Image © Christiana Molina

And so it is that yet another fabulous New York Fashion Week has come to pass, although not without having witnessed quite a few changes. Green was the new black this season, with the fashion crowd demonstrating a decidedly more environmentally-sound approach inside the tents.

Yet alas, the environment wasn’t the only issue pressing on people’s minds last week, with the loom of the economy stiffening the wallets of designers and buyers alike. Even the fiercest designer of them all, Project Runway’s Christian Siriano, has decided to make affordability a priority. With previous designs retailing at US$2,500 (approximately £1,700), some of Christian’s new Egypt-inspired clothes will now retail at a reasonable US$325 (approximately £220.) But the deal gets even sweeter. At his latest show, Christian also debuted a killer new shoe and handbag collection that is set to sell at none other than Payless Shoe Source.

I caught up with Christian at his post-show party held at the W New York–The Tuscany last week, where he told me all about his inspiration for this latest line. ‘This was my fantasy of what I think Egypt and North African culture is like, because I’ve never been there,’ Christian says about his collection’s brown, black and turquoise colour palette, which is highly reminiscent of a desert oasis.

‘I only do things that I need, and I needed shoes and I needed bags, so they worked,’ Christian divulges of his new economically-conscious collection. Purely doing things that are necessary–now that’s a piece of sound advice that we should all apply to these tough times.

‘I’m all about the runway and the sidewalks!’ Christian recently exclaimed in a released statement. Well, one thing is certain: I fully intend to brave the sure-to-be-outlandish Payless lines for the chance to strut my stuff down the sidewalks in all of Christian Siriano’s fierce glory!