Judging the Judges: Zac Posen Resort 2009 Collection

Tuesday, June 24, 2008 by
Adorable widdle Zac Posen showed his 2009 Resort collection and Style has the goods:

"Transforming your showroom into a country club, complete with a grass tennis court, is one way to express how important the season is to your business. Another is to pack your collection with a wide range of clothes (150 pieces!) addressing women's multifarious wants and needs for resort. Posen did both of the above, sending out an array of looks that zigzagged from garden party florals and crisp tennis whites to easy Grecian evening dresses. A colorful group of pieced cottons with grommeted trim were intended, the designer said, for the girl "who goes to the country club and listens to her Bow Wow Wow." Undoubtedly, Posen knows many."

Okay, that last line is a little barf-worthy but it does illustrate a point of view. What you will not see in this resort collection is a lot of caftans or society-matron drag. No, little Zac said "Screw the oldies, I'm going for the debutantes!" This is one of the more youthful resort collections we've seen and because it doesn't appear to be appealing to the widest possible consumer base, it has a nice tight cohesion to it. The silhouettes are, for the most part, very simple, but he jazzed them up with pretty prints, bold graphics, and some eye-popping color combinations. We can't decide if that yellow, green and brown dress is pretty or an eyesore. One thing's for sure; it looked better on the model than it did on Kate Hudson.









































Kate Hudson celebrates her partnership with David Babaii for their new hair care line David Babaii for WildAid wearing one of Zac Posen's Resort 2009 gowns.

[Photos: FirstView/WireImage - Slideshow: Project RunGay]

70 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's an eyesore.

Sewing Siren said...

It looks like Zac should have taken a season off. He is running out of ideas. There are a few okay pieces, punctuated with many extremely ugly ones.

~~~~~~~
Does anybody go to a Country Club anymore?? If they do, I bet they wear Lands End capri pants with striped t-shirts.

Anonymous said...

That thing with the animal on it sure looks like a caftan to me.

Anonymous said...

Do you really think this looks young? Because many of the looks and prints remind me of grandma's curtains or couch. There are a few crisp, nice ones, but for the most part, they were scary bad.

Sewing Siren, yes, some of us still go to a coutry club. And we are either wearing golfing togs (collared shirts, cute golf skirts) or conservative resortwear. I can guarantee we won't see any white socks with sandals!

Lilithcat said...

Is that yellow/black animal print thing vinyl?!?!?! The horror, the horror!

I rather like that first suit, though the skirt could be shorter. But what on earth is with the sandals and ankle socks? Dreadful.

The black gown would be a lot lovelier if it were fully lined. One wrong move and the world will know if you've had a bikini wax lately.

The short black dress with the large sequins and the three-quarter length sleeves is cute! But it's evening! It needs dressy sandals and an evening bag, not a carry-on. (The fringed version, on the other hand, is total fug.)

The black and blue evening dress I rather like, but the one with the slit up the side was stolen from Gypsy Rose Lee. Leave it on the rack unless you're an ecdysiast. And the orange/red one looks like a peignoir set.

I completely hate those yellow/black/blue fringed things. They look like "Indian maiden" Hallowe'en costumes from 50 years ago.

Like the sleeveless yellow dress, though (has Michelle Obama written all over it).

And the rest is "meh".

(Oh, and I vote "eyesore", on both women.)

Off-topic: whatever happened with the haiku contest?

Anonymous said...

Just to keep this issue alive, I counted 0 black models in the line-up, or is brunette the new black?

GothamTomato said...

I really like quite a lot of these pieces - but NOT the one Kate Hudson is wearing. She looks like she's starring in the new movie, Carmen Miranda Goes To Jamaica. The other pieces that are in simlar fabrics are also seriously ugly.

But as for the rest, there's a lot that's pretty great there.

--GothamTomato

Mom said...

Not aesthetically pleasing: Those damn anklet socks, the legs on that model wearing the black top and white shorts, Polaroid-style model mug shots, and most of this collection including the boob-slings that Kate Hudson is wearing.

Wow, I'm not even retaining water and I'm in full-on bitch mode today.

Anonymous said...

ick! This looks incredibly contrived and uninspired! Is his name alone the selling point? Methinks the emperor is really naked!

Bittybis said...

I really like the pieced things. The blue and black gown is a little Morticia Addams, but gorgeous color. I liked a lot of it. But why do the clothes hangers have to look so glum? And I add my voice to the chorus: please, please, please, no more socks with gladiator sandals.

TLo said...

Lilithcat said...
Off-topic: whatever happened with the haiku contest?


The winners will be announced tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.

TLo

Gorgeous Things said...

Muffy dahling, let's grab the boys and go to the club, shall we? (all said with that clenched jaw thing going)

I actually like two dresses numbers nine and ten (pass on the ankle socks, though). The rest is pretty meh.

Gorgeous Things said...

PS - the dress on Kate Hudson? Eww!

Anonymous said...

Eyesore on both model and 'actress'.

FashionFanatic said...

I really like some of the dresses and some of the looks, but I hate the one Kate Hudson is wearing. It looks like she's wearing a flag.

Anonymous said...

I'm confused- listening to bow wow wow- taking advice from the dog or the '80s band?

Does it matter?

Beth said...

I swear I saw a sofa circa 1960 on craigslist in the same fabric as the 1st suit. Simply awful.
And what the hell is with the white "kitty" over that girl's "nether regions"???

Anonymous said...

I hate the guacamole dress!

Anonymous said...

Dress # 13 is FABULOUS! The look is a show stopper. I WANT IT!

Anonymous said...

8, 9, and 14 are my favorites. I love them. I could wear them in summer with ballerina flats or open sandals. I guarantee it would be a hit at my Country Club.

Anonymous said...

The Brown and yellow dress looks like a fancy skinned fish. Oh yeah, and it's "Bow wow", not "Bow wow wow" Zac!

NancyDaQ said...

I could do without the white-socks-and-sandals styling. Ick.

Anonymous said...

Was Zac Posen the guest judge when Kara Janx did her construction-sign-inspired inspiration dress? Because that yellow and black dress sure looks like Kara's.

Kate Hudson looks pregnant.

SUS said...

Resort collection or Golden Girls Lanai collection? Eek!
That getup on Kate Hudson is really hideous. Everything about it is bad: the colors, the unyielding fabric, the mermaid tromp l'oeil sensation that makes Kate's head look huge. It's a monstrocity!

Anonymous said...

Bernd said:

"Just to keep this issue alive, I counted 0 black models in the line-up, or is brunette the new black?"

Not only are there no Black models, but all of the models are pasty white (which I prefer to baked orange, especially since I am trying to rock the I-wear-SPF55-everyday look while going on a beach vacation).

Kanani said...

Oh.. hmmmm....
Hate to say this, but I laughed! Yes, this collection made me laugh. Not in a derisive way, but it just seems so kooky, so made-at-home, so Ramblin' Rose meets a 70's sofa, and the leopard get up was so Angelyne that I almost...cackled.

Have to hand it to Zac. Not many people could pull this off with models who look like they were pulled off the high school graduation commencement stag.

Bill said...

Kate Hudson in that schmata reminds me of Cogsworth in a community theater production of Beauty and the Beast.

Kanani said...

Bill....
LOVE IT! You're right on the mark!

Anonymous said...

Zac Posen is so overrated, I never liked him as a designer, but he was a good judge on the show. I love how he critiqued VictorYA's candy dress and how the model walked.

Anonymous said...

Fug, with one exception....I did sort of like the very draped dress in the weird iridescent purplish fabric with the big slit up the side.

Kate Hudson looks like she's wearing the flag of some small African nation. Seriously fug, and highlighting the "pooch" area that no woman wants highlighted.

And...."Bow wow wow"? As in the '80's band that did "I want candy"? What debutante nowadays is listening to pop music from 20 years ago?

Anonymous said...

I see "resort" in only a few of the outfits, but there is, once again, as there had been for The Duchess' collection , a disconnect between the models and the garments that is jarring.

Boy, one of those models has clavicles that protrude so markedly those bones looke like a prosthesis under the skin...

I'm not sold on this effort from Z.P.

All the best,

NDC

gloria said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
gloria said...

More scary looking, seriously
anoexic, very WHITE models.
At this point - I can't even look at the clothes. I want to take all
those children home and feed them
for at least a week. And find out why they all look so unhappy - yes I know it's "the model pose" but for heaven sake LOOK at them. They look one barf away from a serious break down. And did I mention WHITE...very WHITE...

Anonymous said...

I agree, Boys!

I love the (Prada-influenced, no?) floral with long blouses. Heck, I even like the white socks! Why not? (see Prada)

I like that there's no sign of preppy in this collection. Or sleaze, either. It's got a very fresh vibe.

-- desertwind

Anonymous said...

PS -- Those green/yellow/red patchwork outfits (and, are those Lions of Judah?) would look great on a naturally dark-skinned Diva.

-- desertwind

Sewing Siren said...

TLo said...


The winners will be announced tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.

TLo


Can. Not. Wait!

Stubenville said...

Bill said... Kate Hudson in that schmata

Bill, you nailed it - that dress is the definition of schmata (rag.)

As for 'lucky' outfit number 13, a house cleaner I employed long ago wore something like that when she dusted my place. It's unspeakably hideous and probably rash inducing. And what's with the big Z and P - Zac WANTS people to know he created that mess?

Anonymous said...

EEK! That third to the last with the big yellow stripes! Kinda made me vision that un-Real Housewife of New York City gal. She would so wear that! Y'know, the tall blonde with the bizarre husband who posed for those tacky, tacky South of Florida nude shots. *shudder*

Anonymous said...

Zac Posen would get aufed in the first challenge.

Anonymous said...

I would wear any one of these outfits I'd be hiding somewhere not out cruising. It's a hideous collection!

Anonymous said...

zac posen's gorgeous on kate hudson!!! those colors are so lovely with her hair.

Another Suburban Mom said...

Wow! That was a lot of fug!

Gidget Bananas said...

Oy vey!

Hutchlover said...

Um, uggggllleee for the most part. Give me Michael Kors any day. Both the prints & the cut & paste designs.

Anonymous said...

What's the point of wearing something that's just ugly from start to finish?

Anonymous said...

Ugh. I don't have the stomach to break each "design" down. En totale: FUG!!!
And, the models all look like they are posing for mug shots, or maybe FUG shots!!!
-----StkrShock

Anonymous said...

The worst was the one with the white cat crawling over the Maryland State flag.

Beth said...

-----StkrShock said: And, the models all look like they are posing for mug shots, or maybe FUG shots!!!


too frigging funny.

Rainwood said...

Boys, your 'nice tight cohesion' comment has me baffled. This collection seemed all over the place and Style's reference to the 'wide range' of clothes seems to quietly acknowledge the scattered focus. A few of the looks are lovely, but most are just odd. What is even odder is these clothes seem too old for these very young models and so the clothes look kind of matronly when they otherwise wouldn't. And black gladiator flats on white, white legs is not a good look.

Poor Kate Hudson. That dress would look terrible on anybody. And did.

Anonymous said...

WORST! YELLOW! EVER!

It's the same color you get when a darker marker or ink bleeds into the tip of your highlighter.

FashionFanatic said...

Anonymous said...

Ugh. I don't have the stomach to break each "design" down. En totale: FUG!!!
And, the models all look like they are posing for mug shots, or maybe FUG shots!!!


Hilarious! That's how they usually shoot resort collections. I never liked it.

-----


Rainwood said...
Boys, your 'nice tight cohesion' comment has me baffled. This collection seemed all over the place and Style's reference to the 'wide range' of clothes seems to quietly acknowledge the scattered focus.


A collection can have a wide range and still be cohesive. Cohesiveness has nothing to do with range.

Anonymous said...

Is there something wrong with me? I love this collection. OK, the cat crawling up her dress is a little too much, but aside from that, I thought those were great looks.

Anonymous said...

I have absolutely nothing against Zac Posen, but with each collection it appears he's trying harder and harder to distinguish himself as this nouveau cool designer.

I agree, some of the looks are a bit "mature" for today's modern, young debutante (hey, I watch Gossip Girl, so I know for sure). But, then again, this collection just might appeal to the schizophrenic, young deb who wants desperately to stand out in the crowd.

- edina -

Anonymous said...

The yellow, plastic dress with black spots might be the ugliest dress I have ever seen.

I rather like the white one that comes next, though.

I really like the style of the blindingly yellow dress, but the color gave me a headache.

As for the one that Ms. Hudson is wearing, I sort of like it, but the color combo is so weird that it detracts. Too bad. It's almost a great dress.

I would like to join the "no-ankle-socks-with-sandals club. Where do I send my membership fee?

Brooklyn Bomber said...

I don't understand most of these clothes. He has achieved the impossible: he's made 15 year old wearing a sheer mesh top and no bra look dumpy. Kate Hudson's dress, as MK would have said, is a lotta look. She'd have bee better off in the little black dress under the Grranimal dress.

trishaaa. said...

eyesore. i had to squint

Anonymous said...

I dont understand why Kate Hudson's dress has that weird blue coloured belt buckle... it is not a colour picked up anywhere else int he dress at all.

Anonymous said...

I vote eyesore also. Those are summer resort colors??! (shudder)

Anonymous said...

If Zac asked me to choose one piece from his collection I would honestly have to say, "Uh, no thank you."

The models look far from healthy - wan and ill-humored.

What resort in hell ARE these clothes for?

Anonymous said...

I think I saw a few of these dresses when I took my Grammie to BINGO NIGHT at the Seminole Casino. Is that what he means by country club?

Anonymous said...

lilithcat said: "I completely hate those yellow/black/blue fringed things. They look like "Indian maiden" Hallowe'en costumes from 50 years ago."

That's just what I thought. They reminded me of camping blankets, too.

Most of it is fug, but there are a few looks here that I like. The black mini dress is nice--i'm digging the big sequins arranged in stripes-- and that purpley draped gown is a knock-out.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:22 said:
"What resort in hell ARE these clothes for?"

Hotel California?

Sewhat? said...

Can you imagine the comments from the judges if the dress on Kate Hudson came down the runway on PR?

Anonymous said...

I vote eyesore. Not an "in or out" day, but OUT!

Hate the "Z P" blocked dress, too. My eyes hurt.

It may be the element of surprise - some of these looks are quite pretty and fun. And then there are the clunkers. It hurts all the more.

Sewing Siren said...

The iridescent draped gown (and even the pose the model is taking) looks almost exactly like one of Claudette Colbert's costumes from the 1934 version of Cleopatra. He should have shown it on that model with bangs.

Anonymous said...

Every single model is white-skinned. It gets so tiring.

Anonymous said...

It takes a lot to make Kate Hudson look like she has gained weight - Zac succeeded in that! That dress is not attractive in the least and it made her look like she ate a few sandwiches - not a bad thing, but it didn't look like Kate.

Anonymous said...

To answer your question, girls: the yellow, green and brown dress is an eyesore.

And what is with the white ankle socks and high heels on the first model? STOOOOPID.

I like a lot of the other looks, though. Nice and modern and youthful. I would wear a few of them.

Anonymous said...

I never thought the day would ever come when I'd say this but...

Kate Hudson looks a liiiittle chunky in the middle in that thing. Yeesh.

Anonymous said...

Ewwwwwwwww.....:-(

ALL of those are HORRIBLE! And the little ankle socks with heels?

What was he smoking?

Oh and the "draped gown", does it remind anyone of someone from last season? It is the only thing I saw in the whole line that I liked!