GILT GROUPE: Zac Posen Sample Sale Today!

Showing astonishing talent, Zac Posen debuted his ready-to-wear collection in February 2002, at the age of 21. Before that, he had honed his talent by enrolling at age 14 in the pre-college program at Parson’s School of Design, after which he was mentored by curator Richard Martin at the Costume Institute. At 18 he was accepted into the womenswear degree program at London’s Central Saint Martins College.

Upon returning to New York in 2001, Posen set up an atelier in his parents’ living room. A year later he was chosen to present a capsule collection as part of GenArt’s “Fresh Face in Fashion” show. Zac Posen continues to receive awards and accolades, and his strong, feminine aesthetic has become a favorite of style leaders including Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Helen Mirren and Beyoncé.



Zac Posen’s time spent studying at the Costume Institute is evident in the dressmaking details on these satin jewels. Origami-like pleating shapes halters, colorblocked piecing gives curves to shifts, and draping is the unexpected accent on sleeves and bodices. Always red-carpet-ready, these frock stars celebrate femininity whether they’re chosen for a special occasion or as a random act of glamour.
 
Gilt Groupe showcases Posen's designs in their sale beginning Tues., 6/1/10 at 11 am CDT
 

Click HERE to shop the Zac Posen SALE!

Zac Posen Spring 2010 RTW

Oh how I've missed Stephane Marais! Marais was the creative force behind makeup, on behalf of MAC Cosmetics. Makeup was layered for a light, fresh, pretty face. On skin was a light face moisturizer and MAC prep and prime powder followed by Tickle Me Pink and Dolly Mix blush. Eyes were adorned with white pigment powder as well as brown pencil in creases and were shadowed with colors from the Notoriety quad. Lashes were brushed with Fibre Rich Mascara. Lips were colored with Fluid Lipstick in Syrup and Plumful. Marais, who has been absent from backstage work for almost five years, was a welcomed presence at the shows.

Hair, styled by Odile Gilbert for L’Oréal Professionnel, followed Posen’s color theme by using brightly colored hair extensions, twisted with models’ own hair, to create a sophisticated, funky chignon. L'Oreal Pro’s Texture Expert Expansion, a mousse, gave hair some volume while Perfect Shimmer and Infinium hair spray supplied the finishing touches.

The shoes from Posen's collection are likened to sweet, dainty little doll shoes or reminiscent of french dancers' shoes. Lovely!

Zac Posen managed to produce a collection that is both retro and futuristic, 1940's yet modern art deco, costumey yet chic. The photos pretty much speak fo themselves. In a preview, Posen said he was designing with a “late-Seventies New York woman in mind.” He wanted to push a color story and did so with colorblocking for day, setting chalky pink, yellow and purple on structured twill dresses, some with cutouts at the waist, and see-through raincoats worn over Pop Art geometric prints.

images/information: wwd, style.com

MAC and L'Oreal Pro for Zac Posen NYFW Fall 2009

model: Heidi Mount

“Much too pretty,” makeup artist Lucia Pieroni for MAC Cosmetics said to a member of her team at Zac Posen. “She needs to look tougher.” And so the minion headed back to her station, MAC’s Smolder Eye Kohl in hand. “We’re going for a Tim Burton girl,” Pieroni explained: “a tough, moody, but still beautiful” look that centered around big eyes and huge lashes—think Helena Bonham Carter incarnate.

Pieroni swept MAC Carbon and Print Eye Shadows from the lower lash line up around the outer corners of models’ eyes and filled in lids with softer shades of the gloomy hues, MAC Blackberry Eye Shadow. Echoes of Burton’s hauntingly gorgeous animation continued with a cupid’s bow lip in a bright orange color called Morange, which the makeup artist applied in a sheer layer and with a stronger hand toward the center of the mouth. FTLOB readers will remember MAC's Morange was the lip of choice at Temperley London Spring 2008. Glad to see it come back - gorgeous color!

Studded “headbands of thorns” and the casting of Sasha Pivovarova also helped Pieroni’s cause; the model can bear a striking resemblance to Burton’s Corpse Bride when she wants to. "She looks a little hollow, a little gothic," said Pieroni.

Napoleon's first wife Joséphine de Beauharnais inspired hair and makeup fit for royalty to complement Zac Posen's Fall collection. "It's French courtesan opulence meets punk," said Odile Gilbert for L'Oréal Professionnel. Gilbert used Expansion Body Activating Mousse for volume and then swept hair high into a "large chignon" after it was teased at the roots. Extreme Holding Spray sealed the look and a braided headband with studs added a rocker edge to the elegant bouffant.

"Posen’s runway is always an extravaganza of girly glam, as over-the-top as New York fashion gets. His approach makes for lots of fun. Posen’s heart just isn’t with the 9-to-5 set. He’s a social guy whose primary interest is in designing for social girls with a theatrical bent. True, though a few frocks were relatively low-key — a violet silk charmer with a posy at the neck; a flirty micro-floral tied at the waist — many more flaunted the demonstrative gestures for which he’s known, gowns with sweeping trains, significantly endowed shoulders and big splashes of fanciful floral sequins." ~ wwd

For Fall, he enlisted the 5 Browns—a brother and sister piano troupe—to play on five Steinways arrayed down the middle of the runway, and he sent out a collection of forties-inflected Victoriana. "They were both times of sculpting clothing," he said a few days before his show. Focusing mostly on dresses, sculpt is what Posen did. ~ style.com

source: elle.com, style.com, wwd

Backstage Confidential: Zac Posen

Shaker Chic

Zac Posen's unlikely theme for his Spring 2008 collection was Shakerism, and befitting the religious denomination's beliefs in communal living and celibacy, the makeup conveyed a certain austerity. "Zac wanted a modern face, one that was minimal but still glamorous," said MAC makeup artist James Kaliardos, who designed the look for the show. To Kaliardos, that translated into a monochromatic palette made up of taupes, beiges, and silvers that lent a sculptured look to the models' faces.



Photo: Don Ashby and Olivier Claisse


All About Eyes

Kaliardos centered the look around a strong eye achieved with a trio of MAC eye colors: Satin Taupe (brown with a silver-bronze shimmer) on the lid; Omega (a muted beige) in the crease and brow; and, in the inner corner of the eye, Cash Flow (green-gold with gold pearl, available in October). He followed that with a hint of black liner along the lash line and black mascara on the lashes. "The makeup was applied horizontally to pull the eye outward. It makes for a newer look," said Kaliardos.


Photo: Don Ashby and Olivier Claisse



MAC Eye Shadow in Satin Taupe and Omega
Price: $14 each
Available at www.maccosmetics.com.


Photo: Nicola Kast



MAC Lip Eraser in Dim
Price: $14.50
Available at www.maccosmetics.com.


Photo: Nicola Kast

BACKSTAGE CONFIDENTIAL: ZAC POSEN
http://www.style.com/