Items from the upcoming Jason Wu collection
at Target include this jersey dress in red
and navy stripes, $34.99, and this cat tote
in cream, $39.99.
McClatchy-Tribune

Local Target stores might have another fashion stampede on their hands this Sunday when the highly anticipated Jason Wu clothing line is released by the mass retailer.

The 53-piece Jason Wu for Target collection features 1950s and 1960s-inspired women’s apparel and accessories ranging from $19.99 to $59.99, a price point that excites Fresno State student and fashion enthusiast Reyna Cazares.

“There are a few pieces that I really like from the line,” said Cazares, who is also vice president of the Fresno State club Fashion INC. “I think it’s a good thing for Target to do these collaborations because the economy is down and it’s a good step to make Target more fashion-conscious.”

Designer Wu received national recognition in 2008 when he designed first lady Michelle Obama’s inaugural ball gown. Since then, the Taiwanese designer has received praise from the fashion world, including his celebrity clients Natalie Portman and Diane Kruger.

The collaboration was announced in October of last year, and photos of the pieces were released in mid-January, keeping Wu fans on edge until the official release date of Feb. 5.

The Target line draws inspiration from his spring 2011-12 ready-to-wear collection. It mirrors many of the feminine silhouettes Wu showed at New York Fashion Week late last year. He also incorporates the pastel-colored shades present in many of the 2011-12 spring and summer collections. These qualities keep the Target collection “on trend,” Cazares said.

“I really like the pink, pastel-colored dress with yellow stripes and black stripes,” she said.

The dress is featured in a print and online advertising campaign and is selling for $39.99. She is also a fan of the T-shirt advertised in a TV and Internet commercial that features a black cat wearing a red bow tie, a piece many bloggers and fashion writers say is “adorable.”

Other pieces include a front-flap, baby-blue floral print bag with a ticket price of $39.99, as well as a pleated, sleeveless navy blue dress with white dots for $39.99.

The collection will only be available in some Target stores throughout the U.S. and on the official Target website. Three Target stores in the Fresno and Clovis areas will carry the collection, including the River Park store and both Clovis stores.

Nick Quenga, a manager who oversees the clothing department at the Target located in the River Park shopping center, says pieces from the Jason Wu collection will be available as soon as the store opens on Feb. 5 at 8 a.m.

“We’ve had a few phone calls and guests in our store asking about the collection,” he said. “But it’s hard to say if it will be popular.”

Stores throughout the U.S. saw an unexpected demand for pieces from their previous Missoni for Target collection, which was released in September of 2011. Local stores immediately sold out of many items and scalpers listed pieces that sold for hundreds of dollars more than their original price. The Target website also crashed due to heavy traffic shortly after the Missoni release.

Pieces from the upcoming Wu collection are already listed on eBay, such as a yellow and blue dotted spring dress that sold for $279. The expected retail price of the dress is $44.99.

“We understand that there is a possibility of high demand like with the Missoni line,” Quenga said about the Wu collection. “Our store isn’t doing anything different to handle the release.”

Target officials released a statement saying it will ensure that its customers know the collection is limited. Joshua Thomas, a press representative for Target, said to the New York Daily News that he encourages people to go to a store or online as early as possible to shop for the items.

Cazares plans to visit a local Target store the day the line is released. She wants to take advantage of the opportunity to buy a dress from a designer who ordinarily sells his clothes for thousands of dollars. She hopes people in Fresno take advantage of the opportunity to buy the reasonably priced items.

“Fresno people are a little bit more conservative in the way they dress, but a lot of the dresses are really nice,” Cazares added. “[Wu] designs for the lady on the street and the collection is very feminine and wearable. I think people here would appreciate that.”

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To view pieces from the Jason Wu for Target collection, visit this page.