Runway Rants: Zac Posen

Zac Posen is someone whose name is known to almost everyone, and yet whose aesthetic is not known to many. I can never tell whether he's trying to epitomize classic styles, push the envelope, go girlie, or go avant-garde. I loved his collection focusing on pleats, which Lucy Liu made memorable by wearing a purple dress from his collection. This collection, to me, represented the "mixed" nature of Zac Posen. He's a wonderful designer, but sometimes can get sidetracked. He's sort of bridging the line between mainstream and high fashion, which can get to be slightly awkward at times.

As I've said before, I can never tire of Grecian, draped gowns, no matter how mainstream they may be. I hope someone feels absolutely elegant when wearing this on the red carpet one day...I know I'd die to wear this dress. Though the draping is definitly looking a bit old-school, and not as much like the more recent drapey, Grecian goddess dresses that have often had more avant-garde sculpture to them.

Possibly the most stunning piece of the collection. It's simple, but the metallic fabric makes it modern and the draping flatters the figure perfectly. This is a Rami Kashou-style of dress, which would work on lots of people because it flatters the waist by amping up the hip a bit.

Another stunning Grecian dress. Someone, wear this on the red carpet ASAP! This will most definitely be in demand come movie premiere time.

This dress has kind of a Kenley-from-Project Runway air to it, with the feathery, fluffy skirt and tight-fitting top. You have to be slightly lithe to wear this, but the globular skirt can be quite flattering to many people. Though this may not be as obvious a red carpet choice as Zac Powen's plethora of gorgeous Grecian gowns, this could provide a very classy, retro twist on typical premiere wear.

I hope some teenybopper snaps this dress up fast. It's a pretty unassuming dress, and the whole teeny-cocktail-dress-with-edge is a look that's been done before. But the angelic white colour is new, and could look very fresh on a younger star.

If there were movie stars that were as lanky and tall as models, they could wear this dress. It has a beautiful silhouette, and effectively melds high fashion with wearability. On a model, that is. Unfortunately, on a normal human being, the very low hemline in the front most likely would not be particularly flattering. I can see a less avant-garde celeb modifying this with a straighter hemline, to wear to some sort of event.

This is where the melding of high fashion and wearability gets awkward. This really doesn't appeal to me one bit, and looks like it could be a prom dress gone wrong. Even without the strange train-thing at the back, this looks a little bit 80s to me.

This may look too mainstream, but I absolutely love that top. It just looks so effortless...and for Zac Posen, it probably was. For the runway, the pairing with a grey suede skirt is effective, but I can see someone picking a skirt of their own and making the outfit the foundation for some killer heels.

I'm really, really, really not a fan of animal prints. Zebra, leopard...whatever. The draping on this dress is excellent, but I feel like someone who really shouldn't wear this dress will end up wearing it.

If I was an in-demand movie star and I had a press junket or a luncheon to go to, I'd wear this. It's a perfect, summery, skintone-flattering suit that is both fashionable and sensible. Plus, that skirt could be worn so many different ways.