Zac Posen Spring Collection

Having shown his new contemporary collection, Z Spoke, at home in New York, Zac Posen decided to present his signature line in Paris. Gutsy move. The competition here is nothing if not formidable; then again, Posen has never been a shy guy. Today, he not only chose a venue where Yves Saint Laurent famously used to show, but further upping the ante from his Fall collection, which had a focus on daywear he turned his attention almost exclusively to evening.

After opening with some smart tweed jackets with puffed shoulders and stand-up collars, the designer wasted no time getting to cocktail hour, and that's when all the black lace, feathers, and fur kicked in. The vibe: showgirl boudoir. Posen's signature silhouette hasn't changed; it's still nipped and paneled at the waist, but cutouts are part of the sexy mix for Spring and that meant there was a lot going on, sometimes too much. The pieces that will make it into the closets of his party-set fans and onto the red carpet were the least fussy, like a vibrant red silk dress with a swirling, draped bodice, or a black ombré silk gown with a spray of feathers on each shoulder. Subtlety has never been Posen's MO, nor are we suggesting it should be, but it wouldn't have hurt if he'd picked up a few pointers on chic simplicity from Monsieur Saint Laurent.