Watch: Zac Posen On “Return of Elegance” for Spring

New York fashion has come to stand for sportswear and clothes that well … sell. Sure, there are those who still continue to push boundaries, but unlike their creative counterparts overseas, there’s still always an element of the bottom line folded neatly into the seams of every collection.

While Zac Posen not only boasts aspirational dressing for the fashion set and red carpet dressing for a rare and lucky few, it’s clear that he follows his own set of fashion-forward intuitions when it comes to design. His Spring 2013 collection, staged outdoors on the second floor of Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, was a study in elegance mixed with sex appeal — an homage to Truman Capote’s “swans” of old. Structure and architectural details off-set the fluidity and movement of fabrics, all the while celebrating the shape of the woman’s body.

Especially of note, we couldn’t get over the opening floral gown, worn by none other than supermodel Naomi Campbell (watch for her around :16!) and the jaw-dropping white gown worn by Coco Rocha at the show’s finale, complete with cascading tiers of structure.

Backstage after the show, Posen gave us some insight into his inspirations for the show. Watch the video to get the designer’s take on spring, and to see the runway show in action!