Jason Wu took on the adage, “sex sells” for AW16, but of course in typical Wu fashion, it was done artfully subtly.

Great Expectations

While some designers enjoy the shock factor of perpetual reinvention, others prefer to do a single thing very well. Jason Wu is a designer in the latter category, his collections always best described as sophisticated, ladylike. He never leaves loose ends (or bows, or ribbons) – and yet, within the tidy parameters he has made for his brand, he surprises us by somehow getting better every time.

Dancing by Design

For a fall collection, filled with layers and long sleeves, a sense of movement ran throughout: long, rippling organza bows, and wispy tufts of feathers like undersea anemones. Printed flowers were animated by the natural shifting of pleated sheers over the body, while even the plaid design on heavy wool coat seemed to rustle, with crisscrossed lines out of whispering contrast mohair.

Second-Glance Sex Appeal

Although Wu isn’t a particularly “sexy” brand – at least not in the sense of Versace, for instance, or even Altuzarra – an erogenous element turned up through the collection, with the spine as a focal point. From dresses to coats, the backs of garments were tied with a neat – almost architectural – grosgrain bow, many with a sheer or cut-out back. See-through lace bottoms continued the peekaboo theme – sometimes layered, like a lace skirt over a lace slip. Various looks incorporated a detachable fur shrug, resting on the shoulders, accentuating the sensual femininity of the naked clavicle with a stark, horizontal ribbon. Overall, sex appeal for the true lady.

Words: R.J. Hernandez

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First Impressions

Wu took a serious turn this season, reimagining his typically feminine designs with a rougher edge. Colours were deeper, featuring terra cotta, charcoal, and forest green in addition to the standard black and white, while frayed edges made a major appearance. Also appearing throughout were wide utilitarian-style sashes, offering a more masculine touch to pieces like high-waisted pants and a floor-length cutout evening gown.

Frill-Seeker

For a collection marked by a departure toward severity, there were still plenty of frills – diaphonous layers fluttering off busts, hemlines, sleeves galore. Yet well-considered fabrics facilitated the balancing act between strong and soft. There was very little chiffon here, in favor of materials like thin snakeskin and a kind of lightweight burlap, both of which rippled with every footstep.

City Girl

Hair and makeup was no-nonsense: deep red lips and slicked-back hair for all, elevating the Jason Wu girl to boss status for SS16.

Photographer: Aaron Laserna

Words: R.J. Hernández

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Taken from the Summer Fashion Issue of Wonderland.

Photographer: Oskar Gyllenswaäärd

Photographer’s Assistant: Tom Hill

Fashion Editor: Sam Carder

Fashion Assistant: Sinead Brennan

Make Up: Jade Bird using DERMALOGICA

Hair: Susanne Lichtenegger at Ballsall Management Hamburg using BUMBLE AND BUMBLE

Set Designer: Thomas Bird

Set Design Assistants: Jeff Lambert and Ami Evelyn

Model: Oli @ Established Models

Words: Brooke McCoord.

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Dukovic fuses fine art with fashion photography to create abstract, dreamy and compelling images which capture the fashion world from within. He talks to Wonderland about the creative processes behind five of his favourite images from London, Milan and Paris.

1. Nicki Minaj

I photographed Nicki as she was arriving at a show in NY; she’d just entered the room for Prabal Gurung’s show. I actually shot this on the fly; I didn’t have any one-on-one time with her. I love photographing situations where there’s a lot of expression and energy. That’s more important to me than reading her in the first place and taking it from there. I wanted to make it more about making a stunning photograph, showing her in a different way to the plethora of slick images out there.

2. Hands

In school I studied photography and art history. I was always moved by looking at the definition of the light in Caravaggio’s paintings and the sensitivity of Degas. I particularly like this image because of its softness and color palette, which I find very painterly.

This image is of a model resting her hands on her knees while she was getting hair and make up done. I was just amazed with how beautiful and calm her hands were whilst there was so much going on around her: people pulling her hair, scurrying around… Most of the time a good photograph is hiding in the simplest moment. There should always be something in a photograph that gives a sense of a personal moment between you and the subject.

3. Jason Wu Red Lips

I shot this image at the first fashion show I ever photographed. I was on an assignment for New York Magazine photographing the shows in New York, Milan and Paris. For me fashion was a totally unknown world, so I was beyond excited!

I come from a street photography background where I’m trained to see a moment and chase it. This is one of those moments where I saw something and snapped it. I shoot only with film and I try to bring a certain amount of abstraction into my work, which I find very visually appealing. This image is an example of that. You can read what is happening, but the image makes you look at the subject beyond that of just a beauty photograph.

4. Roberto Cavalli

I’m very interested in the sense of rhythm in a photograph. This is a portrait of Roberto Cavalli shot at his show. His skin had a sculptural quality, and black and white film was the perfect match to bring that out. There was this one moment where the light in the room picked up on him in such a way that it looked very cinematic, like a still from a Hitchcock film.

When you shoot film you have a different kind of rhythm: you shoot the 36 frames, and then to change the roll you take a few seconds break and you look at your subject matter with fresh eyes. I think it’s really important to have that kind of rhythm and maintain your focus.

5. Chloé Show

I really do enjoy doing fashion as it’s so visual, but on the other hand that’s the difficult thing about photographing it. There’s so much beauty in front of you, how do you break through that to make it something even more interesting? This Chloé show was the only one lit with available light and it was an opportunity for me to make a new picture of a very typical runway situation.

In my photos you see a lot of blur, a lot of movement and energy – I want to create a certain rhythm in my images. When I edit I always need to carefully look at the pictures and study them to really feel convinced that this picture is doing it for me. You really need to find the images that really speak up.

www.paridukovic.com

Words: Laura Isabella

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New York has never been a tie-me-up tie-me-down kind of town, but after Blair Waldorf started sporting big bows in Gossip Girl, the city cant seem to get enough of the girly accessory. Spring Summer 2012 is welcomed with bows of all sorts including Wes Gordon’s elegant ribbons around the waist or Duro Olowu’s Rastafari knit bow belts. Badgley Mischka went for a feminine satin number tightly bound around waif-like model waists, while Jason Wu bravely accessorized with large focus bows hung around the collars of shirts.

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