Shopping with. . . Designer Zac Posen

By Amy Flurry
March 10, 2010

Left: Zac Posen (Credit: Jason Kibbler) Right: Rachel Bilson, Emma Roberts and Anna Kendric at a private dinner at Mr. Chow in Hollywood to celebrate launch of Z Spoke, all wearing Z Spoke (Photo by John Shearer/WireImage)

Handsome, capricious and a lover of spectacle, Zac Posen boasts celebrity clients like Rachel Bilson, Emma Roberts, Anna Kendric, Rihanna, and Tina Fey, who've made his gowns fixtures on the red carpet. Thanks to curly dark locks and come-hither eyes, not to mention his relative youth (he founded his company around the time of his 21st birthday) and penchant for wearing a white tie or top hat to his early fashion shows, the designer's own visage is practically as internationally recognizable as his creations.

For almost a decade, Zac Posen has been the darling of editors and the go-to label for fashion’s ubiquitous muse, the insouciant cool Lower East side girl. “But she’s all grown up and has her act together and got a job,” says the 29-year-old designer, whose new lower-priced sportswear collection, Z Spoke, seems to be signaling that the once precocious designer is maturing along with the women he dresses.

Z Spoke; images provided by Zac Posen

This month, the launch of Z Spoke, available exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue, has Posen on a whistle-stop tour, charming department store shoppers across the country—moments usually reserved for the young celebrities and models. “This is not about Zac-for-less,” he says of the 60-piece range chic sportswear collection. “It’s less romantic, more pragmatic, yet still sophisticated daywear for the strong, independent woman.

Big on separates and bold color, the latter a Posen signature, Z Spoke features easy-to-layer pieces in figure-hugging knits and pretty sheer print dresses. “There is even a t-shirt and khaki shorts,” he adds, though the buzz around the line, according to Saks sales associates, has been centered on what Posen has done so well in the past—dresses. Of years spent on the road meeting customers, Posen says he’s listened to his clients about the weights of materials and fabrications that are essential to everyday. “Layering has become extremely important to his 'climate-less' design,” he says. “These are the building blocks in iconic fabrications and materials.”

Zac Posen Fall 2010 (Photo by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz); (Photo by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Images for IMG)

In recent months, much has been made about the state of Posen’s company. Plans for Zac Posen stores in New York and Paris were postponed and there was a tightening of investor’s reins. It seemed the designer’s remarkable ascent, and recession-blind stickers (gowns for upwards of $10,000) were more evocative of a by-gone fashion era. Indeed, last September, the designer changed his presentations from a star-studded nighttime fashion show to a more modest and intimate 9 a.m affair. But his collections, both spring and fall 2010 (critical hits both), quickly muffled all speculation.

Posen, self-assured and possessing the talent that ignites excitement and desire around his work, says that entire industry needs to take a reality check in order to stay alive and maintain relevance. “I have a sense of what women want,” says Posen. “I’m not designing for the magazines.” Confident in his collaborators for lower-priced lines (in April, he’ll launch a fast-fashion collection for Target) Posen’s resolve is clear, as is the buzz around Z Spoke. “I am happy being the face of the label and shouldering the responsibility as the designer. I am 29, bring it on!” he says. “If I’m not going for it, then I’d be happier on a farm, just riding a horse.”

Last week, we caught up with Posen on his stop at Saks 5^th Avenue in Atlanta. Turns out he’s a huge eBay fan. Here’s what he’s shopping for:

“Oh yeahh, if a V&A [Victoria & Albert museum in London] dress comes up, I’m going to get an eBay hit on it right away.”

Nice Califone 1420K Portable Record Player Phonograph (current bid, $51) “I bought portable record players like this one last winter and gave them to a lot of my friends as gifts,” he says.

The Nuggest/Whisper/Wish She Were Mine Record (current bid, $.99) “The Nuggets album was one of my last record finds.”

Beautiful Set of 1940's Homer Laughlin Majestic China (starting bid, $145) “I like to through dinner parties and I’ve purchased china sets for home.”

Vintage Whiting & Davis Snake Bracelet Gold Mesh Bright (current bid, $142.50) “My mom collects vintage snake bracelets, so we both scour the site for cool pieces like this gold mesh bracelet by Whiting & Davis.”

Amy Flurry is a freelance writer and style editor whose work has been featured in Lucky, Refinery 29, InStyle, Conde Nast Traveler, O @ Home, Four Seasons magazine, House Beautiful, Country Living, and The Atlantan.

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