Halle Berry’s mirror gown, made from 3,000 glass pieces, shimmers in the sunlight streaming through the large windows of The Branch Museum of Design in Richmond.
It has a small rip from when the Oscar winner wore it to last year’s Academy Awards, but the beauty and the damage are the realness the Branch wants to spotlight in its new exhibition of work by designer Christian Siriano.
The show “Undeniable: The Designs of Christian Siriano and Ashley Longshore,” includes 34 gowns designed for fashion icons including Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Celine Dion. Paintings by Longshore, Siriano’s longtime friend and associate, adorn the walls, amplifying the hues of each dress.
Kristin Cavallo, the Branch’s executive director, has wanted a Siriano show since she began her tenure a little over a year ago.
She said Siriano’s dedication to inclusivity and craftsmanship reflected the museum’s mission “to shift perspectives and reimagine design’s role in shaping culture.”
“He’s so culturally relevant right now, but his mom, sister and nephews live here,” Cavallo said, referring to Richmond. “It gave it a sense of personal connection in addition to his cultural relevance.”
Siriano studied fashion at American Intercontinental in London and made his debut on Season 4 of the TV competition fashion series “Project Runway.” Siriano won and later returned as a mentor on the show.
He’s become an industry darling, dressing celebrities including actors Janelle Monae, Michael Urie and Zendaya. His latest show at New York Fashion Week received rave reviews. The size-inclusive collection captured the glamour of high fashion and featured curve-hugging dresses.
That same appreciation of the feminine form can be found among the pieces in “Undeniable,” said Katie Hoak, director of marketing.
“I think so often we have a stereotype of who gets to wear these glamorous clothes and Christian has embraced all ages, all sizes, all gender expressions and identities.”
Siriano designed a piece for Urie, known for roles in “Shrinking” and “Ugly Betty,” that is a pinstripe suit on one side and a pink tulle dress on the other. Urie wore the gown to the 2019 Met Gala.
“Undeniable” is the Branch’s most successful exhibition to date under the museum’s new focus and name.
Until 2024, the Tudor and Jacobean building was the Virginia Center of Architecture before becoming the state’s only museum devoted to design.
The historic museum boasts 411 windows that usher in generous amounts of sunlight, magnifying the details of each gown in the “Undeniable” show.
Berry’s form-fitter opens the show; the dazzling sparkles from the mirrored pieces send a message.
“Halle Berry’s dress is incredible. The message is about breaking the glass ceiling,” said Kyle Sargent, the exhibitions and collections manager. “We have it at the forefront of the exhibition partly because it’s lovely and catches the eye.”
Longshore has been nicknamed the “Feminist Andy Warhol” and redefines how an artist can build a career, Hoak said. Her colorful paintings incorporate fashion and pop art that challenge traditional Southern femininity with imagery of flora, excess and avarice.
“She has succeeded by shunning the traditional art world game and doing it on her own terms,” Hoak said.
Longshore and Siriano are reshaping their fields in ways that are impossible to ignore, said Hoak.
“Christian has done a wonderful job at expanding who gets to be seen and celebrated in fashion,” she said. “Specifically, when it comes to the red carpet.”
The dresses in the exhibition carry evidence of a great night out, Cavallo said. Some needed repairs or were kept as is. Laura Linney’s 2022 cream colored Emmys dress still has makeup stains on the inside of the collar.
“There’s a lived experience to the dresses in the exhibit,” Sargent said. “Siriano really values some of the damage that happened on opening night and seeing that people got to enjoy themselves.”
It’s the same down-to-earth approach that makes Siriano relatable, Cavallo said.
Siriano attended the opening reception and fans felt comfortable approaching him and showing off their shoes and pieces they were wearing from his past collections.
Fine art is usually kept behind glass, but design is lived, Hoak said.
“We don’t ever want to be too high and mighty. It’s fantastic and in a fantasy world, but it’s also accessible. It’s really been so uplifting and so much fun.”
The Branch Museum of Design, 2501 Monument Ave. Richmond. Admission is free for members; $10 for non-members. Visit branchmuseum.org for more information.
The show runs through March 22.