A Fairy Tale Season for Jason Wu

Though there's already plenty of Jason Wu discussion happening in the previous comments section, we thought the designer deserved his own post. Today he kicked off New York Fashion Week, presenting his Fall 2009 RTW collection. (Sadly, there was no appearance by Mrs. O, but it made for good wishful thinking. Maybe next year.) The New York Times has fantastic, full scale images of the collection here (thanks RJT!). 

Update: Fashion Week Daily has posted a video of the show here. Early reviews are more than complimentary of the young designer's Fall collection, which tops off a month of high points for Jason Wu. After dressing First Lady Mrs. O for the Inaugural Ball, and more recently, for the cover of Vogue, could things get any better? Coverage will surely continue to roll in tomorrow, but early going, we've found commentary from WWD to offer the best insight and perspective:

"[Jason Wu's] aim was to offer a different take on fairy-tales, inspired not by his own recent story but by the drawings of Arthur Rackham, who famously illustrated Alice in Wonderland."

"A delightful aspect of his clothes is that though consummately wearable they are not at all bland, whether the interest comes via boldly embroidered shoulders on a sexy sheath or in a cascade of frothy chiffon ruffles over a metallic skirt. Ditto the high evening looks."

Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan of Heard on the Runway spoke to the designer today, who elaborated on his inspiration for the collection:

“'I wanted to remove everybody from their element for just that 10 minutes,' said Mr. Wu, who noted that he wanted the collection to convey optimism. 'Fashion is about emotions. I want people to be happy and optimistic.'"

"When asked backstage after the show whether he was thinking of Mrs. Obama when designing this collection, Mr. Wu smiled. 'You know,' he said, 'she is the ultimate muse.'”

Our humble assessment: We love Look 3, Look 25, and 27. It's not a stretch to imagine Mrs. O wearing any one of these dresses. We thought the use of the black embroidered rosettes to construct shoulders (Look 3), and then later repurposed and appliqued on full skirts to create pattern (Look 25 and 27), was one of the most inventive aspects of the collection. The "froth" as it's been billed in Looks 33 and 35 won us over at first sight. It was in these looks that we most realized Jason Wu's "fairytale" vision for the collection. There was a starry twinkle to the dotted navy tulle gown, the look that closed the show, that would well suit our First Lady. Given Mrs. O's growing penchant for the young designer, who knows, we may indeed see any number of these dresses again in the following months. We'd love to hear what your favorite picks were.

Mrs. O to Grace Cover of Vogue

Portrait by Annie Leibovitz / Vogue

So widely rumored that one had to assume it was true, The Washington Post has confirmed that First Lady Mrs. O will grace the March cover of Vogue. Revealing details about Mrs. O's self-chosen wardrobe for the shoot - a magenta dress by Jason Wu for the cover and a black dress by Narciso Rodriguez for an interior photo - the Washington Post article also shares perfectly expressed sentiments from Anna Wintour that will be included in the issue:

"Change was the clarion call of Barack Obama's election campaign," writes Vogue's editor Anna Wintour, "though I don't think any of us at Vogue initially realized that would include the difference that was going to be made by First Lady Michelle Obama's wardrobe."

"It wasn't just that her choices projected a simpler, streamlined, more modern attitude, rejecting the ridiculous idea that the only way for a First Lady to dress is in the dreaded White House standard-issue uniform -- the boxy, anonymous suit that always managed to look as appealing, and as comfortable, as armor. Instead, we have a woman who is happy in newer, less obvious designer choices like Wu and Toledo....It's inspiring to see our First Lady so serene and secure in her personal style."

Further coverage from the AP provides insight into Mrs. O's feelings about the "controversial" Narciso Rodriguez election night dress:

"Mrs. Obama said she is aware of how her wardrobe is being scrutinized, but she makes no apologies for her choices — even the Election Night combination of ripped-from-the-runway, fashion-forward dress and plain-Jane cardigan."

"I'm not going to pretend that I don't care about it," [Mrs. O] said. "But I also have to be very practical. In the end, someone will always not like what you wear — people just have different tastes."

We've also heard that in addition to dresses from Jason Wu and Narciso Rodriguez, Mrs. O will wear a head-to-toe J.Crew ensemble featured in a two-page spread in the issue. We love that no matter what the venue, Mrs. O stays true to her personal style and favorite designers.  Will this be the best selling Vogue ever? We'll certainly be buying in multiples!

Update: MSNBC has revealed the Vogue cover here (though, based on other reports, we don't think we were supposed to see). We also hear that Andre Leon Talley will appear on the Today Show tomorrow morning to give us a first glimpse of the issue, so either way, we'll get the full scoop then. Stay tuned!

Update: Style.com now has an abridged version of the feature article, "Leading Lady", posted, here. Click on the slideshow to see additional photgraphs of Mrs. O from the issue. A video clip of Andre Leon Talley's interview on CNN today can be seen here. He says the Vogue staff, in partnership with photographer Annie Leibovitz, "wanted the cover to evoke the real Michelle Obama ... to show her warmth from within."

The World's First Lady of Style

Image via Flickr user cliff1066 / Creative Commons Last week we saw a subtle, yet palpable change in the tone of how the world's press reported Mrs. O's style. Aside from the sheer, unstoppable volume of coverage garnered by the inauguration and her place within it, the consistent theme was one of decisive admiration: if ever there had been any debate about who was going to be the First Lady of Style on a global stage, that debate was now over. Perhaps particularly interesting to see AFP, the largest news agency in France, home to Carla Bruni, headlining their piece in this way. Inevitably there were the articles that examined Mrs. O's appearance in 'get the look' micro detail and a multitude that limited themselves to describing her outfits and the delighted reactions of the designers responsible, both of whom had become worldwide household names overnight. Yet what we found particularly extraordinary to see were the less transient themes that emerged from the European coverage last week. In short, a whole-hearted, emotional adoption of Mrs. O which transcends that even of an international style icon and role model. In her article Why Michelle is our belle, Hannah Betts at London's The Daily Telegraph talks of a 'communal crush that spans the Atlantic... Michelle is unique in being sufficiently imposing to be inspirational, whilst not being so far removed from the great mass of womankind as to prove alienating. It's a fine line, this heroine business, and she treads it most deftly." Another theme that took root across Europe's press over the weekend was of how her inauguration attire aimed to "silently signal the kind of First Lady she intends to be". As Lisa Armstrong wrote in The Times (London): "On this evidence, Mrs. O is going to be one forward-going First Lady....with one dress Michelle Obama had to reveal her personality and strike a blow for American style. No problem." There was little criticism of the one-shouldered, winter white Jason Wu dress, rather a celebration of its chic, feminine modernity. Other writers referred to her "high-powered personality" and "soft power" as they spoke of the renaissance she represents in every respect, from her championing of American design to her intelligent grasp of the live issues facing modern women and the communities they live in. As Tim Shipman, another writer at the Daily Telegraph, states: Mrs. O's outfits at the inauguration "cemented her status as the greater fashion icon in the White House since Jackie Kennedy...but there is more to Michelle Obama than that - much, much more....not merely an informal adviser but the power behind the President and on some issues even a leader." We will leave the last word here again to Hannah Betts at The Telegraph, who put it perfectly: "Can one woman bear this weight of expectation? I think we know the answer."

Must Read Mrs. O

It's taken us three days to comb through all of the post-Inauguration Mrs. O press coverage, but we've finally narrowed our "must-reads" to the list below. We have to admit, we're feeling quite charmed by Isabel Toledo's lemongrass coat and dress for Mrs. O (as was the intent), so you may see the coverage lean in her favor. We've probably missed a few good articles, so please feel free to post your recommended reading in the comments section. The Associated Press: "Michelle Obama's Dress: What color was it really?"

"'I called it lemon grass because it's not yellow, it's not green,' designer Isabel Toledo said in an interview Tuesday. The fact that colors on textiles can take on changing tones is an important element when making clothes, she said. 'It gives the wearer and the viewer much more of an individualized experience.'"

WWD: "Pomp, Circumstance and Celebs"

"Isabel Toledo said she was pleased the First Lady was willing to go with lemongrass, 'a hopeful color that is so to the core of the beginning of things.' 'It could have been blue, red and more in keeping with tradition, but I really felt we could do something different,' said Toledo."

New York Magazine: "Picture Windows"

A 2006 feature gives us a look at the magical Manhattan loft and workspace that designer Isabel Toledo shares with her illustrator husband, Ruben.

New York Times: "The First Lady, in Ivory and Vivid Yellow, Tells a Story With Fashion" (and bonus video narrated by Cathy Horyn)

"Invoking another president with a glamorous wife—that would be, maybe, John F. Kennedy? — President Obama told military guests at the Commander in Chief Ball last night, 'I have the special honor of being the guy who accompanied Michelle Obama to the ball.'"

(For background on Cathy Horyn's reference - in a May 1961 trip to Paris, President John F. Kennedy famously said, “I do not think it altogether inappropriate to introduce myself…I am the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris, and I have enjoyed it.”)

Washington Post: "All Hail the Leader of the Fashionable World"

"[Mrs. O] has been compared to Jacqueline Kennedy, the last first lady to so thoroughly embrace style as a form of communication. Much is made of the fact that they both wore sleek, sleeveless dresses and had an affection for pearls. But the real similarities may be in the way they used clothes to set a tone for their husbands' administrations."

"As her husband's administration promises more jobs and help for small-business owners, and emphasizes creativity as one of this country's greatest assets, Obama's choice of an iconoclastic, immigrant female designer with a modest business sends a profound message of intent."

The Huffington Post: Michelle O: Fashion Provocateur?

Finally, we'll end with a YouTube video via The Huffington Post that chronicles Creative Director Simon Doonan's impromptu reworking of the Barney's New York window displays in honor of designer Isabel Toledo and our new First Lady, Mrs. O.

Update: Adding one more "must read" that provides more background on the fast rising designer Jason Wu. New York Times: "The Spotlight Finds the Designer Jason Wu"

At Last, Mrs. O Wows in Jason Wu

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

After months of speculation and hundreds of designs, we finally get to lay eyes on Mrs. O's Inaugural Ball gown - a gown for the ages. We are amazed and delighted. On the first day of December, we wrote a post entitled "A Name to Remember" that was inspired by the young designer behind the perfectly sophisticated, modern shift dress Mrs. O wore for an interview with Barbara Walters.

The designer of said dress was Jason Wu - a 26 year old Taipei native, former student of designer Narciso Rodriguez and finalist for the 2008 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize. Tonight, Mr. Wu won the greatest prize of all, dressing our First Lady in a winter white one-shoulder gown flecked with organza flowers and crystals for the Inaugural Ball. Of great interest is what Cheryl Tan of Heard on the Runway reported at the time of the Barbara Walters interview:

Mr. Wu isn't working on any more 'special projects' for Ikram at the moment but is hoping to get another call. While Seventh Avenue has been abuzz over who Mrs. Obama will wear on Inauguration Day, Mr. Wu said he isn’t focusing on that. “Oh,” he said, “that’s a long shot!”

As background, Ikram (referenced in the paragraph above) is Ikram Goldman, the owner of the famed Chicago boutique that bears her first name. We explored Ikram's style influence in a piece earlier this week, "The Mix is the Message". She is responsible for connecting Mrs. O with many of the designers that have become familiar names throughout the campaign and inauguration. In an odd twist, Mrs. O's gown shows similiarity to the design we predicted in interviews with the Chicago Tribune and NPR several weeks ago:

"Winter white chiffon gathered asymmetrically from an empire waist to one shoulder, with a gray-silver full satin skirt. A bejeweled diamond brooch worn off-center at the waist line."

With so many pointing to Mrs. O's penchant for jewel tones, we thought she might choose just the opposite: a white winter that we would remember forever. Indeed we will.

Update: Cathy Horyn of the New York Times is on the case once again - love her. In a conversation with Jason Wu this evening, the designer revealed that he didn't know Mrs. O was going to wear his dress until he saw it this evening. The designer went on to describe the 8 to 10 yards of silk chiffon, and many crystals that went into the design. "It had to sparkle," he said. The dress had been based on measurements and details provided by Ikram Goldman.

Later Tuesday evening, Jason Wu spoke with CNN to explain his inspiration for the dress. "It's about hope. It's about newness," he said. "It's all a little dreamlike, and we're making history, and I wanted to really reflect that." We can practically hear the well-deserved excitement in the designer's voice as he added, "It's thrilling. ... For a young designer, I couldn't ask for any more than this."