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142 "I'M NOT SURE THAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD CALL CURIOSITY A HIDDEN TALENT. BUT I DO CONSIDER THE DESIRE TO CONSTANTLY WANT TO LEARN AND ABSORB INFORMATION A STRENGTH AND TALENT OF MINE." — Zac Posen Z ac Posen's passions and fancies are endless. He's the designer of choice for stars and socials like Gwyneth Paltrow and Claire Danes. He's a cookbook author, green-thumbed gardener, creative director for Brooks Brothers, Project Runway judge, classically trained singer, Japanese TV enthusiast, the subject of a feature-length documentary and forever a poster child for boyish good looks. And, he's been tapped by Delta Air Lines to design new uniforms, expected to make their mile-high debut in 2018. All this, as he designs dozens of collections per year for his namesake labels. This month, Posen, fresh from his Spring 2018 runway show in NYC, is celebrated as the designer for The Crystal Charity Ball Ten Best Dressed Fashion Show & Luncheon at Neiman Marcus. We caught up with Posen to find out what makes him tick — and tick and tick. Dallas beginnings. "I owe a lot of thanks and praise to Neiman Marcus and Ken Downing for helping train me and launch my line across the country," he says. "I did one of my first trunk shows in Dallas with Neiman's and Ken. I learned how important it was to connect to and learn from my customers." Zac Posen, exposed. If there are any sides of Posen we haven't seen yet, they will be revealed in House of Z, the documentary that chronicles his rise, fall, and reemergence in the fashion world. Posen calls the experience challenging and, at times, nerve-wracking. While he usually plays the role of creator, Posen surrendered all to director Sandy Chronopoulos, and let his life become her art. "She gained my trust, and we were able to build a strong relationship," he says. See the film on vogue.com, beginning September 6. Fashionable domestication. Cooking is how Posen unwinds — he calls it his fashion detox. Somehow he found the time to compile favorite seasonal recipes (among them, dashi-glazed lotus root and beer-can chicken) in his book Cooking with Zac ($35, Rodale Books), to be released October 10. When entertaining, The CURIOUS Life of Zac Posen BY LISA COLLINS SHADDOCK Chef Posen A dish from Cooking with Zac ZAC Zac Posen Belay bag Leslie Mann in Zac Posen at the 2017 Academy Awards Posen's playlist of 1930s hits and Frank Sinatra sets the mood. In pursuit. Whatever the challenge, Posen is up for it. A willingness to leap wholeheartedly into uncharted territory is a way of life. "The only way to evolve is to try things outside your comfort zone and start a new adventure," he says.