TSE Cashmere has a long history of collaborating with fashion talents. A refresher: There were both Hussein Chalayan and Narciso Rodriguez before Richard Chai and then Tess Giberson. The latest name in the company s cozy quarters is Jason Wu. Today, the young designer, who has actually produced the knits for his own label with TSE for three seasons, dipped a toe in the water with a capsule collection of 13 looks.
Wu s goal was to merge his very feminine and polished sensibility with the ease of a favorite cardigan. "I really wanted to push myself," he said at the presentation, where models stood obediently, each on her own fluorescent-lit slab. His balancing act was a decidedly attractive one. Pleated chiffon skirts peeked prettily out from hearty (or at least heartier than Wu s uptown fare) sweater dresses. He played the savage quality of a looped wool dress off a precise and proper tailored double-face cashmere coat. And a pleated and asymmetrically draped frock that he described as "one of my dresses that went through the washing machine" could snag him a wholly new customer. Inspired by artist Robert Ryman—and probably the endless innovative possibility of great knitwear—Wu experimented all over with texture. It came together to chic effect in a look that paired a rough, marled charcoal wool tunic with a delicate cream chiffon skirt embroidered with tight, ink black scribbles. Wu s collaboration with TSE might be a one-off event, or it could be the first of several. "We have to discuss further steps," he said. For what it s worth, it would be interesting to see Wu walk this way again.
Shown opposite Wu s wares was the work of TSE designers Dushane Noble and Jessica Groom, who had taken a softer and more minimal route with head-to-toe tonal looks in winter white, slate blue, and burgundy. These reflected the label s typical luxurious and uncluttered ethos and offered a hint of American sportswear in the vein of Halston or Geoffrey Beene, aided no doubt by the knit turbans that topped several looks.
