Siriano sends out plus size, Banana Republic heads to India

Christian Siriano was inspired by the casual chic of Capri and earned claps for a few plus-size models who walked his runway, and the Banana Republic presented looks for men and women influenced by India as New York Fashion Week continued.

Five models who were not sample size got a few cheers from the crowd as they walked the beach, Capri-themed runway of Christian Siriano.

Siriano’s strong statement on size comes after 6-foot Leslie Jones complained in July that no designers wanted to dress her for the “Ghostbusters” premiere.

Siriano made her a red gown, and he dressed the curvy Uzo Aduba in the same color Friday night at the Toronto Film Festival screening of her “American Pastoral.”

On Thursday, “Project Runway” mentor Tim Gunn wrote a thought-provoking takedown of most top designers for ignoring plus-size women, considering - as he wrote in The Washington Post editorial - that research shows the average woman in the US wears size 16 to 18.

“I’ve dressed so many different types of women and it’s fun,” said Siriano, who won the fourth season of “Project Runway” back in 2008. “I grew up with a mom who was a 16 and a sister who was a zero. There should be normalcy, I think.”

Among the clappers for the models of size was Ashley Graham, who sat front row and made history as the first plus-size model to hit the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue this year. She counts many of the walkers as friends.

“This is a show that is so important and I think in a few years it will be the norm to have curvy women in the show alongside women that have always been represented,” Graham said.