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RIGHT: Last year in Vegas, a Zac Posen fashion show helped raise $528,000 for Three Square Food Bank. BELOW: From ZAC Zac Posen, an Eartha extreme soft tophandle tote ($450) and red dress ($1,390). "To me, there's nothing more intriguing than seeing a woman in a feminine and tailored silhouette." PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID NEEDLEMAN (POSEN); SETH OLENICK (DRESS); DENISE TRUSCELLO (THREE SQUARE) —ZAC POSEN for his career in fashion. Still, while his eponymous high-fashion label has been available in Vegas for quite some time, his contemporary offshoot, ZAC Zac Posen, is new in stores this season. "It is paramount nowadays to reach a much wider audience, as personal style has become more individualistic than ever," says Posen. "ZAC Zac Posen was the result of a study in stylized culture shock for the modern woman. It's London's teddy girls meet ultrafeminine, curvaceous bombshells"—a winning aesthetic for the women of Las Vegas. The new label is a natural extension of the designer's readyto-wear collection, taking its signature cuts and couturelike detailing and reworking them into sophisticated casualwear. "I had to figure out and readdress what the Zac Posen woman wears during the day," Posen says. Whereas his name-sake line offers intricate gowns for black-tie affairs, ZAC Zac Posen contrasts flirty skirts and bodyhugging party dresses with edgy motorcycle jackets for looks that are elegant yet wearable. "We saw a gap in the market for impeccably tailored daywear rooted in the glamour of the ready-to-wear collection," he explains. "I wanted to design silhouettes that were interesting, of great quality, and become wardrobe staples." Worn on the red carpet by such Hollywood style setters as Julie Bowen, Christina Applegate, Connie Britton, and Emilia Clarke, the brand does seem purpose-made for women like them. Each collection begins with Posen discussing inspirations, sewing techniques, and draping methods with his New York City –based design team. "Designing is a collaborative process for me," he says, "although I do treasure an early Saturday morning in the office by myself with only fabrics, pins, needles, and good coffee." The designs strike a balance between classic and contemporary, as in a lithe maxi dress finished in a youthful floral print and a body-con frock embellished with Posen's trademark oversize ruffles. Versatile, no-fuss fabrics are a key component of the fashionablemeets-functional daywear, with cotton, silk, and wool crêpe dominating the majority of the pieces. Posen sources the fabrics from around the world, including countries as distant as Turkey and Korea, but all his designs are manufactured in New York City's Garment District. "I feel very strongly about my garments being made in America," he says. "It gives them that special quid in terms of quality that my [clients] expect." For Resort 2014, which is new to Neiman Marcus Las Vegas, Posen looked to London's trendy West End neighborhood circa the 1950s for inspiration. "I imagined It girls I knew and lived with in Portobello Road in my 20s as they might have been in the 1950s—armed with that quintessentially London mix of punkish edge and demure English rose," he says. "Playing both sides of a woman feels youthful and energized." Pleated A-line shifts and knee-length skirts exude garden-party chic, while trim trousers and Prince of Wales checks channel a decidedly boyish charm. A midnight-blue peplum-style gown and a blush motorcycle jacket with a brocade pencil skirt are two of the strongest looks, although the designer pictures the "fabulous women of Las Vegas" in his cardinal-red floorlength gown with embellished neckline. "It's the must-have for the holiday season," he says. "It's a classic Zac Posen cut that showcases femininity and fluidity of the fit. To me, there's nothing more intriguing than seeing a woman in a feminine and tailored silhouette." Equal parts girlish and daring, it's this high-impact, femme fatale spirit that makes ZAC Zac Posen a perfect fit in Las Vegas. Neiman Marcus, Fashion Show, 702-7313636; zacposen.com V VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 098-099_V_SS_StyleSetter_Dec13.indd 99 99 11/19/13 10:12 AM