Archive for February, 2012
Photo courtesy of Target
Visit the Jason Wu for Target site here.
Jason Wu is a designer who slowly but surely grew on me. I had the very special opportunity to meet him once. He was as kind and gentle as his clothes. One of the clearest lessons I’ve learned from my short experience in fashion is that designers’ personalities – if they’re real designers and not just copycats – are wholeheartedly reflected in the clothing. The “Jason Wu girl” truly is the Jason Wu girl; sweet, flirty, and unabashedly pretty. In fact, it was the chance meeting with Jason Wu that kicked off the whole “Ladylike Amy” series of personal outfit posts I did over the summer, although I never explicitly stated that he was the influence. It seemed crass at the time. Our conversation about fashion got the wheels turning in my head as I pondered my own personal style in light of his advice.
But now that his first mass-market collection is premiering at Target this Sunday, it seemed right to share my personal experience meeting the man himself. He has great respect for street-style and street-fashion, going so far as to collaborate with KAWS on his Spring 2012 collection and hiring Tommy Ton to shoot an ad campaign. He skillfully marries the concept of a lady with a youthful, cosmopolitan vibe without venturing into the gimmicky. Jason Wu truly is a great designer.
What are your favorite pieces? Will you be waiting in line this Sunday or trying to get your favorite item online?
I rarely (read: never) go street-style hunting in the Loop financial district surrounding LaSalle. Why, you ask? Because for the most part, it’s your typical conservative business casual looks worn by the legions of employees in the financial, legal, and corporate management industries. I worked in the Accenture building at Lake and LaSalle for a year, so before you jump down my throat let me just say I know what I’m talking about (and yes there are plenty of exceptions, but not enough to warrant me going out of my way). People who work in offices tend to dress so as not to rock the boat, which is exactly the opposite of what I look for. I love boat rockers.
I just so happened to be running an errand on the west side of the Loop (read: stuffing my face at Hannah’s Bretzel at Washington and LaSalle) when I spotted Chris. Even if I’m outside my usual hunting grounds I’m still looking for people to photograph. My street-style radar never goes off, as my friends will tell you. There was something about Chris – his energy – that really intrigued me. The way he carried himself down the sidewalk was very stately for being so young. Perhaps he has an important job where the weight of the world rests on his shoulders… Or maybe it just looks that way.
