Design Bitch

Diane Von Furstenberg is one of my absolute favorite designers. If you haven’t tried on any of her dresses, do so, you’ll fall in love! Her garments are made from exquisite fabrics and she always has such interesting prints. This season is no exception with her wide range of animal printed dresses. There are so many fantastic ones that it was hard to choose only a few to showcase in this blog. I definitely have to have the Snow Pony one- Gorgeous!

Diane von Furstenberg Animal-Print Stretch Silk Dress - Snow Pony

Diane Von Furstenberg Layly Tiger Dress

Diane Von Furstenberg Leopard-Print Satin Safi Shirtdress

Zac Posen has taken the fashion world by storm and has become a household name with celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Natalie Portman, Beyonce, Claire Danes and many more. He is known for his old Hollywood glamour inspired evening gowns and his sultry, body hugging designs.  Many feel that the designer is somewhat of a symbol of change for the fashion industry which has experienced slumping sales and styles over the past decade.

Zac Posen spent his high school years interning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute as well as designing clothes for Nicole Miller and handbags for Tocca. He then headed to London to study at Central Saint Martin’s in London. Posen started a private couture, or custom made clothing business in order to pay for his living expenses while in London. Posen made a name for himself in the fashion world when he returned to New York because he could not legally work in London. At the young age of 21 he launched the Zac Posen label in 2001. His first show was held in a synagogue on the lower east side and received mixed reviews.However his big break in fashion came in 2002 during the New York fashion week. During this time his dresses had gone on sale at Bloomingdale’s and the department store’s flagship New York emporium had devoted an entire row of windows to Posen’s line.Over the next few years Zac Posen was a rising star. He struck a deal with Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2004 in which Diddy made an investment in Posen’s company.This was viewed as a smart business move as it would move the Posen name into the mass retail sector.

Currently Zac Posen is set to launch a lower price point collection for Target in April 2010. The collection is named “100% Zac” and is made for a woman who likes to dress up but might not have a red carpet to walk every other week.   Target customers will enjoy printed dresses, swimsuits, and a few dressier pieces such as the tuxedo jacket.

Posen also launched “Z Spoke” at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York on February 24^th. Not only is he fulfilling the needs of his customers on a budget by offering a lower price line, but he is also looking towards his more curvy customers by expanding his size run to size 16 for his fall 2010 collection. Z Spoke is different from Posen’s runway collections as it focuses on daywear rather than evening gowns.

In my opinion Zac Posen will only continue to grow within the fashion industry as he is able to seek out new opportunities for his company and realize the need for change. I feel that his partnership with Target is an excellent move in today’s down economy. Women still love their luxury items, and will love them even more at a lower price. Zac Posen is able to reach a wide audience all the way from runway/red carpet to bargain shoppers.

Check out his runway collections on style.com..and be sure to find Zac Posen and many other designers on beso.com