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Christian and I are seated at a table in his pristine New York City design studio. It's Election Day and everyone is on edge in Manhattan –actually, the entire country is on edge— but the energy within this dreamy space is light and warm. The sun soaked studio is punctuated with Christian's refined taste — his name, in gold, hangs in the entryway above a chevron patterned buffet dressed with a bust, books, vases, and a delicate purple orchid, while gallery walls of photos, rows of sleek black rolling racks, and headless white mannequins showcase his collections. Creating beauty out of nothing comes naturally for the Maryland native, whose Resort 2017 Collection is a vision in pretty pastels. "I got to have a lot of fun with this collection. We played with a lot of texture and print. It was all inspired by Parisian pastries. We wanted it to feel sweet but kinda French... I think when it's gloomy out and Resort hits stores, people get excited," says the 31-year-old. The whimsical collection is available in department stores like Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales (and will remain there until their spring collection is released) and on ChristianSiriano.com and Farfetch.com, which boasts pieces personally curated by Christian. Queen Latifah looked absolutely regal at the Princess Grace Awards Gala in this collection's crystal beaded collar gown. "As the seasons have gone on, we've noticed that our Resort and Pre-Fall are actually quite bigger collections for us, so they become more and more important. But what's nice is that they don't have to necessarily be in a show. Sometimes we just get to make great clothes that I just love and want to put in a collection." Since winning Project Runway's (season 4, 2008) grand prize of $100,000 to start his own line, Christian has developed an eponymous collection that has captured the attention of myriad women, especially Tinseltown's brightest stars. Mad Men's Christina Hendricks, Veep's Anna Chlumsky, and American Horror Story's Angela Bassett are just a few actresses from his lengthy client list who have walked the red carpet in his fashion-forward creations. His elegant designs were made for the spotlight and recently appeared on Broadway's stage last month on our October cover girl Kristin Chenoweth during her two-week concert, My Love Letter to Broadway. "Kristin's show was really, really fun. That's so different from any other Broadway actress I've ever done. They're not costumes —things a normal Broadway actress would wear," he says about her custom- made ensembles that were more couture than costumey.