First Look: Jason Wu's Miss Wu Line for Nordstrom

By Erin Donnelly 07/18/12 at 02:00 PM

Photo courtesy of Geoge Chinsee/ WWD

A look from Jason Wu's Miss Wu line.

Nordstrom's upcoming introduction of in-store Topshop boutiques has already given us one major compelling reason to camp out at the upscale department store. Here's another.

Come January, Nordstrom will be the exclusive retailer of Miss Wu, a luxe-for-less diffusion line from Jason Wu, Women's Wear Daily reports.

"Instead of just doing ‘Jason Wu-for-less,’ the idea is to explore the other side of myself,” says Wu, who recently collaborated with Target. “I always see Jason Wu [the collection] as my aesthetic, my design sensibility. Miss Wu is my personality. It was really fun to explore that facet of who I am—slightly more downtown, and with a more relaxed attitude.”

And yes, it is more affordable, with the 40-piece line ranging from $195 to $795, compared to the $1,700 average cost of a Jason Wu design.

Describing the collection as "playful and a little younger," Wu turned to '60s style icons like Jane Birkin and Marianne Faithfull for inspiration, resulting in A-line minidresses, silk bow blouses, mod circle prints, and stripes paired with feminine florals.

“Those girls had that certain something-something that really felt right for the image of this girl,” he tells WWD of his style muses, adding that the success of the Target line gave him "the assurance that there was a demand for Jason Wu at a different price point."

Um, yeah! Though his exclusive deal with Nordstrom only lasts a year, Wu plans to offer the Miss Wu line wholesale afterwards, with accessories in the pipeline for 2014.

Take note, Mrs. Obama!