Taylor Swift and Zendaya in Memphis? Christian Siriano exhibit brings their gowns to town

Taylor Swift energized the record business, rejuvenated the concert industry and transformed movie exhibition.

But can she get people to go to an art museum?

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art curators hope the answer is yes.

A blush-colored gown of tulle and taffeta worn by Swift for a fragrance ad campaign is one of 36 glamorous, elegant, playful and imaginative dresses and other outfits now on display at the Brooks in "Christian Siriano: People Are People," an exhibition devoted to the work of the fashion designer and "Project Runway" alumnus.

Dr. Patricia Daigle, the Brooks curator of modern and contemporary art who worked to help set up the exhibit with Siriano, said the show should attract some new visitors, and help the Brooks better fulfill its mission as "Memphis' art museum."

"Maybe their love of Lizzo or probably Taylor Swift will bring them through the doors for the first time," Daigle said.

Swift and Lizzo — the flautist-singer is represented by a black gown embellished with crystals — aren't the only celebrity names in the show.

The gowns on display have been worn by a Who's Who of movie stars, pop idols, political icons and others, from A (Ariana Grande) to Z (Zendaya), and almost every letter in between.

There's Oprah. Jane Fonda. Lucy Liu. Lady Gaga.

Celine Dion. Michelle Obama. Jill Biden. And many more.

Lily Gladstone, Oscar-nominated star of "Killers of the Flower Moon," is represented by the gown she wore to this year's Critics Choice Awards. Memphis-born "Saturday Night Live" veteran Leslie Jones, is represented by the sleek red dress she wore to the premiere of the 2016 "Ghostbusters." And Janelle Monáe is represented by the camp, surreal, Picasso-meets-Seuss concoction she wore to the 2019 Met gala, equipped with a bikini top that stares right back: Its surface resembles a cartoon drawing of an eyeball.

Worn in the exhibit by mannequins with artfully shrouded faces, the dresses offer an efflorescence, an explosion of color and fabric: tulle, taffeta, organza, velvet, lamé, chiffon, crepe. But if the mannequins look interchangeable, the people who wore the gowns came in all shapes and sizes, affirming Siriano's conviction that a fashion runway can be a bridge to not just money and celebrity but to expanded opportunities for diversity and "inclusivity."

"Size, shape, age, race, gender, ability — he's really touched all these aspects through his work, which is fashion and design," Daigle said. "Inclusivity is at its core, and that's a message that should really resonate with our community here in Memphis." In fact, it was designer's commitment to body diversity on the runway that led Time magazine to place Siriano on its "100 Most Influential People" list in 2018.

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The first solo exhibition devoted to Siriano, the "People Are People" show was organized by the SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta ("SCAD" stands for "Savannah College of Art and Design"). Memphis is the show's third stop, and Siriano and his team have been here all week, working with Daigle and the Brooks to set up the exhibition in the lower level of the Overton Park museum. In addition, Siriano and associates — including his friend and frequent collaborator, Canadian "supermodel" Coco Rocha — attended the March 21 preview party for the show at the Brooks.

Siriano, 38, first found fame in 2007 when he became the youngest winner on the Bravo reality series "Project Runway." But he was no neophyte: By that time, the Maryland-born aspiring designer already had studied with design superstars Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. After "Project Runway," he launched his own New York-based fashion line, and throughout his career affordable fashions for catalog retailers and others, in addition to crafting the type of one-of-a-kind gowns on display at the Brooks.

Whatever Siriano's intention or philosophy, the gowns are worth seeing because they're beautiful, Daigle said. "Like a painting, these dresses are works of art," she said.

Also, it's not often that works on display in art museum are so "relatable."

"No matter how outlandish some of these garments may be, at some fundamental level, they're relatable," she said. "We can all relate to putting on clothes in the morning."

'Christian Siriano: People Are People'

Through Aug. 4 at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Overton Park.

Exhibition includes three rooms of gowns and other fashions, plus an interactive "Atelier to Runway" room where young people can feel fabrics, try on clothes, draw designs with colored pencils, and strut on a floor "runway."

For more information, visit brooksmuseum.org.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Christian Siriano exhibit comes to Memphis Brooks Museum: A first look