"Maria Callas going to Argentina" is the précis Zac Posen gave his pre-fall collection. He's never been one to shy away from drama, and the dresses and gowns in this lineup delivered on his reputation. Whether he cut them in duchesse satin or silk faille ottoman jacquard, they were intricately constructed. The best of them—we're thinking specifically about a strapless aubergine style with a bow detail at the bust—did wondrous things for the models' forms: instant hourglass. Posen used the words anatomical and architectural to describe the season. He approaches his designs almost like an architect would, adding fiber optics to organza and tulle, for example, so that the lightweight fabrics hold their extravagant volumes.
But every night isn't a night at the opera. Clingy knit dresses delivered some of the same va-va-voom in a more approachable, everyday material, and he used black leather for the first time for a skirtsuit. It didn't look quite as utilitarian as he indicated, but it did have an edge that felt new for him.
