While I wasn’t exactly enamored with Michelle Obama’s white inaugural gown — my conspiracy theory-prone mind bets that its fit allowed for a Kevlar undergarment (seriously) — I’ve nearly fallen for Jason Wu’s fall 2009 collection. Likes: A variety of body-conscious silhouettes; strong color balance between Pantone’s soon-to-be ubiquitous yellow, cobalt, and nude. Graphic, black-and-white prints (very Kara Walker), plastic shoes, and metal breast plate-style necklaces added a bit of panache to sometimes too-safe pieces (see: 50’s Stepford wife cocktail dresses.)
As with most runway collections, one can spot pieces destined for smooth transition to ready-to-wear (again, the dreaded dress.) The truly interesting aspect of Wu’s Fashion Week showing, however, lay in his sociological strategy: Wu performed a careful study of Michelle’s workaday wardrobe; cinched waists and tailored duster coats are featured prominently in the collection, as are knee-length, a-line skirts. These sensibilities played out best on the runway : Wu’s models crossed the racial spectrum, a result, perhaps, of what the Times calls the “Obama effect” on this year’s castings. Moreover, they were healthy, comparatively speaking— some were truly toned, their muscles revealed as such, and not as a result of wasted flesh. The hair was simply styled, the makeup classically pretty. In short: We can relate.
+ Fall 2009 Jason Wu (NYT)
