Before his show, Zac Posen said that his jackets and suits have surpassed dresses in sales—but as it turned out, he didn t follow the money for spring. Yes, there were some strong-shouldered blazers and high-waisted pants, plus a sailor jacket with a tulip skirt, but the focus here was on his first passion, evening. Exhibit A: an emerald-green bias-cut silk column inspired by his beloved 1930s that was drop-dead gorgeous.
Posen, however, is not a one-dress kind of guy. Instead, he wandered giddily—a little too giddily, at times—across the after-dark map. A thigh-grazing showgirl number with an explosion of peonies at the hem and a ballooning gown cut from what he playfully called "Esther Williams jacquard" were two of the show s extremes. But there were plenty of other big statements in between, some more successful (navy silk with fringe below the knees; a bubble dress in shocking pink) than others (the over-the-top red gown with an outsized sash protruding from the back, for starters). A tighter edit wouldn t have hurt. On the other hand, there are a lot of red carpets to stroll down these days, and the Eves, Emmys, and Kates in his front row want to arrive in something that hasn t been photographed on everyone else. That s why Posen s their man.
