Hugo BOSS – Resort 2016

The Boss woman, as Jason Wu thinks of her, is a commanding type. She's got an office with a billion-dollar view (the company's new headquarters 48 floors above Water Street has pretty decent ones, too, by the way) and a wardrobe as exacting and efficient as her mind. In his first few seasons at the German brand, Wu hasn't ventured too far beyond what she might wear to work and, with the exception of a dress here and there for his bold-faced friends, to her business functions afterward.

At his mini show today, he said he set his sights on more casual attire, but before you begin contemplating a Boss tracksuit, it wasn't as casual as all that. Yes, there were knits, but his V-necks were cut with a second-skin rigor. And, sure, his jacquard was inspired by sand dunes, but Wu's dunes are as precise as they come. Still, it was nice to see him expand his Boss universe. Those sexy knits looked terrific slipped into the waistband of wrap-style midi skirts. But for all the focus on ease, as with Wu's previous collections for the brand, his suiting remained the best thing going here. That points to two things: 1) Wu's skills as a tailor, and 2) the lack of chic, straight-up suits out there. Wu would be smart to make more of them.

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At nearly two years into his tenure at Hugo Boss, Jason Wu is, admittedly, lightening the “rigor” of his first few collections for the house. “Womenswear is still basically the ‘new kid’ around here,” said the designer backstage today, referring to the category’s relative youngness (a decade or so) at Boss, compared to roughly 90 years of men’s suiting and slacks (the company was founded in 1924). “I wanted to start with collections that related more closely to the menswear DNA. Now it’s a little less strict, but with all the neatness.”

That position rendered a result that might confidently be his most feminized yet. See: the sequined channels running the length of a halter-neck dress in whitest white, or the alluring striated sand motif layered, like a canyon’s walls, along a misty gray topcoat. We’ve seen these shapes at Boss before, but here they registered as easier and, actually, truer to Wu’s core, given their deft combination of refined chicness and urbane kick.

There was also a dash of surprising sexiness, most refreshingly so with a tuxedo jacket, plunging long over a bare chest and styled with a little choker necklace and patent-leather slip-ons (these were excellent in their simplicity), or a deep-V knit anchored by two minimal metal tabs. These looks were unexpected, but they were welcome and illustrative of a more adventurous Wu. It’s encouraging to see him settled in and branching out.

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