fashionologie

Zac Posen on His First Trip to the Met Gala

Justin Fenner — Mon, 07 May 2012 05:19:47 PDT

Zac Posen went to the Met Gala long before he made his name as a designer. In fact, Posen was a teenage intern for the Costume Institute the first time he attended fashion's biggest party.

"The Met Ball was sort of my first experience as an intern, when I was 16, of seeing what a ball would look like. I was an intern there, so I bought my staff ticket for the Gianni Versace exhibition. I saved up my money for like, three weeks to buy my $50 ticket. It was a really dreamy experience. So when I then became a designer and started going, it just has a very personal significance. I try to make it the most fun possible for me and my date and anybody that's around me. And it's an amazing cause and has an incredible history around it."

Posen also told us about what it was like to see Diana Vreeland's old office at the Met.

"When I was there, Diana Vreeland's office was still intact, and that's where I did my interview. It's no longer there. It was changed to a video archive while I was there, but it was an amazing experience to see all the stuffed peacocks and the Maria Callas photos on the wall. It was just like a closed time capsule, and it all had sort of a '60s vibe to it. All the clothing was archived between Venetian blinds. It was very cold. You have all the Christy Turlington mannequins and tons of vertical filing. And that was where I sort of got the fashion bug - for the history."

Photo: Zac Posen with Christina Ricci at the Met Gala in 2011.

Zac Posen Z Spoke For Lord & Taylor

fashionologie — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:36:10 PDT

>> As far as Zac Posen is concerned, there's no reason his 12-piece Z Spoke collection for Lord & Taylor can't be as sensational as the gowns he creates for the red carpet.

"I don't believe that true trends actually come from high fashion down anymore," Posen said of his capsule collection of dresses, all of which are priced under $200. "I think that if you have the ability to create directly at that price point . . . that's really exciting because then you're addressing a much wider audience. And it makes it more fun."

For Posen, fun means colorful, straightforward dresses created with his core design principles in mind. "They're still flirty. They still have our signature construction in them," he said. "Sometimes we'll take out the lining of some of our couture gowns and even that on its own would just be an amazing dress."

But these dresses aren't just glorified crinolines - they're ways for new consumers to get more familiar with his work. Coco Rocha attended the capsule collection's launch party on Wednesday clad in a blazer from Posen's Target collaboration. She said the Lord & Taylor dresses were a smart move.

"For so long, no one could really relate to him," Rocha said. "It was all about really beautiful gowns and a romantic sort of fairy tale. I think this is appropriate, because now we all - even I! - can have a Zac Posen dress."

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This Week's Best Dressed

Christina Perez — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:04:46 PDT

>> Spring party season is in full swing, bringing New York's fash pack out in droves. On Thursday, Ferragamo feted the reopening of its gorgeous 5th Avenue flagship by inviting Solange Knowles - divine in head-to-toe Ferragamo, of course- to spin records for a well-heeled crowd that included Sarah Reynolds, Lauren Remington Platt, and Genevieve Jones.

Across the street, Cartier celebrated the opening of its "Cartier & Aldo Cipullo, New York City in the '70s" exhibit with a glam soiree that saw the likes of Arizona Muse, Lily Collins, and Charlotte Casiraghi. Later that evening, the party continued downtown, where Leigh Lezark (left) kept the crowd - which included Chanel Iman and Karlie Kloss, both in Cushnie et Ochs - dancing all night long.

See pics from those events - plus, knockout looks from Amanda Brooks, Crystal Renn, Coco Rocha, Karen Walker, and more at a bevy of other occasions - here, in our best-of-the-week slideshow.

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Alexander Wang Store Egged, Zac Posen To Bow Sunglasses, Kate Moss on Ab Fab

fashionologie — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:28:38 PDT

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

Someone was sufficiently disgruntled with designer Alexander Wang to throw eggs against every one of the windows of his flagship store in New York's SoHo neighborhood. We haven't heard whether or not the vandalism is connected to his labor lawsuits, but store employees' first task this morning was cleaning up the yolky mess. [The Cut]
Have you been dying to know when Zac Posen would finally start making sunglasses? Posen has inked a collaboration with eyewear manufacturer Illestva for a limited-edition line of shades that will be available next month at Opening Ceremony, Collete and Illestva.com. All of the shades will sell for $300, and Posen is excited to enter a new category. “As we develop the Zac Posen brand, sunglasses allow me to maintain an aspect of flare and attitude for clothing that transitions into day," he said. [WWD]
Supermodel Kate Moss will make an appearance on an this Friday's episode of Absolutely Fabulous. Her time on-screen might be short, but it's packed with a running joke about her tenure in the business. [Styleite]

Watch the Complete Zac Posen Fall 2012 Runway Show

Christina Perez — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:18:56 PST

>> Coco Rocha and Lindsey Wixson look divine - and the dresses are pretty stunning too. Watch the complete runway presentation below, and for more Zac Posen, view our full runway gallery and review.

Zac Posen Fall 2012

fashionologie — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:20:51 PST

>> With the Far East in mind - and a front row that included Dita Von Teese, Brad Goreski, and Anna Wintour - Zac Posen delivered a breathtaking assortment of dresses, gowns, and eveningwear for Fall 2012. Posen's signature silhouettes were cut in decadent fabrics - silks, satins, and jacquards - and came in a rich palette ranging from deep jewel tones to buttery pastels. Origami folds, chinoiserie embroidery, and kimono draping added intrigue.

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Z Spoke by Zac Posen Fall 2012 - Plus, Accessories

Christina Perez — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:22:00 PST

>> Posen's signature seaming and femme-fatale detailing get a hit of classic Americana for Fall 2012. The result? Separates, gowns, and dresses that are not only gorgeous, but also totally wearable. The designer has been spending a lot of time developing Z Spoke into a cohesive wardrobe - speaking with customers at the Z Spoke store, expanding the selection of outerwear - and it shows. Now there are boxy cropped jackets, pleated two-tiered frocks, and easy-wearing coats sitting effortlessly amongst the body-con dresses, nipped-in blazers, and ankle-grazing gowns. See the lookbook, modeled by Madisyn Ritland and Crystal Renn - plus, a peek at the accessories - here.

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Zac Posen, Nanette Lepore the Latest to Ink Mass Market Deals

Christina Perez — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:01:27 PST

>> The collaborations just keep coming: Zac Posen and Nanette Lepore are the latest designers to announce mass market deals. In April, Posen's capsule collection of 12 dresses - ranging in price from $149 to $199 - will hit 30 Lord & Taylor stores. And in early 2013, Lepore will launch a line for juniors with "sophisticated tastes" at over 600 J.C. Penney locations. Entitled L'amour, Lepore's line will feature dresses, prom looks, silk-screened t-shirts, sportswear, and denim. "This will not be a capsule collection," J.C. Penney president Michael Francis told WWD. "This is a meaningful, multi-year relationship." Francis also noted that this isn't the only collaboration the retailer has in the works, adding, "This is the first of our new designer partnerships. We will bring in the right designers."
At left: Lepore with daughter Violet at the Nanette Lepore Spring 2012 show. Getty

Zac Posen Pre-Fall 2012

fashionologie — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:58:17 PST

>> Chinoiserie and couture shapes come to a head in Zac Posen's Pre-Fall 2012 collection. Or, as the designer put his inspiration: "American Royalty takes a trip east - this collection was inspired by 50s American couture, Charles James, and Cristobal Balenciaga." Nipped waists and flared skirts were Posen's silhouette of choice for this opulent outing.

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The Entire Z Spoke Spring 2012 Lookbook - Plus, All the New Accessories

Christina Perez — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:02:37 PST

>> Zac Posen riffed on the idea of wardrobe essentials - with a twist - for his Spring 2012 Z Spoke collection. "There's no need for more essentials that are basic," he explains. "These have a bit of fashion to them." To that end, Posen's essentials are dressed-up, playful, and full of the designer's signature feminine detailing: lean-cut trousers come in shiny two-tone faille or tie-dyed lace, shirt dresses in whisper-weight seersucker, and skirts in swinging full flares. There's plenty of wearable whimsy too - a swinging "disco tent dress" in shimmering sequins, a floaty ruched-chiffon neon shift - and lots of lively prints, like an "acid" cheetah in chartreuse and lemon, ditsy florals in abstracted batiks. "This is a wardrobe, and it's nice to be able to mix it up and show the diversity of it," Posen says.

The collection's diversity carries through to accessories as well, with luxe Nappa leather totes and embossed-croc satchels mingling easily with brightly-colored iPad cases and studded clutches - which run from $225 to $695. See all the looks from the Z Spoke Spring 2012 lookbook - modeled by Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Tennessee Thomas, Stephanie LaCava, Yaz Bukey, and Laura Love - and peek all the accessories, here in the slideshow.

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