First-Ever Timex® Watch Dress Creates "Moment in Time" on Red Carpet

Christian Siriano designs one-of-a-kind, work of art watch dress for Christina Ricci

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Jun 03, 2012, 11:36 ET

MIDDLEBURY, Conn., June 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrated actress Christina Ricci stopped the clock in an exclusive dress adorned with stylish Timex® watches created for her by the renowned designer Christian Siriano, giving a new and fresh interpretation on how to wear the fashionable iconic brand. The Christian Siriano Timex Watch Dress, worn by Ms. Ricci, makes its debut on the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, June 3, 2012. Stylist to the stars Brad Goreski, with whom Ms. Ricci has worked for more than a year, collaborated on the design with Mr. Siriano and Ms. Ricci.

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"As a designer, I'm always looking for new materials that I can use in unexpected ways. Using Timex watches in my design has been invigorating," says Mr. Siriano. "I am thrilled to have partnered with such an iconic brand – I never thought I would be designing a dress for Christina Ricci made of working Timex watches – it's genuinely a red carpet 'moment in time.'"

Inspired by the Timex brand's wide range of fashionable and stylish collections, the talented trio worked together to create a dress that fit Ms. Ricci's elegant, yet edgy, style. In fact, they were given more than 1,000 watches to help craft their vision.

Timex fashion watch styles grace the pages of Vogue, ELLE, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle and The New York Times Sunday Style, as well as fashion blogs such as What I Wore and My Style Pill. Since Timex offers such a large, on trend selection – from leather strapped oversized watches to delicately jewel-toned oval faced timepieces to links in black, gold and brushed metal – the choices were endless, making it challenging to narrow down which to use.

Mr. Siriano continues, "I knew I wanted to showcase the iconic Timex watch face but it was difficult to choose from the many stylish offerings in the Timex collection. I was debating whether I wanted to focus on using the links from the women's smaller, more delicate styles or the wide straps from the men's range. I ended up using them all!"

The result is a sexy, strapless mini-dress made of spiral pleated black silk taffeta adorned with an applique of working Timex watches and jewel-toned Swarovski crystals. Inspired by John Singer Sargent's 1884 oil painting titled Portrait of Madame X, the bodice features a deep plunging V-neckline that is vintage, yet timeless. The design extends to the back of the dress, which features a gold-toned zipper and more Timex timepieces encrusted with beautiful clusters of crystals and metal links. In fact, the dress itself is made with dozens of Timex watch faces, numerous watch gears and links, antique buttons hand-picked by Ms. Ricci, and hundreds of Swarovski crystals.

"I love the idea of wearing the first-ever Timex Watch Dress," states Ms. Ricci. "This dress is perfect because it is truly timeless, yet gives a nod to the structured dresses of the 90s. I love that it is made of stylish Timex watches!"

Mr. Goreski was instrumental in helping choose the silhouette of the dress which, in his words, "was crucial." Knowing Ms. Ricci's preference and what works on her petite body, he collaborated closely with Mr. Siriano going through a multitude of styles and cuts to find the perfect one that would complement the use of working watches and stand out on the red carpet. He styled the dress with a pair of jewel drop earrings by Neil Lane, a classic gold Timex Dress Expansion watch, a Lena Erziak clutch and a pair of Casadei black leather platform heels for some extra height. The combination of black and gold is one of Ms. Ricci's favorites.

Claims Mr. Goreski, "When I was first told about this collaboration, my mind immediately went to the jewel encrusted bustier dresses by Gianni Versace and Christian Lacroix in the 1990s, an era which is having a big resurgence in fashion. We found the perfect dress shape in Christian Siriano's fall winter 2012 collection, created it to fit Christina's body perfectly and began playing with the watches and watch pieces to create this elaborate beading pattern. The finished product is 100 percent glamour!"

Timex supplied 1,500 watches to Mr. Siriano. This is a first endeavor of this type for the iconic and fashionable American watch brand that offers a wide range of stylish and on trend choices for today's consumer.

"We're accustomed to men and women wearing the watches on their wrist as a must-have fashion statement," explains Adam Gurian, President, Timex. "We feel honored to have such a creative collaboration using our watches in such a visionary way – Christian Siriano's Timex Watch Dress is truly an ingenious work of art that is a timeless icon."

Fans can go to the Timex Facebook page to see pictures of the dress and tweet at Timex at www.twitter.com/TimexDotCom with the following hashtag: #TimexDress.

For more information about Timex, please visit www.TimexStyleWatch.com and www.Timex.com. Like Timex on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TimexStyleWatch and www.facebook.com/Timex; and follow Timex on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TimexDotCom.

About Timex

Timex Group designs, manufactures and markets innovative timepieces and jewelry globally. Founded in 1854, Timex is part of Timex Group, a privately-held company with numerous brands and over 5,000 employees worldwide. It is one of the largest watch makers in the world.

About Christian Siriano

Christian Siriano attended the Baltimore School for the Arts and studied fashion in London, where he interned with industry legends Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. When he moved to New York City, Christian became the youngest winner and fan favorite of Bravo's "Project Runway." He quickly became a rising star in the fashion industry with clothing available in stores around the world.

Christian shows a full collection each season at New York Fashion Week, and his designs have appeared in some of the most respected fashion magazines around the world. His designs have appeared on stars of film (Sarah Jessica Parker, Emily Blunt, Rosario Dawson, Gabourey Sidibe, Mena Suvari, Gabrielle Union); music (Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Fergie, Nicki Minaj, Pink, Estelle); television (Christina Hendricks, Vanessa Williams, Heidi Klum, Alexis Bledel, Emmy Rossum); and fashion (Victoria Beckham, Brooklyn Decker, Leigh Lezark, Veronica Webb, Alessandra Ambrosio); among many others.

Oprah Winfrey calls his designs "works of art." Tim Gunn calls him "a prodigy" and "the next great American fashion designer." Christian currently designs several ongoing collections of shoes and bags for Payless ShoeSource, including elaborate show pieces seen on his runways each season, and affordable variations for thousands of Payless stores around the country. He is the youngest person to ever appear on the Crain's 40 Under 40 list. The release of Christian's book Fierce Style: How to Be Your Most Fabulous Self, saw him embark on a national book tour in 2009, and he co-founded accessories e-commerce retailer Send the Trend and served as Chief Curator until 2011. Christian also created a makeup line for Victoria's Secret, and has embarked on design partnerships with LG, Starbucks, Puma, and Spiegel.