just a loaned thing, which is really nice because I get a really great archive at the end. They've all lived a life, like, "I wonder what this gown did all night that night at the Tony Awards on Lucy Liu." Who knows what this gown did? Something like the dress for Lucy Liu was something that was in the collection that she just pulled, loved it, and wore it. Whereas other times it can be where we spend three weeks or a month working back and forth with an actress or a musician. So it can be a kind... kind of a creative process. Then you have something like this piece, the vote dress...
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
CELEBRITY: ...which is very simple, classic silhouette...
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
CELEBRITY: But powerful because of the statement.
APPRAISER: Absolutely. And I think Julianne Moore...
CELEBRITY: Yeah, Julianne Moore wore this. She's a great activist, and I wanted someone like her to wear it and, which was an amazing moment. And I think it was, like, nice for fashion to have that sometimes.
APPRAISER: Absolutely. You know, to, to really participate in what's going on in the country.
CELEBRITY: I think like sometimes as a designer, our voice is like our work...
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
CELEBRITY: And that's kind of all we have.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
CELEBRITY: So sometimes you have to put it in their face. This gown is one of my favorites because-- and probably the most iconic, which is Billy Porter's kind of tuxedo gown at the Oscars.
APPRAISER: Absolutely. Just an amazing piece, and it's so inclusive in its design and eye-catching when he appeared on the red carpet.
CELEBRITY: Yeah.
APPRAISER: And it's just a really amazing piece.
CELEBRITY: I start with a sketch, we go into a pattern, we get fabric. That's pretty old school of making clothes, there's no big machines. We have seamstresses that are upstairs right now making the clothes by hand. So it's a really beautiful process, actually, that I think is kind of a dying art. (sewing machine humming)
APPRAISER: So, labor, time, what would you estimate your cost to be for something like the Billy Porter outfit?
CELEBRITY: I think what was the most expensive was the yardage of the silk velvet...
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
CELEBRITY: ...which is probably one of the most expensive fabrics. So I think we were probably into that dress for maybe $7,500, in that world.
APPRAISER: Right.
CELEBRITY: Which isn't crazy...
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
CELEBRITY: But then it's kind of like, okay, then Billy wore it at the Oscars, what would I ever charge for this? You know, it's a hard thing.
APPRAISER: Your insurance value, I would think with that provenance and the uniqueness of the outfit...
CELEBRITY: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...that you'd probably want to insure it for at least double that.
CELEBRITY: Yeah.
APPRAISER: And it's the kind of thing, you know, maybe if it were sold at a charity auction that also tied into Billy Porter-- the sky is the limit.
CELEBRITY: Okay, good to know. If I ever sell it.
APPRAISER: I can't imagine that you would, no.
CELEBRITY: Maybe, maybe really long down the road. Some of these pieces, really also just for me, like such great memories, it's hard to get rid of them.
APPRAISER: They're like your babies, they're your children.
CELEBRITY: Yeah, little children.
APPRAISER: You created them, yeah.
CELEBRITY (chuckling): Yeah. I think probably one of my most valued pieces in here that I think I would make the most money on would be Celine Dion's gown.
APPRAISER: This one.
CELEBRITY: Because one, it was so expensive to make. This probably cost us $20,000 just to make.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
CELEBRITY: The train, is literally just like, feet...
APPRAISER: Look at it.
CELEBRITY: I mean, it's-- I mean look at this. Look how crazy! But I think because the Celine Dion fan...
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
CELEBRITY: Is so, I mean, broad, every country...
APPRAISER: Right.
CELEBRITY: Years of generations.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
CELEBRITY: So I think that that brings the value to this piece. But what do you think?
APPRAISER: I agree, and as a general rule of thumb, you'd probably want to insure the pieces for double what you have invested in them.
CELEBRITY: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: A dress like this, you'd want to insure for maybe three times as much, because you have a very well-known celebrity...
CELEBRITY: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...and it's, it's a very different style.
CELEBRITY: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And it's very labor-intensive.
CELEBRITY: Yeah.
APPRAISER: It's a wonderful thing that you have this archive...
CELEBRITY: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...and all of these beautiful pieces with great provenance. You're building your own museum.
CELEBRITY: Exactly.
APPRAISER: It would be very hard to come up with a dollar value as we usually have, but it would be a big one.
CELEBRITY: Yeah. Okay, good. I did great, then.
APPRAISER: Yes, you did.
HOST: We'll move into Christian's home later.
CELEBRITY: Who doesn't need like a brass palm tree in their living room? Everyone.
CELEBRITY: We are here in Connecticut in Westport at my home. When I first moved to this space, I loved how open and grand and just like really warm it felt because of all the wood. The life of kind of a designer in general is always working, always creating. It's hard to, like, step out of it. And I think that's why I wanted to have this place. It really is kind of like my sanctuary. It's a place to kind of be calm and it's so quiet. It's just something I needed, I think, to survive the fashion business. I've always been interested in interior design, and furniture, and art. I've collected things for years. I get everything from everywhere. Like literally it's from an antique store up the street in Connecticut to dealers all over the world. I like the challenge. I like the hunt. Um, I like the deal. Some deals aren't so great.
HOST: ROADSHOW appraiser David Rago dropped by to take a look at Christian Siriano's modern furniture and decor.
CELEBRITY: Thank you for coming. I'm excited.
APPRAISER: This is my kind of house.
CELEBRITY: Oh, good, good.
APPRAISER: A lot of questions for you about the furniture you have because it's an eclectic mix.
CELEBRITY: It is.
APPRAISER: The sofa, I think, is a good place to start.
CELEBRITY: Yeah, I love it.
APPRAISER: This sofa is in the style of Pierre Paulin, one of the more celebrated French Modernist furniture designers after World War II. Tell me what you know about it.
CELEBRITY: It is a reproduction. It was a mess. And I worked with this amazing upholsterer to kind of bring it back to life. And, it is white, which is a challenge with a dog. But we're going to take on the challenge. (both chuckling)
APPRAISER: What did the sofa cost?
CELEBRITY: Um...
APPRAISER: Because the upholstery had to be expensive on that.
CELEBRITY: Yes. So that is probably in the $25,000 range. A little under.
APPRAISER: New furniture is expensive.
CELEBRITY: Yeah. Yes.
APPRAISER: And it's a beautiful piece of furniture, with great fabric on it. I know what a period Paulin piece would cost that would need work on it...
CELEBRITY: Yeah.
APPRAISER: ...and probably be somewhere in the $10,000 to $15,000 range as an auction estimate.
CELEBRITY: Mm-hmm. Right.
APPRAISER: Especially what's been happening at auctions since the time of COVID, prices are much, much higher...
CELEBRITY: Yeah.
APPRAISER: ...than we've seen.
CELEBRITY: Yeah. I've seen them go for crazy numbers.
APPRAISER: Yeah.
CELEBRITY: It's wild.
APPRAISER: And you've balanced things out here with a, with a very beautiful piece of Scandinavian modern furniture.
CELEBRITY: Yeah.
APPRAISER: Typical with use of natural wood, great sheepskin upholstery.
CELEBRITY: I love that piece. I always wanted kind of like something really cozy and comfy. And it was probably one of the most... most expensive pieces in the house, but I didn't care, because it was something I always wanted. I got this from a dealer, I think in New Jersey actually. It was, it was, again, probably one of like the first pieces I bought for the house. I like that the pieces are all separate, so none of the cushions are nailed down, and it's like sitting in a big teddy bear.
APPRAISER: This is loose too?
CELEBRITY: Yeah. Isn't that great? So, really, you can take it off and you just have such a cool kind of day bed chaise feeling, which I love.
APPRAISER: Any idea of maker? Did the dealer...
CELEBRITY: No, I know no nothing.
APPRAISER: Well, so many people were making furniture in this style, '50s and '60s, and it's really endured in terms of popularity. It's real wood...
CELEBRITY: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...it's well designed, it's functional, the craftsmanship is there. It's hard to find furniture made like this these days.
CELEBRITY: I know, that's why I had to have it.
APPRAISER: What did you pay for this?
CELEBRITY: I paid about $10,000. That's a lot...
APPRAISER: (laughing)
CELEBRITY: Which I know, but I really wanted it.
APPRAISER: Well, look, a lot of what you paid for was the upholstery.
CELEBRITY: Yeah. Yeah.
APPRAISER: And the finished product. Not knowing the maker of this, I'm really unsure of value. But I know a good-looking piece when I see it. I would probably, just as a guess as an auction estimate, say $3,000 to $5,000, $4,000 to $6,000.
CELEBRITY: Okay.
APPRAISER: And my estimates tend to be on the conservative side.
CELEBRITY: All right. Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: As I said.
CELEBRITY: So basically I've overspent for everything, great.
APPRAISER: (chuckling)
CELEBRITY: I got a deal on these! I don't know what they are, but I do know they're from the '50s; I got them for $400 for the pair.
APPRAISER: You couldn't make them new for $400 for the pair.
CELEBRITY: Exactly. So that's a good deal!
APPRAISER: I'd like to ask you about your metal palm tree.
CELEBRITY: Yeah. Yeah, I love this brass piece. I just felt like it was like really, like, "I'm making money, "I'm gonna buy a gold brass palm tree, and no one's gonna tell me I can't" and that's what it was. I bought it online. I think it said it was from a hotel lobby from the late '60s, I think almost even actually early 70's. And I paid about $5,000 or $,6000 for it. Which at the time, I was like, "Oh, I'm so excited." It was like one of the first things I, like, spent money on because I just thought it was like crazy and wild. Who doesn't need like a brass palm tree in their living room? Everyone.
APPRAISER: Any chance of finding out which hotel?
CELEBRITY: No, I never found out.
APPRAISER: Because that would be fun if it came from one of the great Miami Beach hotels, that would add a lot to the value.
CELEBRITY: Yeah. Or maybe it's just from like some old lady in Miami who had a fabulous palm tree in her living room. And I hope that I'm the same.
APPRAISER: A really cool and sculptural, I would guess, '50s piece of interior design. Probably made in Asia or in South America. I'd probably estimate at auction in the $4,000 to $6,000 range. About what you paid for it.
CELEBRITY: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: It's really a striking piece for the corner of your home.
CELEBRITY: Yeah, I love it.
APPRAISER: So I wanted to ask you about this chair, because unlike the other furniture we've been talking about...
CELEBRITY: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...it's a, it's a remake of a rather old design.
CELEBRITY: I love this chair. This is Mackintosh 1970s, right, I think?
APPRAISER: Well, Cassina version's in the '70s, yes.
CELEBRITY: Mm-hmm. I just thought it was fun. I like these that are a little more playful in the house.
APPRAISER: It's interesting how modern looking it is. It was made in 1904 originally. Really forward-looking and it's a design that's endured for over a century. Usually, when we sell these chairs, the Cassina versions at auction, I would normally estimate them for $1,000 to $1,500 apiece...
CELEBRITY: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And they'd probably bring that or a little bit more on today's market.
CELEBRITY: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: What did you pay for this?
CELEBRITY: I think I actually paid $1,500 for the pair. So I did good.
APPRAISER: You did just fine. (laughs) I just think it, for me, it's the perfect kind of interior. It all works together as a cohesive unit.
CELEBRITY: The best part is like to come downstairs every morning with the sun-filled room is... it just feels really good. And I think living in New York City for so long, you just don't
APPRAISER: I'm sure.
CELEBRITY: So I think that was the main... the main goal here.
CELEBRITY: This was awesome. I feel like I am pretty good at picking furniture and paying the right price. Some things not so much. But it was really cool to learn about the Mackintosh chairs, which I didn't really know originated in 1904. So that was really fun for me to understand. Because furniture, I love the shapes and the elements of them, but I don't always know the history. So it was really fun to hear a little more detail.
CELEBRITY: It is modern and it is-- (telephone ringing)
PRODUCER: Oh, sorry. Boo! (laughter)
CELEBRITY: It's that. (indistinct chatter)
PRODUCER: The camera guy! The camera guy!
CAMERAMAN: Three, two...
APPRAISER: "Three, two"? Is there a one? I'm sorry, guys.
$3,000 - $6,000 Auction
Featured In
episode
Celebrity Edition, Hour 3
Learn about Ronny Chieng, Mo Willems, Soledad O’Brien, and Christian Siriano’s treasures!
Understanding Our Appraisals
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