Brandy, Whoopi Goldberg have 'Cinderella' reunion at Christian Siriano show - USA Today
NEW YORK – It was a fairy tale brought to life as a princess and a queen at New York Fashion Week.
Brandy and Whoopi Goldberg, the stars of 1997's live-action "Cinderella," reunited front row at Christian Siriano's fashion show Thursday, Sept. 10, during the first official day of NYFW. Brandy, who played the title princess in the film, and Goldberg, who played Queen Constantina and mother of Prince Christopher (Pablo Montalban), hugged and smiled as they posed together for photos nearly 20 years after the Rogers and Hammerstein film debuted.
The "Boy Is Mine" singer donned a white two-piece ensemble with cutout details from head to toe, while "The View" cohost opted for a metallic gray jacket with black polka dots paired with a white collared shirt and charcoal pants.
The magical reunion punctuated a starry front row of celebrities, including comedian Tiffany Haddish, singer JoJo, actress Evan Rachel Wood, Emmy-winning actor Billy Porter, actress Mena Suvari, "Will & Grace" star Debra Messing, "The Pitt" star Supriya Ganesh and "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Bronwyn Newport (a longtime Siriano client prior to her reality TV casting).
Porter, who flashed his bedazzled silver platform boots for the cameras, knelt down in front of Goldberg and Haddish minutes before the runway commenced, nodding fervently and chatting with the two of them before returning to his seat between Brandy and Haddish.
"This is nice!" Haddish exclaimed seconds before the show started, prompting laughter from the crowd.
JoJo, Messing and Newport quickly whipped out their phones to capture videos of the models gliding down the runway and posing right in front of them before continuing their trek around Cipriani in downtown Manhattan.
Brandy and Goldberg smiled and giggled throughout the entire show, full of joy as the models twirled and commanded the runway in pieces ranging from cocktail dresses to red carpet-worthy gowns.
Having a princess and a queen in the front row made perfect sense for Siriano's spring/summer 2027 collection, which was "inspired by the romance and fantasy of 18th-century France, imagined through the lens of a forgotten French fairytale story, 'The Queen of the Flowery Isles,'" according to the show notes.
Siriano said in the show notes that he was "drawn to the idea of a mysterious queen surrounded by an enchanted world of flowers, beauty, decadence, and escape. The collection takes the opulence of the French court-corsetry, dramatic volume, delicate lace, ornate embroidery, and lavish textiles."
Siriano muse and model Coco Rocha helped open and close the show, posing in a cropped black floral leather bolero and matching maxi skirt, with fishnet detailing and a high slit at the start. She joined two other models to close the runway, all wearing different floral-patterned versions of the same two-piece, lace-up gown with a massive drop-waist ball skirt, dancing and spinning to cheers from the front row.
As Siriano wrote in the show notes, "It is a fantasy of a queen stepping out of an ancient fairytale and into the present day romantic, powerful, extravagant, and completely surrounded by flowery beauty."
Anika Reed is USA TODAY's deputy entertainment editor, covering all things entertainment and pop culture. Find her on Instagram and TikTok, or send her an email at ajreed@usatoday.com.
