Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Attendees at Sunday night’s MTV Movie Awards won’t have to wonder how many minutes are left until the after-party; they’ll just look over at Christina Ricci’s dress. The actress is wearing a Christian Siriano creation tonight, covered in crystals, beads, buttons … and Timex watches.
“This was a cool challenge,” Siriano tells PEOPLE. “Working with such unconventional materials, you want to make the dress look fashion-forward and interesting without being campy.”
The base of Ricci’s dress is derived from one of Siriano’s fall frocks, a mini her stylist Brad Goreski selected. “It’s silk taffeta,” Siriano explains. And thankfully, adding 25 watch faces to the material over the course of three days didn’t pose a problem. “They sewed on just like any other kind of big stone, which was helpful,” he says.
Timex sent Siriano nearly 1,500 watches; he and his team selected those that fit Ricci’s guidelines. “We wanted to make it feel very delicate and vintage inspired, and Christina wanted it to feel almost like an antique piece of jewelry,” he says. “She likes to be sexy and glamorous.”
Siriano also needed to flatter Ricci’s petite frame. “The dress is short, and she’s little, so it was a challenge to find a good balance: to make sure that it wasn’t so overwhelming, but that the watches were represented,” he says.
This was Siriano’s first time working with Ricci — and he was thrilled to create for her. “I’ve always said that she’s been on my top 10 list of girls to dress,” he says. “So it was really amazing that this worked out.” Working with Goreski, a good friend, was a treat, too. “He’s really supportive and just so awesome to work with,” Siriano says.
As pretty as the dress is, though, those sitting near Ricci tonight might want to consider earplugs. “They’re all functioning watches,” Siriano says. “So they’ll be ticking.” Tell us: What do you think of Ricci’s look?
–Kate Hogan
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Got the Time? Check Out Christina Ricci’s MTV Movie Awards Dress