Sue Wong Goes Long With Tops Line
Los Angeles designer Sue Wong is known for her ornately beaded dresses that evoke an air of Hollywood glamour. But the dynamic designer, who was born in China and raised in California, has decided to expand her empire to include Sue Wong Chemise, a new tops collection with the same signature style as her dresses.
Wong said she wanted to broaden her customer base beyond the dress market. She first considered the contemporary sportswear market but then decided to aim for the social occasion department. “Through our research and through our contacts, we really felt that the sportswear departments were very fickle. They have no loyalty. Our dressy department buyers are incredibly loyal to us. They are all salivating and clamoring for the goods,” said Wong, who has been busy creating her tops line as well as renovating her new home in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles.
Wholesale price points for the Chemise label range from $65 to $99, putting the hand-beaded tops at a $200 retail price point.
The new line will take on the same themes as Wong’s dresses: the Hollywood glamour, Asian motifs and Venetian influences seen during her fashion shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif.
While many of the tops draw elements from the dress collection, the line develops its own personality when paired with jeans or slacks. Wong will use the same fabrications as her dresses, including novelty silks of different weights and textures, cotton, linen, and polyester.
Until September, the collection will be sold exclusively at The Neiman Marcus Group Inc. stores, with deliveries shipping in June. Deliveries to all other stores that have ordered the line will start in September.
“I think we’re going to stick to what we do best, which is really dressy,” said Wong of her expanding company. “[Chemise] really blends in the same direction of what I represent as a company and as a designer.” —Rhea Cortado
