More time with family and time to reflect—these are the reasons why Jason Wu said he made the decision not to put on a runway show after doing so almost continuously since 2006. The designer was in a “past, present, future” state of mind this season, having made a review of his archive. Hanging in the showroom was a Madame Grès–inspired dress from fall 2008, which he had photographed flat and open at the back to reveal its inner construction, one of Wu’s obsessions. He then had the photograph of the dress woven into a jacquard from which he made new dresses (see look seven). The opening look, a red strapless number with an asymmetric hem, was made from this textile.
Wu has been playing with deconstruction over the last few seasons, and he hit the perfect balance in this garment. The flatness of the raw-edge bodice and the sharpness of the exposed darts speak to the flat pattern and the pleats it depicts. What you can’t see in the picture are Wu’s “mille-feuille seams:” Layers of fabric are inserted in the hems, which sit together like layers of a paper-thin pastry or pages in a book (you can get an idea of such fine finishings from look 11). The material from which a wrinkled red satin gown was made was also a jacquard, and a photo of a length of fabric unfurling was made into a print.
Prettiness is a Wu signature, but the designer said he’s no longer in search of the idea of perfection that he once clung to. In this collection, a sense of ease and comfort prevailed. There was a mohair dress opaque to just below the hips, where it became more transparent. It’s shown with a drawstring-close “ghost” blazer in the palest imaginable pink of muslin-looking wool chiffon that allows the construction of the piece to be seen and appreciated. Wu applies the words “Frankenstein” and “Morticia” as adjectives to all-black pieces that have, he said, a Tim Burton mood. Falling somewhere in the middle of these more Goth pieces and the show-stopping evening looks was a glen plaid coat with a circular screen-printed hem.
Wu is a fervid fashion historian, and hidden throughout this offering were subtle homages to the greats. A photo print nodded to Gaultier, whereas his peeling paint-like frocks can be seen as a nod to Salvador Dalí’s tear print for Elsa Schiaparelli. The exposed back of the finale gown, revealing horsehair petticoats, carried the fragrance of a Vionnet design without being derivative. This was a confident collection that conveyed a quiet strength. And it was pretty without being Pollyanna-ish. “Fashion needs to speak to culture,” Wu said. With their exposed construction, his raw-edge garments have a “work-in-progress” honesty that acknowledges that life is not perfect; nonetheless, the quest for beauty, and the impulse to create, are essential.
