Paris Fashion Week: Zac Posen Spring 2011

While Zac Posen has never made it a habit to follow this rule of thumb, he outdid himself with his Spring/Summer 2011 show in Paris on Thursday with his boudoir-inspired collection. After jilting New York in favor of Paris for the presentation of his latest collection, Posen was under careful scrutiny in the ballroom of the Paris Westin Hotel – a venue haunted by memories of couture greats like Yves saint Laurent.

The designs themselves were hit or miss, relying heavily on ostrich feathers and black lace to produce ensembles that resembled negligees. While the feathers worked on some pieces-- for example, a red one-shouldered jumpsuit with a pink ostrich feather waistband accent—they often looked mottled and sometimes cheapened the looks.  Posen took the motif even further by using a feather print on a sheer bodysuit and a cutout chiffon evening dress.

The best looks were dramatic but not quite so busy.  One highlight was the ruffled burgundy and red silk dress, draped to reveal a black sheer lining. Perhaps the most striking, however, were the chiffon gowns with black dye fading into a gentle cream. One flowed gently away from the model, revealing a layer of black tulle and another one-shouldered trumpet gown created the illusion of an exaggerated hourglass figure through the contrast of cream blending into black. Posen experimented with this tie-dye effect in other pieces, but it lacked the same potency when overwhelmed with such an abundance of lace, feathers, and fur.

Zac Posen was aiming for “couture for day” with his Spring/Summer 2011 collection, but instead he hit provocative eveningwear. Still, it was somewhat refreshing to see the pops of red and orange and decadent designs amongst shows experimenting with looser, boyish cuts and subdued color palettes.

Photo source: Style.com