{"id":939593,"date":"2026-05-05T15:33:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T15:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/939593\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T15:33:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T15:33:22","slug":"2026-met-gala-zac-posen-exclusive-interview-about-kendall-jenner-look","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/939593\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Met Gala: Zac Posen Exclusive Interview About Kendall Jenner Look"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tKendall Jenner<\/a> toyed with skipping the Met Gala<\/a> this year.\u00a0She\u2019d already gone 11 times (an even more impressive attendance rate when you recall that the Jenner\/Kardashian clan was unofficially blacklisted until 2013), so she mused to her team that she might sit this one out. But if I do go, Jenner proposed, \u201cI want to have a Zac moment.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe next day, the model\/influencer\/Tequila magnate received an effusive letter from a man she admired but had never met. Zac Posen<\/a>, who was unaware of her reticence, wanted to know if she would like him to dress and accompany her up the Museum\u2019s granite staircase on the first Monday in May.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tPosen has never been a shy guy. Not when discussing his aspirations, his aesthetic or his belief in his own talent, for good reason. With his Charles Jamesian penchant for unapologetic glamour, Posen was quickly hailed at the start of the millennium as a white-hot one to watch. And the industry gazed as he soared with a cocky charm to match his polished skill. And when he flew too close to the sun, they watched him fall, and then stepped over him.\u00a0The \u2018that\u2019s all\u2019 snobbism rife in original The Devil Wears Prada is not a total fantasy.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBut I would no more bet against Zac Posen than I would Kendall Jenner, so it\u2019s no surprise the designer Is currently having a moment again almost as riveting as the Momager\u2019s facelift.\u00a0Since his unexpected hiring<\/a> as creative director of the Gap, Inc. in 2024, Posen and CEO Richard Dickson have startled skeptics and made their resurgent brands cool again.\u00a0Last month, Posen was the subject of one of those epic New Yorker profiles<\/a>.\u00a0Last night, Posen, in a bronzed breastplate version of leather jacket, escorted a statuesquely garbed Kendall Jenner to the Met Gala<\/a>, where the gown would score raves, landing on many best-dressed lists. Shortly before that, he spoke with The Hollywood Reporter. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tBack of Posen\u2019s bronzed leather jacket: Custom GapStudio for the Met.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThomas Falcone<\/p>\n

\n\tFirst of all, what are you going to be wearing? I\u2019ve never seen you in a classic tux.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tRight. And you never will.\u00a0Gap jeans of course.\u00a0And I took the classic Gap Icon jacket and\u00a0made it leather but then gave it to these talented young guys who started a new label called SEXT, and I had them score it in this scorched bronze finish.\u00a0And I\u2019ll wear it with a Gap tee dyed the same Parian marble color as Kendall\u2019s gown. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhy were you so eager to dress Kendall Jenner for the Gala?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tWhy?\u00a0 Look at her! She\u2019s so beautiful. But I had stopped doing runway shows by the time she took the industry by storm. So we had crossed paths, yet never had the opportunity to work together.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tZac Posen and Kendall Jenner<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThomas Falcone<\/p>\n

\n\tWas it just the letter that cinched the deal \u00a0or did you surprise her with a gobsmacking gown?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tNo, I\u2019m not that designer who puts a dress on a hanger, sticks my hand out and says, \u201cYou. Wear this.\u201d\u00a0 When I heard the theme was \u201cCostume Art\u201d I started looking at great portraiture from prior centuries, then realized I wanted to find something truly iconic and classical that celebrated womanhood.\u00a0 When I chose the incredible statue called Winged Victory of Samothrace <\/a>that stands in The Louvre, I told Kendall how I wanted to collaborate, and she was all in.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat made the process unique?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThe process of making the dress was incredible. First we did a 3D scan of Kendall\u2019s body. That allowed us to build a mannequin that duplicated her form. Then we molded leather to the form that mirrored Kendall\u2019s complexion. There was no boning to the leather because it fits like second skin. Finally the draping came about when I took off my Gap T-shirt and started twisting and stretching it to match the drapery on the statue. Then we took the folds and transferred them to silk blend and dyed it the same color as the statue\u2019s Parian marble and draped it right onto Kendall. I wanted it to move as if she was Nike [the statue is of the goddess] walking into the wind. Kendall even agreed to a bit of body exposure there. Just enough so they didn\u2019t pixilate it on television.\u00a0But we couldn\u2019t have done this without the incredible young talent I was allowed to hire when Richard allowed me to create GapStudio. [The Studio also designed the gown Posen\u2019s longtime friend Claire Danes wore to this year\u2019s Golden Globes.]<\/p>\n

\n\tThat validation must feel good.\u00a0You feel any sense of vindication?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tNo. I was never angry at the industry.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut you were aware of all the head scratching that greeted your being chosen as Creative Director at The Gap, Inc. two years ago.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt was never my problem. I thought it was a great idea. It\u2019s a tremendous portfolio of brands. [The Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta.] I know some people were shocked, but it wasn\u2019t as radical a choice as people like you, who know my history, knew.<\/p>\n

\n\tLike everything else, fashion<\/a> has seismically evolved. Any designer today has to understand the business, be malleable, pivot and shift. Happily, I have acquired a bunch of different skillsets over a 25-year career. I worked for Brooks Brothers for eight years. I\u2019ve collaborated with Target and David\u2019s Bridal. I designed uniforms for Delta Airlines. There is my experience in media, [Posen was a judge on Project Runway from season 11 through 16]. I have always been deeply attuned to pop culture [he has designed costumes for The Paul Taylor Dance Company, The New York City Ballet, FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans and created stage performance looks for Celine Dion, Rhianna, Gracie Abrams, Arianna Grande and Kelsea Ballerini]. Being at the Gap has given me the chance to both play with and capitalize on all these acquired skills.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019ve been diligent in hiring young talent to work with you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI can\u2019t do this alone. When I first met with Richard he wasn\u2019t offering me the role I expected. The scope was bigger, the challenge greater. Because I am not the sole designer of The Gap. I oversee an incredible array of young designers at all the brands.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen I entered fashion [Posen presented his first show was in 2002]. There was a huge generation gap. Michael Kors, Narcisco Rodriguez and Marc Jacobs were still considered newer designers [Kors was 42; Rodriguez, 41; Jacobs, 39. Posen was 21]. But there is now a constant flow of emerging creators. And after more than 20 years in the business I\u2019m prepared to have a role in supporting the growth of younger talent. There is a groundswell coming and I want to help.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd the Met Gala still holds that same fascination for you.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019re kidding.\u00a0Sure it does.\u00a0The first time I attended was in 1997, but I was working as a staff intern and watching Madonna walk up the stairs in her Versace. My first time as a guest was 2003. Tom Ford was co-chair. I brought Eva Amurri.\u00a0Of course, it was a much smaller event.\u00a0[The theme, ironically, was \u201cGoddess.\u201d]<\/p>\n

\n\tNow it\u2019s a financial behemoth.\u00a0It\u2019s priced to make a row of floor-seat tickets to Taylor Swift seem like pocket change.\u00a0You can\u2019t even buy your way in without Anna Wintour\u2019s approval. So, does the event still have resonance for the public or even the day-to-day workings of the fashion industry?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt absolutely matters to the larger public at large. Fashion is now mass entertainment. It affects the box office.\u00a0[The Devil Wears Prada 2 grossed $234 million globally <\/a>in its opening weekend, just before the gala.] It\u2019s an integral part of social media.\u00a0More importantly, thousands of visitors, especially young people, who attend the Costume Institute\u2019s exhibitions have never been to a museum before.\u00a0They\u2019re a powerful reminder that art is for everybody.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd the Gala allows the greatest couture houses to present the best work of their ateliers.\u00a0These gifted artisans need to be celebrated. Their work seen and praised. Their work encourages people to dream.\u00a0 You know what The Met Gala reminds me of?\u00a0\u00a0Remember that gorgeous scene in My Fair Lady?\u00a0 Imagine what it must have looked like to be at the opening day of Royal Ascot, 100 years ago.\u00a0I would have loved to have been there. Wouldn\u2019t you?\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kendall Jenner toyed with skipping the Met Gala this year.\u00a0She\u2019d already gone 11 times (an even more impressive…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":939594,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3940],"tags":[4080,77,2584,43702,33999,260757,3432,16,15,163530],"class_list":{"0":"post-939593","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-fashion","11":"tag-kendall-jenner","12":"tag-met-gala","13":"tag-met-gala-2026","14":"tag-style","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-zac-posen"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116522700666250862","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/939593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=939593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/939593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/939594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=939593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=939593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=939593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}