Sunday, September 15, 2013

Out Spotlight

Today's is a Taiwanese-Canadian fashion designer based in New York City. He is most famous for designing the dresses of Michelle Obama on several occasions, including during first and second inauguration of American President Barack Obama. Today's Out Spotlight is designer Jason Wu.

Jason Wu was born in Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China)on September 27, 1982 to entrepreneurs who run an import-export business. His mother moved Wu and his brother to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at age nine. “The story of how I learned the English language is how I discovered fashion, really,” his English tutor brings fashion magazines to her nine-year-old charge.

He went on to attended the Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts and Loomis Chaffee, in Windsor, Connecticut. Wu learned how to sew by designing and sewing for dolls, and went on to study sculpture in Tokyo at the age of 14. He continued this career path at age sixteen by learning to create freelance doll clothing designs for toy company Integrity Toys under the lines "Jason Wu dolls" and later "Fashion Royalty". The following year, he was named creative director of Integrity Toys. He decided to become a fashion designer while spending his senior year of high school in Rennes, France before graduating from the Loomis Chaffee School in 2001, and studied at the Parsons The New School for Design, a division of The New School in New York.

Wu launched his ready-to-wear line of clothes with earnings from his years of doll designs. His first full collection debuted in 2006 and won the Fashion Group International's Rising Star award in 2008. In 2008 he was nominated for the CFDA / Vogue Fashion Fund award. And that same year fame photographer Bruce Weber shot the designer for W magazine's "Summer Camp" portfolio in their July issue that year.

Wu's early clients included Ivana Trump, January Jones, and Amber Valletta. He also worked extensively with drag queen RuPaul, ultimately designing six RuPaul dolls.

Wu collaborated with CND (Creative Nail Design) for his Spring 2011 collection to create a set of four nail polish colours that was to be retailed from May 2011.

He launched an affordable ready to wear line in collaboration with Neiman-Marcus and also worked with Target to create one of their most successful designer collaboration pop up projects.

In June 2013, Wu was named as the Art Director of German fashion house Hugo Boss overseeing the entire womenswear range.

Michelle Obama is a noted Jason Wu customer. She was introduced to Wu by André Leon Talley, Vogue Magazine's editor-at-large, who had been advising the current First Family on their appearance. She bought four dresses from Wu early in the year, wearing one of them for a segment on Barbara Walters Special shortly before the November 2008 election, prompting many in the media to consider her his "career-launcher". She wore another dress, a custom-designed one-shoulder, floor-length white chiffon gown, at the inaugural balls on the night of President Barack Obama's first term inauguration.

Appearing on the cover of Vogue, Obama once again wore a Wu design, a magenta silk dress. Upon her arrival in London in April 2009 during the First Lady and President Barack Obama's first official European trip, Obama wore a chartreuse silk sheath dress that was designed by Wu; the next day she wore a Wu coat during her visit with the Queen Elizabeth II. On April 2, 2009, Obama paired a "traditional looking" teal Wu dress with a blue-patterned cardigan designed by Junya Watanabe on her visit to the Royal Opera House.

Mrs. Obama again wore a dress that was designed by Wu, a ruby red velvet and chiffon design, at the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Balls.

15 comments:

DataLounge said...

flag: [ww] [ff] [troll-dar]
I never really cared for Jake, as an actor or as sex symbol, so I never really cared about the gay rumors. I started dated this guy a few months ago who was his neighbor when he leaved up in the Hollywood Hills. They were neighbors for a few years, during the Reese era. Met both many, many times. Reese was DEFINITIVELY a beard and my bf said that the guy who would get the paper each morning, water the lawn, etc., was a very nice guy named Austin. Cracked me up because I only know about Jake/Austin being a couple from the DL and my bf isn't a DLer.

by: Anonymous reply 3 09/15/2013 @ 02:45PM

prairiegirl said...

Good and really interesting Out Spotlight, Special. I always like the ones where the individuals work their way up from ground zero. I love that he started out on dolls - that's awesome. Creative play by children.

Well, it's au revoir, adios to the awesome state of Wyoming this morning as we end our vacay stay. It's been incredible and an absolute dream come true. I think everyone needs to see these incredible Teton mountains - there's nothing like them and truly one of God's greatest creations.

prairiegirl said...

Great comment from Data Lounge. Who else is that going to be? Interesting that Austin would be there in the Hollywood Hills but notice she didn't know his last name. I would imagine Austin probably told the neighbor only his first name.

I wonder if Jake's Hollywood Hills home was modified and renovated like the one Austin tweeted about? Because I thought Jake's HW Hills home had lots of shrubbery and whatnot around it. This would have been awhile ago, back before they had all of the additional brood - the first one came in late 2007, I think. It would have been at least another 9-10 months later before the next ones would have come, prompting the need for more isolation/secrecy.

It does appear that Jake likes his newspapers.

destiny said...

I love Jason Wu's clothes, so nice to see him featured in the Spotlight. They're distinctive while still being pretty and not over the top.

Special K said...

I am obsessed with the green dress I used as one of the pictures. The color is all wrong for me, but I think it is beautiful and an amazing example of a modern classic.

norwegian girl said...

i haven`t seen "zodiac", and are really concidering it. see, "my husband wnat to see "the day after tomorrow"...again, because he likes it much more than me. it`s an ok Movie, i think (great if you think about the actors), but nothing more than that. i think i might have been Reading they didn`t Catch the killer in the end of zodiac...and that sounds boring...so is it Worth seeing, except from jake?

norwegian girl said...

excuse my comupter...once again:/

norwegian mam said...

jake looks good With the beard i think. it`s kind of "him" to me. i don`t think hugh has ever been attractive, my opinion. i don`t trust "dataloungue" much, but when there is too much talk about one person, some things have to be true. i like the newest one. the everday life. like life isn`t Perfect all the time, but either way, the daily rutine goes on. i can believe in that sighting. just because it`s not more than a boring routine, like most couples have after several years together.
well, i choose to believe in it for now:) (so my me and and my husbands life doesn`t seem too dull;)

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Special K said...

Hi NG

I think Zodiac is much overlooked in Jake's performances. The person he played is a real person, and who is quiet and reserved and was driven to find the killer and Jake captured that so well. He played it close and quiet and I think that it was overshadowed by the over the top character that RDJ inhabited.

Zodiac is trademark Fincher, and it is a great movie, but I do think it ran a bit long, I think if they had edited a little they would have gotten an even better film.

norwegian mam said...

thank you very much special and anonymous:) i will see zodiac tomorrow, and then we can watch "the day ater tomorrow" With the kids NeXT saturday. thank you both :)

destiny said...

I love Zodiac ...... and that green dress too.

Did Jake appear on Kimmel already? Did anyone watch it? I don't recall seeing any discussion, and I thought he was on last week. I missed it myself.

covering for 9:08 before Special deletes you said...

Special won't let anonymous comments stay on the blog, so I'll cover for you. You owe me one. LOL


Anonymous said...

Zodiac is a good movie. Funny, a bit boring and very very long. I only watched it last year because of Jake. I'd recommend it. Not hearing nice things that went behind the set.

September 16, 2013 at 9:08 PM

the real m said...

Oh, poor Jake. I stopped by ONTD before coming here. In one spot re Prisoners, they labeled his photo Toothy Tile. On another post talking about his tits and ass comment, I estimate 95% of the commenters do not buy his I'm straight story and the comment total was over 200. Backlash. Honesty is always the best policy.

prairiegirl said...

Ok well it's back to Oz time for me, back to the reality of the old grindstone and asphalt jungle, lol. What a gorgeous, beautiful drive through national forests we had yesterday. I will never forget it.

Sayanara and Lord willing, see you later today.