Zac Posen

For Z Spoke's Resort 2013 collection, Zac Posen focused on creating eveningwear that's more affordable than what he offers in his main collection. "I wanted my girl to get the man and not go broke on the way there," Posen said of a new capsule collection of 25 dresses priced around $1,000 each. Those dresses — like the rest of the Resort line — focus on elevating cost-effective fabrics with Posen's signature details. The evening gowns, in bonded lace and stretch duchesse satin, feature the designer's telltale seaming. Daywear ranges from feminine suits (a white shawl collar jacket paired with wide-legged pants, for instance) to flirty skirts and tops with bows that tie at the neck. The dog lover among Posen's customers will appreciate perforated leather bags primed for carrying the family pooch.

The CFDA Awards went down in NYC last night, and we were on the red carpet chatting with fashion's biggest names as they filed into Avery Fisher Hall. Major honors went to designers like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, as well as Joseph Altuzarra — check out the full list of 2012 CFDA winners. Johnny Depp wasn't able to pick up his fashion icon prize in person, but many spoke about Johnny's iconic style on the press line. We caught up with Busy Philipps, Rachel Zoe, Doutzen Kroes, and more. Click through to see the top quotes from the CFDAs.

— Additional reporting from Christina Perez

When we heard Zac Posen was launching a collection of dresses for under $200, we had to be there. Last night, we joined the designer (and the crowds of anxious shoppers) at Lord & Taylor to fete Zac Posen's Z Spoke dress collection, a line of 12 dresses designed exclusively for the department store. Before the shopping began, we had a few minutes to catch up with the designer, who filled us in on how he pares down red-carpet designs for everyday wear, and what girl he had in mind while dreaming up the dresses for Lord & Taylor. Inside, we've got a look at the dresses, the event, and our whole interview with the ultratalented Zac Posen. Click on for everything you need to know about his new dress collection.

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>> As far as Zac Posen is concerned, there's no reason his 12-piece Z Spoke collection for Lord & Taylor can't be as sensational as the gowns he creates for the red carpet.

"I don't believe that true trends actually come from high fashion down anymore," Posen said of his capsule collection of dresses, all of which are priced under $200. "I think that if you have the ability to create directly at that price point . . . that's really exciting because then you're addressing a much wider audience. And it makes it more fun."

For Posen, fun means colorful, straightforward dresses created with his core design principles in mind. "They're still flirty. They still have our signature construction in them," he said. "Sometimes we'll take out the lining of some of our couture gowns and even that on its own would just be an amazing dress."

But these dresses aren't just glorified crinolines — they're ways for new consumers to get more familiar with his work. Coco Rocha attended the capsule collection's launch party on Wednesday clad in a blazer from Posen's Target collaboration. She said the Lord & Taylor dresses were a smart move.

"For so long, no one could really relate to him," Rocha said. "It was all about really beautiful gowns and a romantic sort of fairy tale. I think this is appropriate, because now we all — even I! — can have a Zac Posen dress."

>> Spring party season is in full swing, bringing New York's fash pack out in droves. On Thursday, Ferragamo feted the reopening of its gorgeous 5th Avenue flagship by inviting Solange Knowles — divine in head-to-toe Ferragamo, of course— to spin records for a well-heeled crowd that included Sarah Reynolds, Lauren Remington Platt, and Genevieve Jones.

Across the street, Cartier celebrated the opening of its "Cartier & Aldo Cipullo, New York City in the '70s" exhibit with a glam soiree that saw the likes of Arizona Muse, Lily Collins, and Charlotte Casiraghi. Later that evening, the party continued downtown, where Leigh Lezark (left) kept the crowd — which included Chanel Iman and Karlie Kloss, both in Cushnie et Ochs — dancing all night long.

See pics from those events — plus, knockout looks from Amanda Brooks, Crystal Renn, Coco Rocha, Karen Walker, and more at a bevy of other occasions — here, in our best-of-the-week slideshow.