Christian Siriano's latest designs were on display Saturday at his show at the Plaza Hotel for Fashion Week. But as women around the world would attest, you don't need to be a runway model to enjoy the work of Christian Siriano.

When Michelle Obama took the stage at the Democratic National Convention last summer, designer Christian Siriano noticed a message on his cellphone.

"My mom texted and said 'I think that's your dress.' and I said 'I'm not sure.' and I still wasn't sure even when I was watching," Siriano said.

It was his creation. But the attention almost paled in comparison to the buzz around his dress for actress and comedian Leslie Jones.

The Saturday Night Live cast member had tweeted that no designer wanted to clothe her for the premiere of Ghostbusters. So Siriano jumped in.

"After our twitter love affair, she came in studio two days later, fitting two days afterward, and we played dress up, had fun," Siriano said.

The dress was a hit, adding to Siriano's reputation as an inclusive designer whose clothes fit women of all shapes including his mother — a size 16.

This is what sets Siriano apart. He is at home designing for celebrities, and every woman.

"It's not really different for me to make as many sizes as I can, because I always have," Siriano said. "I grew up in this house, my mom was a little bigger, my sister was a size zero and that was normal."

We spoke to Siriano as he was preparing for Fashion Week. A week that's important for his company, but not make or break.

"We have the SAG awards, the Grammys and Oscars, still have a ton of clothes and things going out into the world," Siriano said. "So even if fashion week is a bust, we'll be alright."

Siriano elbowed into the ranks of top designers in a very 21st Century way — by starring in a reality TV show. He was just 21 when he won the fourth season of Project Runway.

That led him to develop his own line under the Christian Siriano label, sold in upscale stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks.

He's known for clothes that are feminine, modern, and full of color.

"My thing is I like clothes that are quite sophisticated and classic but have to be special in their own way, that each piece stands on its own," he said.

He also signed deals to produce collections for retailers like Payless Shoes and Lane Bryant,

"I love that all these pieces can be worn by so many types of women," he said.

In the fashion world it's a no-no for some designers who don't want the association with mass-market stores.

"Even though Payless is much more commercial and more mass, I still love what we are making," he said.

The mass market connection hasn’t hurt him with celebrities like Angela Bassett, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood or Jennifer Lopez.

He dressed nine women for the 2016 Emmy Awards red carpet.

But thanks to his reality show roots, there is a perception some tastemakers in the fashion industry look down on him.

"Might have taken me more time for certain industry people to support, but on the other side I had huge supporters from the world, people wanting to buy clothes, famous women wanting to wear them. I didn't think about the other part as much."

Although, to be clear, he is not open to every offer that has come his way.

"I was asked years ago to design for the Star Fish tuna can like the tuna guy, an outfit for him and it was so much money," he said.

Christian Siriano's interest in fashion began at home, in Annapolis, Maryland — thanks to his mother and older sister.

"My mom actually got married in a Diane Von Furstenberg in a wrap dress, she didn't get married in a traditional wedding dress, she was very cool and my sister the same, very eccentric, they loved clothes," he said.

There was an early love of Broadway and frequent trips to New York, where Siriano would stop to get materials to make his first clothes.

"I think I bought it from a really crappy fabric store in the Lower East Side on Avenue A," he said. "There is no way it is still in business. It was horrible. But it was amazing, they had so many amazing things. It was a red crochet lace, and I made a long dress."

Siriano wanted to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology.

He didn't get in.

"I love it when they ask me to do things now, it's great."

He'd never heard of Project Runway when he applied to be a contestant.

"I just auditioned cause a friend told me there's a cool fashion design show you should go audition for it," he said. "It was like the most naive way of auditioning for a television show."

His base of operations is now two floors in the Fashion District.

When we visited, the showroom featured dresses in Siriano's pre-fall and bridal collections.

The designing magic happens in Siriano's office where he puts ideas to paper.

"I'm a really quick illustrator," he said. "Cause otherwise if I labor over it, they actually do not look clothes. I'm, uh, this has to be perfect. I like that it looks like a movement. It usually looks pretty close to what I draw."

His sketches turn into clothes and his designers and tailors weigh in along the way.

"Trust me, everyone in this room has an opinion about everything," he said. "Cause it's my name on it so it's hard to let go and let other people in, that's a challenge. It takes time. In the beginning I never let anyone's opinion matter but now i much more, I'm like please, figure it out, I'm exhausted. "

Siriano has learned those opinions can be fickle. Designs that were criticized when Siriano was just starting out, are finding favor now that he is an established player in the fashion world.

"Some of my first seasons, the clothes that we did I think were really good, and we've kind of redone them in collections now and they are some of our top sellers but everyone hated them in the beginning so that's always interesting too but I don't tell anyone it's the same dress, but I know it's the same dress."

With annual revenues in the millions of dollars, and women like Michelle Obama and Leslie Jones demanding his clothes, it is clear Christian Siriano is having the last laugh.

"Even today, you don't know all of a sudden Rhianna just asks for a dress, you don't know that's going to happen on a Wednesday afternoon."

"Everything is unpredictable," he said. "But it keeps the business fun. That is what's still exciting."