Mary Kang
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TheHarper’s BazaarICONS party is one of the swankiest A-list soireés during New York Fashion Week, and Winnie Harlow knew just who to call to make sure she looked like a fashion fairytale for the fête, designer Zac Posen.
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Harlow, who starred in the brand’s Spring 2020 campaign, is close with Posen. “Zac is known for being innovative and avant-garde genius and I’m so glad to be part of his campaign. This was a designer-muse relationship at its best.”
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What they came up with for her first look for the evening was a voluminous off-the-shoulder tiered and ruffled ball gown in a lilac hue.
“The volume of the dress was incredible. It was absolutely an impressive feeling just to put it on,” she says of her fairytale moment. “When I wore this dress, I felt like a princess on my way to the ball, or a ballerina on stage. It was magical.”
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That ballerina feeling was exactly what Posen was going for as he designed.
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“I’m always a little extra in everything I do,” she says about her decision to change dresses.
“I left the Plaza Athénée hotel with a big voluminous dress to walk the red carpet with Zac,” she explains. “Then I went to change dresses and went back inside to give a kiss to [host] Carine Roitfeld. My second dress was as if I had removed a layer from the first. Perfect for moving with freedom and dancing while Alicia Keys was performing ‘New York New York.'”
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The second design looked very similar to the first, with tulle ruffled layers in a strapless design also cinched at the waist, just with a shorter hem.
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“I cannot even start to count the hours going into each gown. They are both unique,” Posen says. “Like all my designs, it starts with a drap, then a pattern, many fittings and lots of hours of perfecting. always have strong women in mind when I design my pieces, I want them to highlight their confidence and to empower them. Patience is key and always worth it.”
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And it was especially easy to design with his superstar muse in mind.
“I always have strong women in mind when I design my pieces, I want them to highlight their confidence and to empower them. I love women shapes and forms and I love celebrating women.”
source: people.com