I admit I’ve been a little skeptical of Zac Posen coming to San Francisco. For many years, the designer’s career captivated my attention with incredible couture fantasies, from Claire Danes rocking an LED ballgown at the Met Gala to Naomi Campbell in this insanely stunning sparkle frock.
But that was New York. Here in San Francisco, we are most likely donning a Patagonia vest or vintage Levi’s jeans, paired with a perfectly oversized sweater. I can respect Posen for adapting to that aesthetic; He’s traded many signature suits for loose-fitting denim button-ups at Gap Inc., and dressed Anne Hathaway, Demi Moore, Da’Vine Joy, and Coco Rocha in looks befitting a Northern California fabric selection.
Something about it all still isn’t landing for me. But before his PR team scrawls an angry note in blood across my front door: I’ll add that Posen’s star power is much needed in our local high-fashion scene, which to me feels it could cave in on itself pretty often.
Last week Posen pulled a double duty, first attending a 16-piece capsule collection at Gap headquarters that was created by six Black designers — two were twins, so, five labels actually — who reimagined classic apparel from the brand. Gap co-headlined the show alongside Harlem’s Fashion Row, and we love to see inclusivity thematically timed for Black History Month. In nearly the same breath, though, I also have to wonder why no local designer was selected. Said Posen in Vogue:
“Revitalizing San Francisco is a huge opportunity for us,” he said.
Okay, let’s be fair before I throw a WTF at you, Mr. Posen: Revitalizing Gap, maybe. Revitalizing San Francisco? Probably not.
I don’t think San Franciscans are clamoring to meet Ashlee Simpson and Sheila E., especially if you’re not inviting locals to party. But hard truths about GAP include the company slashing 500 jobs a few years back, then another 1,800 in 2023, mostly right here in SF. So again: The star power from Posen and friends should help that. I don’t think the whole GAP ship was going down, but if it was — we certainly want to avoid another Bloomingdale’s situation. Or Nordstrom. Or Macy’s. Or even Joann, for that matter.
I’ll add something nice now before readers set their denim onesies ablaze and hurl them at me. First some photos for context:
This show felt straight from Hollywood or New York — the likes of which SF seldom sees. In addition to Simpson and Ms. E., we also saw Hunter Pence, Alexis Pence and even a couple SF notables, including our DA Brooke Jenkins. Someone told me the attendee fashion felt unimpressive, but I personally resonated with a lot captured by Drew Altizer’s cameras:
A high-crowned grey hat atop Lauren Harwell Godfrey lent a touch of avant-garde Thom Browne, alongside complementing monochrome hues and an understated YSL handbag.
Meanwhile, Bruce Proctor’s splatter paint denim evoked a bit of 90s coverall streetwear — and that was the homework assignment. After a half hour lag, the show opened with a high-energy nod to Gap’s golden era, with performers serving up signature moves from 90s commercials, like the khaki swing, Madonna and Missy’s mic-sharing moment, and more from Daft Punk. It all reminds me of this 2004 commercial between Lenny Kravitz and Sarah Jessica Parker.
This is honestly exactly what I would have done, too, and I’m pleased to report no one gave speeches. Nothing worse in SF than a fashion show that yammers on as though we came for designers to explain what our eyeballs are seeing. Of course, I heard all this gossip secondhand by a couple attendees because even though +1 was vaguely offered to me, I was down the street at the ballet where Posen would shortly appear.
For his part, Posen vibed a bit harried and standoffish, so I heard — and shocking no one. The snacks went untouched but the bubbles flowed freely, and the guest list skewed toward people of color; a good thing and not always common for SF events. The evening served as a kick-off for the NBA All-Star weekend that I blissfully missed, and apparently, many attendees neglected an opportunity to get custom stitch-work done onsite at Gap that night.
I’ll spare a long critique and instead offer a classic Michael Kors quote I recall from Project Runway: “This looks more like clothes to me.” Mixing past and present hits as the right move; I’m just not sure it is yet achieving fashion.
The Cool Britannia premiere at SF Ballet delivered its own chicness the same night, and of this I can say with personal experience. It’s here I’ll note that Posen’s beaux is Harrison Ball — a recently retired principal dancer for New York City Ballet. So, then, should logic link Posen to appreciate these world-class dancers; That felt evident in his designs for Within the Golden Hour, the sophomore act of the night where one of my first notes was, “Naked ombre swimsuits??”
There’s not a lot to complain here beyond how distracting it felt. It is equally true, though, that skin-tight suits like these allow us to appreciate the full range of dancers’ movement. And I read that these wardrobe updates from Posen improve on the original costumes 16 years ago.
The night felt complete if only because of a personal nemesis in local media whose feud with me I cannot divine its starting point. But whatever I did must drive their chiropractor bill up like crazy for the amount of times they spent averting their gaze on Thursday — such that they conveyed that I was a nonexistent plebe to them.
In some ways this behavior served as impetus for coloring my perspective on Posen today. Both he and my inexplicable sworn enemy carry overlapping reputations of being rather unpleasant for no reason. But I decided that absent no actual war with Posen, I am happy he is lending some of his light to San Francisco. I mean that, Mr. Posen, so I hope you’ll try not to hate me today if you spot this writeup and find my honesty unfair.
Posen did arrive on time for a curtain call at the War Memorial Opera House, while I’m guessing the Gap show continued to wrap up down the street. I loved Within the Golden Hour along with the rest of the night’s performances, and I wish the program ran a little longer. Posen’s designs made for a lyrical presentation, with my only note that he discussed how SF sunrises and sunsets played into the process. To repeat earlier phrasing: that was the homework assignment. But also, really now:
I just. How do I react to this with a literary nuance tailored to 2025? Oh, I know:
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Zac, Karl the Fog called and wants you to fire whoever wrote that PR copy.
Saul Sugarman is editor in chief of The Bold Italic.
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