Filming for the next season of Project Runway begins next week, Zac Posen reminded us at his Resort appointment today, right after he pointed out his new optical range. The designer has been keeping busy growing the reach of his brand on television and in stores. We know we'll be tuning in if and when he gets a TV project about #CookingWithZac off the ground. But expansion is just one aspect of the current Zac Posen story. When it comes to the clothes themselves, he's dialing down and further refining the message of his Fall show. Here, too, he was eager to emphasize his serious dressmaking chops; frivolities and excesses have been pushed to the side. "Clean and streamlined" were the words he used, and they were apt descriptors of a cocktail number and evening dress made from neoprene and cotton ottoman, both in subtle neutrals. The cotton ottoman looked especially fresh; it'd be just the thing for an invitation that calls for daytime black tie. On the more effusive side there was a draped cape-back column gown in a striking coral red and an hourglass, off-the-shoulder sheath in navy and black jacquard. A green-and-red brocade jacquard looked stiff and stuffy by comparison, but Posen was thinking along more modern lines when it came to his finale. A paper taffeta skirt gave his grandest ball gown an effortless swish.
