The Critics Take on Christian Siriano, Richie Rich, and More

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From the tents to the blogs, here's what the folks sitting in the front rows had to say about yesterday's shows:

Christian Siriano
Fashionista: "The problem with Siriano's SS11 collection is that it's caught in limbo between wearable and editorial looks. While the sportswear felt like a tribute to tried and true vacation-wear (slim white pants, leather short trenches, voluminous maxi-dresses, lone ruffles, and exotic prints) his sumptuous evening wear is a unique offering...At this point in his career, Siriano needs to choose a team and stick with it—I say drama all the way."

Cushnie et Ochs
Style.com: "A couple of days before the show, the pair had all kinds of ideas about traditional femininity turned slightly menacing. A very romantic floral print—the most romantic this hard-edged label has ever gone—featured headless torsos floating about. The white gingham the designers used throughout looked as if it had been sprayed with acid. Schoolgirl pleats went wayward in black leather, then they were tacked onto dresses as panels. Still, the overall look was heavy on the restraint and clean shapes. Even the shoes adorned with long, sharp spikes could be described as minimal, with their neutral leather and sparse two-spike limit."

Richie Rich
Fug Girls for New York Magazine: "So naturally, that's when the sex slaves arrived. For about ten minutes, men and women in skimpy clothes accessorized with chains and leather—including RuPaul's Drag Race standout Jujubee—trotted down the runway, grinding and growling and looking for all the world like a storefront window in Amsterdam. They even wore the same blasé facial expressions, right down to the kid in the assless pouch that concealed barely any of his personal goods, and certainly didn't confine all of his pubic hair."

Richard Chai Love
New York Times: "His was a sportswear-focused show with several outfits made up of layered T-shirts, jackets with the sleeves rolled up, silk boxer shorts and leggings, some of them in breezy sheer nylon and most in colors that suggest the range of options you might find in the Kleenex aisle: 'blush,' 'nude,' 'chalk' and 'willow,' according to the program...That's the riddle for designers who have embraced the trend of minimalism in fashion: How do you stand out if your clothes are too plain?"

Vena Cava
Style.com: "These designers have always preferred elegance to edge, but this season, the results looked more effortless, without the superfluous extras that have proven a bit too distracting in the past. Buhai and Mayock know their way around a halter dress. Taking cues from the eighties Memphis design movement, their new ones skim the body in color-blocked shades of khaki, black, and red, or cool tones of blue. But the one that really grabbed your attention came in solid poppy, with an asymmetric shorter-in-front, longer-in-back hem. It looks like minimalism suits Vena Cava."