How Zac Posen is bringing womenswear to America's oldest clothier

The king of red-carpet dressing is creating a new repertoire of classic femininity for Brooks Brothers

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"I really think there is an importance to dress," says Zac Posen, reclining on a champagne-coloured velvet banquette at Claridge's Fumoir Bar in London. It's an early Wednesday morning and guests are breakfasting in the bright foyer of the hotel. Preferring a calmer atmosphere, the Manhattan-born designer looks every bit the debonair gentleman in the dimly lit, Art Deco cocktail bar. "We wear costume in everyday life; it's how you present yourself to the world," he continues. "It can give you strength and confidence."

If all the world's a stage, Posen today resembles a modern-day Fred Astaire by way of downtown New York: he is wearing a Brooks Brothers black-and-white woollen houndstooth suit with a silk roll-neck sweater tucked neatly into high-waisted trousers. "I normally wear a shirt and tie, but I wanted to be comfortable," he says. Posen has a well-documented penchant for tailored suits; this morning's choice is one of 40 the designer adds to his wardrobe every year.

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