Month: January 2019

Jason Wu: Power and Femininity

Jason Wu’s heady blend of sleek sophistication and ethereal romanticism will be on display in our Jan. 30-31 Jason Wu Trunk Show.
Jason Wu’s heady blend of sleek sophistication and ethereal romanticism will be on display in our January 31st – February 1st Jason Wu Trunk Show.

What becomes a goddess most? A one-shoulder, tiered gown by Jason Wu in a diaphanous fabric? Or perhaps one of his sleek, structured columnar gowns that accentuate the feminine silhouette?

“I create clothes for women who are not only fiercely fashionable but also own their power and femininity,” Wu declares on his website. It’s this intoxicating combination that you’ll find in the Jason Wu Trunk Show at Mary Jane Denzer on Jan. 31st and Feb. 1st.

From feathery ball gowns to striped shirtwaist dresses that anticipate Spring to boatneck pencil dresses that can take you from day to night, Wu has the ability to blend American and European sensibilities, which helped make him an international star in just 10 years. And all at age 35.

As a child, he’d use dolls to create clothes he fashioned on the sewing machine his mother bought him. He debuted his first Ready-to-Wear collection in 2007 and was a finalist in the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in July 2008. A year later, Michelle Obama made him a household name when she selected his one-shoulder white gown for President Obama’s first Inagural Ball.  Among the other women who’ve embraced their power and femininity in his clothes are the former Meghan Markle, now Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; actresses Reese Witherspoon, Julianne Moore and Diane Kruger; models Liu Wen and Christy Turlington; and Gemma Chan, the “Crazy Rich Asians” star, who hit the red carpet of the 24th annual Critics’ Choice Awards Jan. 14 in a voluminous, off-the-shoulder, hot-pink and black Wu gown.

The former Artistic Director of Hugo Boss’ women’s Ready to Wear and Accessories collection, Wu was the recipient of the Swarovski Award for Womenswear at the CFDA Fashion Awards in 2010 and the following year, was nominated for a Swaroski in Accessory Design.

In 2015, Wu received the Fashion Star Award at The Fashion Group International Night of Stars and a year later, was named International Designer of Year at the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards. Among his latest endeavors is a partnership with Taiwan-based EVA Air to bring sparely elegant sleepwear and slippers with an Asian overtone to Royal Laurel/Premium Laurel Class passengers beginning this month.

Meanwhile, Mary Jane Denzer is pleased to present him to our clientele.

The great Kate

Welcome to our new blog, which we inaugurate with an appreciation of one of today’s greatest style influencers.

Sporting a slightly shorter, layered hairstyle, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is back after a five-month maternity leave following the birth of her third child, the oh-so-adorable-we-could-eat-him-with-a-spoon Prince Louis. It’s a crucial time for Kate. With the arrival of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who’s become a close friend, and the newfound confidence of a three-time mom, the always poised Kate has upped her game. You can celebrate her return with the new edition of Caroline Jones’ “Kate:  How to Dress Like a Style Icon” (Carlton Books).

The elegant celadon and white volume demonstrates once again why the duchess has been a style icon since she came on the scene in 2003. It is quite simply her ability to marry the traditional with the modern that sets her apart. (It doesn’t hurt that her style is accompanied by a personal grace, as when she told a curious little girl at a school she recently visited that the cameras were there because she was such a special child.)

As the wife of the heir to the heir of the British throne, Kate’s choices must be modest. Cover-ups, check. Beige heels, check. Bare nails, check.

But that doesn’t mean boring. As Vanity Fair’s Michelle Ruiz wrote recently:

“Kate’s post-maternity-leave comeback hit another high note at her first solo appearance as royal patron of the Photography Centre at the Victoria & Albert Museum, where she emerged, glowing and glamorous, in one of the most fashion-forward dresses of her career – a tweed Erdem with an asymmetrical neckline plucked from the Spring 2018 collection.” This is one of the Kate brands you’ll find at Mary Jane Denzer.

Another is Jenny Packham. In another tribute to her beloved mother-in-law — Diana, Princess of Wales, who wore bold red when Prince Harry was born, — Kate stepped out in a red Jenny Packham dress with a white collar to introduce the world to scene stealer baby Louis. (It’s her go-to designer for baby debuts as she wore Packham for Prince George’s and Princess Charlotte’s first appearances as well.

Brand loyalty, subtle messaging and a gracious heart all add up to make Kate great.