The Young Guns - ZAC POSEN:
This has been quite year for the 23- year- old designer who held his first formal runway show in 2002, as part of Gen Art's Fresh Faces of Fashion. The charismatic young man- known for his thick black head of hair and statement making eyebrows, who is most often accompanied by famous young friends such as Natalie Portman or Claire Danes (who also happen to be loyal customers) just won the 2004 Swarovski Perry Ellis Award for Ready-to-Wear, and also gained a brand new business partner- Sean 'P'. Diddy Combs. Not too shabby.

This season was his second time showing at the Bryant Park Tents and as a fitting testament to his star power and popularity, it was the most scarily over- crowded scene of the week marked by pushing, shoving, and the paparazzi going into a frenzy at the sighting of Paris Hilton bedecked in plunge front sequined dress with her little pooch in tow. Posen's spring collection, 'Trinity', was sponsored by Cartier (who of course contributed the bijoux), and was styled by the legendary Lori Goldstein. While Posen admits he loves women, always strives to make them look beautiful, and loves to celebrate the female form through his take on 1940's glamour, this time it all seemed 'easier', sportier, and more classic as evidenced in his embrace of the preppy- polos, 'argyles' (well, okay, so he did them in chain) and the nautical- sailor shorts and skirts. He also went downright practical, Teflon coating his white on white pieces to make them more practical, and using Lycra to render the designs more comfortable and wearable. And while Zac has always been known for exuberant color and arresting pattern, what was interesting this time was that in the end, his most effective items were not the colorful tribal/preppy/ 'fusion' prints he used, but the clean white on white pieces that began the show. Also worth mentioning were his flowing and beautifully cut, black evening gowns- some of which had billowing, cape like backs that moved beautifully coming down the runway and seemed to open up in the wind.