Met Gala: How Zac Posen Sold Kendall Jenner on Her Greek Goddess Gown (Exclusive)

Kendall Jenner toyed with skipping the Met Gala this year. She’d 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, “I want to have a Zac moment.”  

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

Posen 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. The ‘that’s all’ snobbism rife in original The Devil Wears Prada is not a total fantasy.     

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

First of all, what are you going to be wearing? I’ve never seen you in a classic tux. 

Right. And you never will. Gap jeans of course. And I took the classic Gap Icon jacket and made 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. And I’ll wear it with a Gap tee dyed the same Parian marble color as Kendall’s gown.  

Why were you so eager to dress Kendall Jenner for the Gala?

Why?  Look at her! She’s 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.

Was it just the letter that cinched the deal  or did you surprise her with a gobsmacking gown?

No, I’m not that designer who puts a dress on a hanger, sticks my hand out and says, “You. Wear this.”  When I heard the theme was “Costume Art” I started looking at great portraiture from prior centuries, then realized I wanted to find something truly iconic and classical that celebrated womanhood.  When I chose the incredible statue called Winged Victory of Samothrace that stands in The Louvre, I told Kendall how I wanted to collaborate, and she was all in.

What made the process unique?

The process of making the dress was incredible. First we did a 3D scan of Kendall’s body. That allowed us to build a mannequin that duplicated her form. Then we molded leather to the form that mirrored Kendall’s 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’s 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’t pixilate it on television. But we couldn’t 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’s longtime friend Claire Danes wore to this year’s Golden Globes.]

That validation must feel good. You feel any sense of vindication? 

No. I was never angry at the industry.

But you were aware of all the head scratching that greeted your being chosen as Creative Director at The Gap, Inc. two years ago.

It was never my problem. I thought it was a great idea. It’s a tremendous portfolio of brands. [The Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta.] I know some people were shocked, but it wasn’t as radical a choice as people like you, who know my history, knew.

Like everything else, fashion 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’ve collaborated with Target and David’s 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.   

You’ve been diligent in hiring young talent to work with you.

I can’t do this alone. When I first met with Richard he wasn’t 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.   

When 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’m prepared to have a role in supporting the growth of younger talent. There is a groundswell coming and I want to help. 

And the Met Gala still holds that same fascination for you.  

You’re kidding. Sure it does. The 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. Of course, it was a much smaller event. [The theme, ironically, was “Goddess.”]

Now it’s a financial behemoth. It’s priced to make a row of floor-seat tickets to Taylor Swift seem like pocket change. You can’t even buy your way in without Anna Wintour’s approval. So, does the event still have resonance for the public or even the day-to-day workings of the fashion industry? 

It absolutely matters to the larger public at large. Fashion is now mass entertainment. It affects the box office. [The Devil Wears Prada 2 grossed $234 million globally in its opening weekend, just before the gala.] It’s an integral part of social media. More importantly, thousands of visitors, especially young people, who attend the Costume Institute’s exhibitions have never been to a museum before. They’re a powerful reminder that art is for everybody.

And the Gala allows the greatest couture houses to present the best work of their ateliers. These gifted artisans need to be celebrated. Their work seen and praised. Their work encourages people to dream.  You know what The Met Gala reminds me of?  Remember that gorgeous scene in My Fair Lady?  Imagine what it must have looked like to be at the opening day of Royal Ascot, 100 years ago. I would have loved to have been there. Wouldn’t you?