September 19, 2021
Updated:
Original:

Jason Wu Fall 2012: China Three Ways

Jason Wu is obviously a hot commodity right now because of his Target collection; his name-recognition is at a high point. But let's not forget what he does best: He makes uber-luxurious clothes. Yesterday's show may been one of Jason Wu's strongest shows, both literally and figuratively. I heard over and over about how the Jason Wu girl is "strong" this season. The high ponytails (secured with bondage tape procured from a sex shop, no less) were meant to look like a horse's tail. Lead hair stylist Odile Gilbert said, "It's a very strong ponytail because the girl at Jason Wu is a fighter." The runway show confirmed the suspicions I had backstage that she could definitely kick my ass, and look chic doing it. (We hope Shailene Woodley, sitting front row with the Elle team, was paying attention. She needs a victory on the red carpet.) The show started with drum beats and a huge red door, meant to look like the door of the Forbidden City.
Author:

Jason Wu is obviously a hot commodity right now because of his

Wu used a color palette of red, burgundy, black, gold, and military green, liberally sprinkled with fur accents. Gold embroidery, Swarovski elements, and brocade added to the rich feel of the collection. The emerald eyes, achieved with MAC pigment and two different eye pencils, completed the polished, dramatic look. Per the lead makeup artist Diane Kendal, "Jason always does a strong girl." Do you see the theme here?

Wu also introduced minaudierie clutches for the first time this season, proving that he also has some marketing prowess. His handbag empire is growing with the recent introduction of the Daphne bag, which the ethereal Daphne Groeneveld toted around backstage.

The finale was one of the more striking I've seen. Even Anna Wintour took her sunglasses off and cracked a hint of a smile. Wu's girls marched out in rows of threes, looking like a model army about to take over the world, one divine dress at a time.

Recommended Articles

Photos: Imaxtree

Related Stories

Style

Jason Wu Fall 2011: Baroque Sportswear

“Delicate” and “exquisite” are two adjectives that often find themselves in the same sentence as “Jason Wu’s designs.” Let’s add “opulent” to describe his A/W 2011 collection, which featured no less than 15 different kinds of lace, gilding, Swarovski crystals, and models with gold leaf painted onto their hair.

Style

Jason Wu Spring 2012: Pop Art, Peplum, and Pink

Jason Wu likes a little bit of juxtaposition in his collections, mixing chic glamor with very subtle elements of subversion. This season it’s a print collaboration with a street artist, mixed with peplum and haute couture shapes. Throw in some Pop Art, neon, and chiffon windbreakers and you’ve got Wu’s vision of spring 2012. It’s a vision that worked. The prints, conceived in collaboration with the artist KAWS--who’s best known for warping street advertisements and beloved cartoon characters--did a subtle cartoon-y hand print behind a more classic Wu petal print. This print appeared on pants, blouses, and dresses. Dresses, as befits a Wu lady, were generally belted with fuller skirts to the knee. After a few black and grey looks, the clouds parted and out came the big gun color, continuing the neon theme he hinted at in his resort collection.

Style

Jason Wu Spring 2013

We're predicting an early trend of harness elements for spring--should we blame Fifty Shades? For spring 2013 Wu was inspired by the "erotically charged" images of Helmut Newton and the "dream-like" photos of Lillian Bassman.

Beauty

Backstage Beauty Brief: Jason Wu, Rag and Bone, and More

We're spending the week skulking around backstage at some of the hottest (and coolest) shows at New York fashion week to bring you the best beauty looks, new products, and gossipy tidbits that we pick up in our travels. So click through to check out the beauty backstage at Jason Wu, Rag and Bone, Rebecca Minkoff and tons more.