From today’s b, the paper

You might expect Christian Siriano to be something he’s not.

There’s no incessant spouting of “hot tranny mess” or “fierce” or any of the Sirianoisms that have made the “Project Runway” champ a household name. You expect him to be flip, perhaps even a bit catty. You expect him to be the kind of created-by-reality TV character that America loves to hate.

What Siriano does is speak hurriedly, in crisp, clipped sentences, yet he’s polite and engaging, even charming. And he’s busy putting together a wedding gown for a client. He just got back to his New York City studio from uptown to order 50-100 yards of organza. That’s a lot of organza, he says. Then it hits you: This guy actually has a job. And it’s not just being a celebrity.

“I usually spend the day sketching ideas, working on samples for trunk shows and clients,” says Siriano, 22. “Most evenings, I’d love to just sit around and watch TV. But there’s usually an event to go to. I don’t want to say ‘no’ to things.”

A year ago, the Annapolis native was living in a cramped, one-bedroom East Village apartment. Then came “Project Runway,” a spot at New York Fashion Week and victory on the Bravo show. Now he’s in demand, creating dresses for Victoria Beckham and Heidi Klum (including a dress for this year’s Emmys). The Pussycat Dolls asked him to design for them. He had to say “no,” because he didn’t have time.

He now calls a 1,500-square-foot loft in the artsy Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn home. Celebrities tell him they are fans, and Siriano can hardly believe it.

“No idea. It’s a little scary to think about,” said Siriano, on what his life would be like if he hadn’t won “Project Runway.” “I would still be busy, doing my thing. But I definitely wouldn’t have enough money.” And Siriano wouldn’t be emceeing an event like Friday’s Steps to the Cure in Baltimore, a benefit for Maryland breast cancer patients. An original Siriano design will be among the auction items.

When he makes it back home to Annapolis, whenever he can, his mother makes him crab cakes and shrimp. He also visits the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied fashion design, and hangs out with friends, going to places such as Grand Central in Mount Vernon. He loves his home turf, the place he began designing at 13 while working at hair salon Bubbles.

Yet he said it was tough to break through in the fashion industry when living in Maryland — one of the reasons he went to the American Intercontinental University in London after graduating from the BSA. There he had internships with designers Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. He then moved to New York to freelance before his break on Season 4 of “Runway.”

He didn’t expect to be the fan favorite. “I really just was myself,” he said. But he can take mannerism mockings in stride. When Amy Poehler morphed into Siriano for a dead-on “Saturday Night Live” sketch, Siriano, in an e-mail to People, wrote, “I thought it was SO FUNNY. Amy looked exactly like me which is kinda scary, but fabulous.”

Siriano himself often pops up on TV, recently guest-starring on “Ugly Betty” and this season of “Project Runway.” But he’s most concerned about proving himself in the fashion industry. This summer was his first post-“Project Runway” Fashion Week. It was flirty, feminine and well-received.

“The good thing is, initially, the real diehard industry doesn’t expect that much,” said Siriano, of fashion’s reception toward “Runway” winners. “The media, the TV, the reality world expects something. They see that you’re not around every single day and say, ‘What happened to him?’”

Siriano, who turns 23 next month and wants a puppy (he likes greyhounds), would love to work with Anne Hathaway, Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson. Until then, he’s designing clothing for the film “Eloise in Paris,” due next year. He’s also been in a relationship for about a year with musician Brad Walsh, who provides the soundtrack to Siriano’s runway shows.

And he’s writing a book. Tentative title: “How to be Fierce.”

Old habits — and Sirianoisms — die hard.

Jordan Bartel is assistant editor at b. E-mail him at jordan@bthesite.com.

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