Sunday, July 22, 2012

Wooed by Wu

Ever since Jason Wu emerged onto the scene with his stunning gown for Michelle Obama at the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Ball, I have been a huge fan of his work. He has a fresh style that manages to be both feminine and classy, whether it's a wear-to-work sheath dress or a gorgeous frock for a special occasion.

But his designs will cost you - usually several thousand dollars.

That's why I was so excited when he paired up with Target back in February 2012. I was there at my local Target store very early on Sunday morning, February 5th, 2012, so I could have my pick of the best styles in my size. I think I arrived at the store about 15 minutes after it opened - and even by then, everything had already been picked through. The one dress I wanted, a cute navy blue poplin dress with red and white accents, was no longer on the rack in the my size. I was so upset (disappointed).

Dress and Purse: Jason Wu for Target

I tried on a few things, and ended up with a purse and a shell in a fabulous aquamarine color that I knew I could wear under a suit. But THE DRESS eluded me. As I emerged from the dressing room with my new items, I spotted the dress on the rack of discards that hadn't yet made it back into the store. I quickly looked through the sizes... no size 4. But I would not give up hope yet!

I stood my ground, and a few more people came out with the dress, but not in my size. Finally... hope. A young woman came out of the dressing room with the dress, and I quickly saw it was in my size. However, another young woman had the same idea I'd had, and we reached the dress about the same time. I was adamant, though - I'd been standing there much longer than the other woman, and I wasn't about to give up that dress. I could see the sales girl wanting to side with the other woman, because I was very clear (and truthful) that I had been waiting there longer. I knew the sales girl had seen me, too. Finally, the other woman gave up, and the dress was mine. I grabbed it and ran to the register. I did not want to spend any more time there. I'm not a violent person, and I HATE confrontation, so that took a lot out of me. I guess you could say I just really wanted that dress.

In recent news, after the success of his Target collaboration, Jason Wu will be launching a new line called Miss Wu that will hit Nordstrom stores in January 2013. According to the news articles I read on the announcement, the line will start at about $195, which puts it much more in my price point that his high end, thousand-dollar designs. I am super excited to see what he will come up with for the lower priced line.