43 Gorgeous Zac Posen Dresses We'll Always Remember
Anyone who knows anything about fashion can agree on one thing: It's cyclical. The latest casualties of post-aught consumerism hit this week like a one-two punch: first, the shuttering of storied department store Barneys New York, followed by the announcement that Zac Posen was ending his eponymous label and would not be producing his recently shown S/S 20 collection.
Yes, fashion lovers everywhere took a blow to the gut last week, but as with any end of an era, it's always nice to take a trip down memory lane and recall our favorite moments from stylish years gone by. A homegrown New York City kid, Zac Posen emerged onto the scene in early 2002 and soon earned accolades from both fashion and Hollywood tastemakers. Working with model turned muse Coco Rocha for over a decade, Posen was also a favorite for the red carpet set, regularly dressing megastars such as Rihanna, Natalie Portman, Reese Witherspoon, and good friend Katie Holmes for everything from award shows to Anna Wintour's annual Met Gala.
While we will undoubtedly miss Posen's jaw-droppingly gorgeous gowns this upcoming red carpet season, we'll have to cross our fingers that some archival pieces make their way back into the spotlight over the next few years. In the meantime, join us as we take a look back at some of the wunderkind designer's best runway and red carpet moments that helped defined fashion over the past two decades.
WHO: Natalie Portman
WHAT: 2004 CFDA Fashion Awards
WHO: Mischa Barton
WHAT: 2005 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
WHO: Shalom Harlow
WHAT: 2006 CFDA Fashion Awards
WHO: Lindsay Lohan
WHAT: 2007 Met Gala
WHO: Beyoncé
WHAT: 2007 Movies Rock: A Celebration of Music in Film
WHO: Rihanna
WHAT: 50th annual Grammy Awards (2008)
WHO: Kate Mara
WHAT: 2008 Met Gala
WHO: Rihanna
WHAT: 2008 American Music Awards
WHO: Kate Winslet
WHAT: 2009 Orange British Academy Film Awards
WHO: Chanel Iman
WHAT: 2009 Met Gala
WHO: Devon Aoki
WHAT: 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards
WHO: Christina Hendricks
WHAT: 62nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2010)
WHO: Kim Kardashian West
WHAT: 7th annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award (2010)
WHO: Eva Longoria
WHAT: 68th annual Golden Globe Awards (2011)
WHO: Christina Ricci
WHAT: 2011 Met Gala
WHO: Kristen Wiig
WHAT: 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards (2011)
WHO: Reese Witherspoon
WHAT: 69th annual Golden Globe Awards (2012)
WHO: Leslie Bibb
WHAT: 2012 Met Gala
WHO: January Jones
WHAT: 64th Primetime Emmy Awards (2012)
WHO: Kelly Osbourne
WHAT: 64th Primetime Emmy Awards (2012)
WHO: Coco Rocha
WHAT: Zac Posen's S/S 13 fashion show
WHO: Lena Dunham
WHAT: 70th annual Golden Globe Awards (2013)
WHO: Amanda Seyfried
WHAT: 19th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2013)
WHO: Uma Thurman
WHAT: 2013 Met Gala
WHO: Liu Wen
WHAT: 11th annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards (2014)
WHO: Coco Rocha
WHAT: Zac Posen's F/W 14 fashion show
WHO: Rita Ora
WHAT: 2014 American Music Awards
WHO: Liu Wen
WHAT: 2014 Met Gala
WHO: Rihanna
WHAT: First annual Diamond Ball (2014)
WHO: Naomi Campbell
WHAT: Zac Posen's A/W 15 fashion show
WHO: Viola Davis
WHAT: 87th annual Academy Awards (2015)
WHO: Karen Elson and Dita Von Teese
WHAT: 2014 Met Gala
WHO: Claire Danes
WHAT: 2016 Met Gala
WHO: Emily Ratajkowski
WHAT: 68th annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2016)
WHO: Iman
WHAT: 19th annual amfAR New York Gala (2017)
WHO: Katie Holmes
WHAT: 2017 Met Gala
WHO: Miley Cyrus
WHAT: 60th annual Grammy Awards (2018)
WHO: Tavi Gevinson
WHAT: 72nd annual Tony Awards (2018)
WHO: Joey King
WHAT: 70th Emmy Awards (2018)
WHO: Katie Holmes
WHAT: 2019 Met Gala
WHO: FeiFei Sun
WHAT: 2019 CFDA Fashion Awards
WHO: Winnie Harlow
WHAT: Icons by Carine Roitfeld Party 2019
Up next: Princess Eugenie's Wedding Reception Dress Was a Real Knockout
Drew Elovitz is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but has spent the last decade living and working in New York City. She earned a master's degree in media and popular culture from New York University, then began her career on the internet as the Twitter voice of Barbie. She worked previously at Who What Wear as the director of content strategy and also spent several years leading the social media teams at Teen Vogue and Entertainment Weekly. You'll find her byline on the site around topics such as celebrity fashion, must-have basics, beauty favorites (particularly nail polish), and wellness tips and tricks. Her personal style tends to favor the classics: She loves crisp white button-downs, sneakers, and skinny jeans—and no look is complete without a great pair of oversize sunglasses and a trusty leather jacket. After she finishes reading the entire internet every day, she can be found dining out at her favorite restaurants, trying new beauty treatments, or indulging her historical-fiction habit.
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