Access Blogs
The Future Shines Bright For Mrs. O's Favorites: Wu & Toledo
by Mandi Norwood, author & guest Access blogger
Last week, you could have been forgiven for asking Jason Who? But this week, Jason Wu is a household name, thanks to Michelle Obama who chose to wear his design for last night's historic Inaugural Balls.
Now, with only a couple of weeks to go before New York Fashion Week, Jason Wu's show is the hot ticket. Every fashionista, socialite and celeb wants to get their hands on a Jason Wu runway pass. And who can blame them?
His dreamy Inaugural Ball gown design captured Michelle Obama's attention for its luxuriant layers of silk chiffon, organza petals and hand worked Swarovski beading. And for her Thanksgiving Eve interview with Barbara Walters, Mrs. Obama selected a Jason Wu Collection white silk sheath with black and grey hand-embroidered roses.
Both pieces have us all gagging to see more, more, more - and are characteristic of the exceptional talent that earned Wu a finalist's place in the 2008 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award.
As it turns out, he didn't win the coveted award, which provides mentoring and money for the recipient. But, with Michelle Obama's two priceless endorsements, Jason Wu has hit the fashion "Big Time" anyway. More effective than any costly advertising or PR campaign, the First Lady's sartorial thumbs up guarantees not only his name in the history books, but the lucrative recognition most designers can only dream of.
The Taiwan-born designer, who funded his fashion career by designing and selling dolls, joined a diverse list of designers handpicked by Mrs. O for their modern, youthful, classic-with-a-twist sensibilities. Like Jason Wu, not one of them has designed for a previous First Lady. And not one of them ever expected such an honor.
In fact, Isabel Toledo, the designer of Mrs. Obama's dazzling daytime Inaugural ensemble, relinquished the fashion spotlight a few years ago.
Although she showed her first collection in 1985 and garnered a cult following among fashion insiders, the Cuban-born designer shortly thereafter ceased showing altogether. Instead, Toledo has preferred to live an unusually low-key life, innovating and painstakingly engineering each of her own collections, punctuated only briefly with a brief stint as Creative Director of Anne Klein.
Isabel Toledo's collections until now have only been available through high-end boutiques (such as Chicago's influential Ikram) and department stores (like Barney's NY, whose upcoming windows pay tribute to Toledo). However, Mrs. Obama's appearance in one of her creations will force Toledo to reconsider her future fashion profile.
Already, mass retailer, Target, has enlisted other Mrs. O-favorites, Thakoon and jewelry designers Erickson Beamon, to create an affordable, limited edition line. No word from Target yet that they are also planning to deliver these shiny new fashion stars to the masses, but watch this space.
Mandi Norwood is the author of "Michelle Style -- What Mrs. O Knows" (Harper Collins, due April 2009)
Leave a comment