Zac Posen

Zac Posen's Spring 2013 collection was flowing and feminine, and the beauty look was styled to match. This runway combination of mermaid waves and lengthy lashes are classic without feeling dated.

The look: Elegant waves, false lashes, and customized neutral nails.
The inspiration: Lena Horne and Grace Kelly.
Who would wear it: Social butterflies and good-taste glamour girls

Source: Getty

The glamorous severity that has been present in Zac Posen's last several collections melted away for Spring 2013, a brilliant spectacle of modeling star power (Naomi Campbell opened the show; Coco Rocha closed it) and a selection of dresses, suits, and gowns that got prettier and softer as the show progressed.

Posen's skilled hands sculpted floral prints into almost sweet, body-hugging frocks with sweetheart necklines and flirty hems. His customarily intricate seam work in these pieces was gentler this season, its lines obscured by the visual softness of chiffon or by mismatched edges of prints coming together. Jackets were embellished with pleats, peplums, or draped lapels, while a few tulle pieces were sheer enough to show their boning — but sufficiently opaque to leave something to the imagination.

But Posen is a gown man through and through, and he displayed his mastery of technique and craft when he sent his floor-length creations down the borrowed balcony of Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. Embroidery, draping, and pleating abounded in this section of the show. A cascade of blue pleated organza overflowed from the bottom of a satin gown, and the floral prints from earlier in the show turned into embroidery. Erin O'Connor, who last appeared in Posen's Resort 2013 lookbook, walked down the runway in a jade green gown that combined satin and tulle. The designer's final look, a white tiered organza creation — the only dress Rocha will wear during New York Fashion Week — spoke to the tradition of ending haute couture shows with a bridal gown. If this was Posen's way of asserting that he deserves a place among the pantheon of the world's couturiers, it couldn't have come with a better collection.

Naomi Campbell opened, Coco Rocha closed, and in between, an all-star model cast including Karolina Kurkova and Crystal Renn took the runway alfresco, showcasing a bevy of Oscar-worthy gowns with Zac Posen's signature corseted bodices and drama-inducing trains — all with a glamorous '40s-inspired tilt. The hustle before the show calmed at last as front-rowers like Anna Dello Russo (in a gold fascinator) made their way to their seats and Posen's show began with Etta James playing dreamily across the Lincoln Center Plaza. It wasn't just the music or our surroundings; we were transported entirely with every look — most noticeably to another decade, with vintage, '40s-inspired trumpet silhouettes and skirt suits (and the coiffed waves to match).The romance was palpable from start to finish, beginning with a lineup of flirtier day dresses, all with sweetheart necklines, and culminating in a white-tiered organza ball gown — which made Coco Rocha look more like a blushing bride walking down the aisle than a model on the catwalk.

• Trends: Peplum, tulle, trumpet silhouettes, sweetheart necklines, and skirt suits.
• Colors: Navy, white, rose, red, soft blue, nude, and olive.
• Key Piece: It's nearly impossible to choose favorites, but the rose-embroidered dresses and gowns were particularly lovely.
• Accessories: Satin ankle-strap pointy-pumps; brooches; jeweled studs, bracelets, and necklaces; cat-eye sunglasses.
• Who Should Wear It: Posen's model lineup, like Coco Rocha and Crystal Renn, will likely wear this set off the runway, too; we'd love to see it on A-listers like Jennifer Connelly and Penelope Cruz.

Zac Posen's Z Spoke line just keeps getting better and better. For Spring 2013, the designer looked to classic Hollywood, mixing his signature seaming and feminine detailing with a range of old-school glamour — and the combo worked beautifully. Graphic floral prints decorated fit-and-flare dresses, and cascading ruffles on halter necks lent a '50s bombshell fit (very Marilyn), while the addition of oversize tassels on clutches and cowls draped over open shoulders and backless dresses lent a '30s, Gloria Swanson, Hollywood Boulevard feel.

Of course, it's hard for anything to look bad on Coco Rocha, Posen's longtime pal and Spring 2013's lookbook model. We're betting, however, that even without Rocha's genetic blessings, these pieces — with their sexy shapes and curve-flattering lines — will be plenty lovely on many girls.
Photos: Courtesy of Zac Posen

As the Total Recall promo tour makes its way through Europe, the film's starlets, Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale, have stepped up their red-carpet styling tenfold. While the duo's latest London premiere pit stop was nothing short of all-out glamorous, it was Jessica's afterparty ensemble that left a lasting impression. Her formfitting green sheath elevated the verdant color to sultry new heights and to add to the cocktail-dress drama, she added leopard-print pumps and a stark white clutch. Ready to catch up on the rest of these ladies' Total Recall looks? So far, we've seen everything from colorblocked H&M and Diane von Furstenberg to sequined Donna Karan and ultratextured Giambattista Valli Couture. Just click through to see every outfit now.

Though a recent trip to Singapore — and the elegantly attired women who reside there — served as inspiration for Zac Posen's Resort 2013 collection, the designer also looked closer to home this season, focusing on what he called "the American heritage of dressing and dressmaking." To that end, there was a refined opulence at play. All the Posen signatures — curve-defining suits, asymmetrical fishtail gowns, pintucked blouses — were present, of course, but a crisp palette of ivory, plum, wine, and ink let the designer's flair for dramatic tailoring and skillful seaming really shine through. "Structure is juxtaposed with fluidity, and incorporative construction becomes the decorative element," Posen explained.