Tiffany Haddish is bringing couture back to comedy.
The irrepressible stand-up kicks off her “Funny and Fearless Tour” on Feb. 20 in Mayette, Kansas, and she’ll be dressed to kill at her shows – in Christian Siriano finery.
“I’m wearing all designer gowns and outfits, keeping it spicy. I feel like comedy and fashion need to come back together,” says the actress, who sat front row at Siriano’s fall runway event at Chelsea Industrial, alongside Laverne Cox, Danielle Brooks, Whoopi Goldberg, Natasha Bedingfield, Julianne Hough, Katie Holmes, and many other boldfacers. “It used to be a thing back in the ‘50s, 60s and 70s, even the 80s, and then I don’t know what happened, people started getting really relaxed on the stage,” she added.
Haddish is also ready to kill – on stage.
“I’m going to talk about the things that have been going on over the last three years of my life,” the artist told Alexa, possibly referring to run-ins with the law and other struggles. “And it’s hilarious. Nothing is off limits, from accusations, sex, diseases, miscarriages, abuse from the media, from people in my life. I’m talking about all of it. I’m airing everybody’s ass out. Including my own!”
Haddish is promoting her tour on social media, but tries to stay offline as much as possible. “I think that the way things are going now, I think people should learn how to garden, understand finances, learn how to maybe melt down gold and silver and things, learn how to be resourceful, learn how to make clothes,” she says. “You better learn how to do things with your hands because technology is going to take over. That’s what the internet is, it’s the warfare grounds. And when you go on there, it messes with your spirit.”
“Limit it,” she advises. “You get desensitized.”
A few seats down, Cox was celebrating her new Prime Video sitcom, “Clean Slate,” which dropped yesterday. The series about a transgender woman reconnecting with her father in Alabama after being estranged for decades has been widely praised by critics.
“I try not to read [the reviews],” Cox told Alexa. “I’m super sensitive, so it’s not useful to read reviews. If they’re good, cool. That’s nice to hear.”
She’s just soaking up the good vibes. “It’s like, I’m in the love of reuniting with my cast, I’m in the love of the show and the laughter and working with George [Wallace] and this dream coming to fruition,” added the star, who also served as the series’ co-creator and executive producer.
The positive energy extended to Siriano’s runway, which had a gleaming red Toyota Crown parked in the middle. Inspired by the futurism of auto design, the dramatic show started with supermodels Winnie Harlow and Coco Rocha, powering down the runway in quick succession. They were draped in racing-car red and black dresses with glossy and matte textures.
One of the most potent pieces in the collection was a custom cloak, created in collaboration with Hulu in honor of the sixth and final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” out this spring, as well as the 40th anniversary of Margaret Atwood’s novel.
By “reclaiming the red,” Siriano aimed to transform the uniform of subservience into one of strength.
After all, he’s known for dressing (funny and) fearless women.
