Jason Wu has been watching sales climb since earlier this spring. Rising cases notwithstanding, collectively we seem to have decided that it’s time to go out again—and to dress up. “People are going the extra mile,” he observed of the parties he’s been attending. You could say that Wu is going the extra mile, too.
Dressing up is what he specializes in, but after two years of Covid, Wu’s approach has changed. Cocktail dresses and gowns still populate his collection, only now he favors washed satins and recycled polyester taffetas over more traditional materials. He likes the former for its texture and attitude—“it’s less stuffy and has more life,” he explained. The latter he uses for its modern, even tech-y feel. Both fabrics lend notes of ease to silhouettes that are otherwise quite precious. Wu hasn’t lost his flair for embellishment—see the petal-like sleeves and bustline of gowns or the couture-ish peplums on going-out tops—but the fabrics are well-chosen for the current moment. Another way his party dresses are distinctive: the warp printing method he used, in which individual threads were printed, not rolls of fabric. The technique added depth and interest to his lush watercolor florals.
