43 Gorgeous Zac Posen Dresses We'll Always Remember

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Anyone who knows anything about fashion can agree on one thing: It's cyclical. The latest casualties of post-aught consumerism hit this week like a one-two punch: first, the shuttering of storied department store Barneys New York, followed by the announcement that Zac Posen was ending his eponymous label and would not be producing his recently shown S/S 20 collection.

Yes, fashion lovers everywhere took a blow to the gut last week, but as with any end of an era, it's always nice to take a trip down memory lane and recall our favorite moments from stylish years gone by. A homegrown New York City kid, Zac Posen emerged onto the scene in early 2002 and soon earned accolades from both fashion and Hollywood tastemakers. Working with model turned muse Coco Rocha for over a decade, Posen was also a favorite for the red carpet set, regularly dressing megastars such as Rihanna, Natalie Portman, Reese Witherspoon, and good friend Katie Holmes for everything from award shows to Anna Wintour's annual Met Gala.

While we will undoubtedly miss Posen's jaw-droppingly gorgeous gowns this upcoming red carpet season, we'll have to cross our fingers that some archival pieces make their way back into the spotlight over the next few years. In the meantime, join us as we take a look back at some of the wunderkind designer's best runway and red carpet moments that helped defined fashion over the past two decades.

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WHO: Natalie Portman

WHAT: 2004 CFDA Fashion Awards

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WHO: Mischa Barton 

WHAT: 2005 Vanity Fair Oscar Party

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WHO: Shalom Harlow

WHAT: 2006 CFDA Fashion Awards

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WHO: Lindsay Lohan

WHAT: 2007 Met Gala

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WHO: Beyoncé 

WHAT: 2007 Movies Rock: A Celebration of Music in Film 

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WHO:  Rihanna 

WHAT: 50th annual Grammy Awards (2008)

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WHO: Kate Mara

WHAT: 2008 Met Gala

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WHO: Rihanna

WHAT: 2008 American Music Awards

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WHO: Kate Winslet

WHAT: 2009 Orange British Academy Film Awards 

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WHO: Chanel Iman

WHAT: 2009 Met Gala

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WHO: Devon Aoki

WHAT: 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards 

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WHO: Christina Hendricks

WHAT: 62nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2010)

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WHO: Kim Kardashian West

WHAT: 7th annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award (2010)

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WHO: Eva Longoria 

WHAT: 68th annual Golden Globe Awards (2011)

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WHO: Christina Ricci 

WHAT: 2011 Met Gala

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WHO: Kristen Wiig 

WHAT: 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards (2011)

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WHO: Reese Witherspoon

WHAT: 69th annual Golden Globe Awards (2012)

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WHO: Leslie Bibb

WHAT: 2012 Met Gala

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WHO: January Jones

WHAT: 64th Primetime Emmy Awards (2012)

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WHO: Kelly Osbourne

WHAT: 64th Primetime Emmy Awards (2012)

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WHO: Coco Rocha

WHAT: Zac Posen's S/S 13 fashion show

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WHO: Lena Dunham

WHAT: 70th annual Golden Globe Awards (2013)

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WHO: Amanda Seyfried 

WHAT: 19th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2013)

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WHO: Uma Thurman

WHAT: 2013 Met Gala

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WHO: Liu Wen 

WHAT: 11th annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards (2014)

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WHO: Coco Rocha

WHAT: Zac Posen's F/W 14 fashion show 

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WHO: Rita Ora

WHAT: 2014 American Music Awards 

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WHO: Liu Wen

WHAT: 2014 Met Gala

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WHO: Rihanna

WHAT: First annual Diamond Ball (2014)

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WHO: Naomi Campbell

WHAT: Zac Posen's A/W 15 fashion show

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WHO: Viola Davis

WHAT: 87th annual Academy Awards (2015)

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WHO: Karen Elson and Dita Von Teese

WHAT: 2014 Met Gala

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WHO: Claire Danes

WHAT: 2016 Met Gala

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WHO: Emily Ratajkowski 

WHAT: 68th annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2016)

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WHO: Iman

WHAT: 19th annual amfAR New York Gala (2017)

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WHO: Katie Holmes

WHAT: 2017 Met Gala

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WHO: Miley Cyrus

WHAT: 60th annual Grammy Awards (2018)

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WHO: Tavi Gevinson

WHAT: 72nd annual Tony Awards (2018)

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WHO: Joey King

WHAT: 70th Emmy Awards (2018)

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WHO: Katie Holmes

WHAT: 2019 Met Gala

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WHO: FeiFei Sun

WHAT: 2019 CFDA Fashion Awards

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WHO: Winnie Harlow 

WHAT: Icons by Carine Roitfeld Party 2019

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Drew Elovitz
Director of Content Strategy

Drew Elovitz is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but has spent the last decade living and working in New York City. She earned a master's degree in media and popular culture from New York University, then began her career on the internet as the Twitter voice of Barbie. She worked previously at Who What Wear as the director of content strategy and also spent several years leading the social media teams at Teen Vogue and Entertainment Weekly. You'll find her byline on the site around topics such as celebrity fashion, must-have basics, beauty favorites (particularly nail polish), and wellness tips and tricks. Her personal style tends to favor the classics: She loves crisp white button-downs, sneakers, and skinny jeans—and no look is complete without a great pair of oversize sunglasses and a trusty leather jacket. After she finishes reading the entire internet every day, she can be found dining out at her favorite restaurants, trying new beauty treatments, or indulging her historical-fiction habit.