Zac Posen
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The Label
In 2001, designer Zac Posen was barely old enough to legally toast the immediate success of his start-up business—and at the time, was garnering almost as much press attention for his age as for his comely creations. A favorite of young Hollywood, Posen’s design style is not exactly trend-oriented; instead, his pieces have a timeless nostalgia to them, with bias-cut silhouettes, ruffled satin draping and fishtail hems that often mirror the mastery of Christian Dior and Madame Vionnet. Backed by Sean Combs since 2004, Posen is gearing up to expand his company, planning a menswear collection and a lower-priced bridge line. For his partnership with denim geniuses 7 For All Mankind, Posen has designed three styles of limited-edition jeans made with special Z rivets and a Zac Posen pendant. Pricey but popular, they’re available at Neiman Marcus at only one per customer, per style.
The Look
Draped, anatomically seamed construction. Sweeping strapless evening dresses, ruffled fishtail mermaid gowns and bias-cut cocktail dresses in shades of taupe, bronze and teal.
The Designer
Born in Brooklyn in 1980, Zac Posen attended the St. Ann’s School for the Arts and Parsons School of Design in New York, and Central St. Martins College in London, but soon abandoned school to pursue his career. At sixteen, the precocious Posen interned at the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute, under the tutelage of Richard Martin; two years later he interned at Nicole Miller, then served as a design assistant at Tocca. A spot in Gen Art’s 2001 Fresh Faces in Fashion show put Posen on the fast track with his fans, as well as his peers. After the success of his first major runway show in 2004, Posen was awarded the CFDA Swarovski-Perry Ellis Award for Ready-to-Wear.
