Runway Review: Jason Wu Spring 2014

I've always seen Jason Wu strictly as an eveningwear designer. Whether you like them or not, you have to admit that the man makes wonderful dresses meant for the red carpet. For his latest show, that ended about an hour ago, he took his princess girl and made her into a tough woman, never sacrificing her femininity.

Karen Elson opened the show in a sparkly cocktail dress that only hinted what's to come. Shiny embellishment looked stunning when combined with almost military jackets. Box cut in neutral beiges and blacks with oversized pockets, they represented a great antidote to the womanly and glamorous frocks they covered. I'm guessing that Wu was inspired by contrasting elements in a woman's closet which produced the most successful looks in the collection.

A color, or better yet, non-color that has been a huge part of every show this week is white. As opposed to Peter Som's collection (presented earlier today), Jason Wu made his white looks with sensuality in mind. There were two particularly successful tight-fitted, uber-sexy dresses that are bound to get their fair share of red carpet time.

After white, the color palette slowly moved into sky blue. A slip dress done in that shade (and also in black) is one of those perfect summer dresses. Innocent, yet sexy. Minimal with maximum effect.

In the second part of the collection, Wu showed us both sides of his creative spectrum. He lined up the looks in a very clever way, to constantly keep you guessing. For example, a severely cut beige day dress (a nod to Jil Sander, it seems) was followed by a see-through slip dress which was then followed by a smart sleeveless suit perfect for the modern New Yorker. Jason Wu's customer is every woman and surely designs his pieces having that in mind.

The very last looks in the collection were all black (errthang [sorry, I had to]) and seemed edgier than the previous ones. And speaking of edgy, the two looks that closed the show were probably some of my favorite eveningwear ever designed by Wu. The first one, an icy blue meets silver creation that's totally minimal and reminiscent of 90s Narciso Rodriguez above the knee, and a full-blown red carpet stunner from knee down. I'd love to see it on someone like Kerry Washington, because the contrast between her skin tone and the fabric would look beautiful. The closing dress was worn by Kati Nescher and was also a great reminder of why Jason Wu is the reigning king of red carpet dressing in America.

Red Carpet Wishlist

Photos from Style.com