Top Fashion Designer Shuns Edgy and Cool for Beauty — and Gets Plenty of Target Love
Jason Wu Takes His Own Path at Fashion Week
BY Clifford Pugh // 09.17.19Jason Wu led off his spring 2020 collection with a floral patterned bralette and skirt, and silk trenchcoat. (Photo courtesy of Jason Wu)
NEW YORK — For the past couple of seasons, Jason Wu has taken a break from staging a full-scale runway show at New York Fashion Week and has instead opted for a more intimate gathering with his creations displayed on mannequins in a pop-up space.
But to showcase his spring 2020 collection, Wu returned to the catwalk, picking a window-laden space overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge and filling it with wildflowers and real-life models in romantic dresses and evening gowns.
“It’s about beauty. I have never been edgy and cool. I don’t know how to do it. I want to do my best version of beauty,” Wu told Women’s Wear Daily.
Earlier this summer, Wu and his spouse took a month-long trip to Mykonos and Mallorca — their first vacation in years — and he said the getaway gave him an opportunity to reflect and recharge. The time away in an exotic locale is reflected in the collection’s casual pieces, including a bralette and washed-silk pencil skirt in a floral pattern, relaxed trench coats and draped dresses in a crinkly silk fabric, with gathered 3-D flowers at the waist or bodice.
For evening, Wu offers his trademark gowns in a wispy tulle, with intricate detail at the neckline, occasionally adding feathers or lace for a dramatic look. In Houston, the collection will be available at Elizabeth Anthony.
Wu also teamed with Mizuki to accent his runway creations with dangling pearl earrings and earrings incorporating oyster shells and diamonds.
The designer is part of Target’s 20th Anniversary Design for All Collection, highlighting the retailer’s two decades of featuring big-name designers who created special looks at moderate prices. Target is reissuing more than 300 items from 20 of its most successful partnerships, including several looks from Wu, who created a line for the retailer in 2012.
New York magazine touts a Wu-designed women’s striped sleeveless collared pleated mini-dress ($40) as one of 13 items “that’ll almost definitely sell out (quickly)” while People magazine lusts after a white blouse with a black ribbon at the collar ($30) created by the designer.
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