Jason Wu s empire is growing at a clip. Three seasons ago, the designer introduced accessories to his namesake collection; now he s turning out a larger crop of them than ever, and he s nominated for the Swarovski Award for emerging accessories designer at tonight s CFDA Awards, too. For Resort, he s introduced his first swimwear. It gelled with the summery vibe of his entire collection, inspired by a New Year s trip to Puerto Rico and the vibrant colors of Old San Juan.
Wu is in a scuba state of mind, a not unusual condition among designers of late. The dual influences of sea and sport suffused not only the new bandeau bikini tops and zip-front maillots, but his off-the-sand clothes, too. The delicate blouses he s made a staple came piped with electric yellow trim. Little silk "surf shorts" were paired with Art Deco-ish flower-printed tops in his new twist on the summer suit. And the colors of the collection—not only yellow but coral and Caribbean blue as well—were unmistakably beach-y. His twist on the Baja sweater was a hoodie, but a hoodie classed up à la Wu, in double-faced cashmere with lace trim.
Even with his double-digit growth—this Resort collection, he revealed, is twice the size of last year s—Wu continues to buck against the perception of his work as simply fancy-lady chic. This outing, he said, "is a way to dress my girl down but still have a sense of dressed up." Just one more new frontier for Wu—even if you suspect he s still more comfortable up than down.
