Jason Wu, the designer who was thrust into the spotlight after designing Michelle Obama’s beautiful gown for the inaugural ball, designed this hot little number for his Pre-Fall 2010 collection. I’d kill to wear anything in that collection, but I particularly love this gorgeous cocktail dress for many reasons.

Black lace: it can be trashy, it can be sophisticated; it can be schoolgirl, it can be stripper. But this dress has the best of both worlds – classiness and sex appeal. The tight, corset-like bodice is sexy, and made somehow softer and grittier by the black lace (and perhaps crinoline?) laid over it. The cinched waist is a dream (on a 6 foot tall size 0, anyway) and the draping of the skirt has the originality and impeccable handiwork of far more experienced designers than Wu. And let’s not ignore those stockings, which would be hard to pull off without seeming a bit extreme, but they are magnificent. Sexy as hell because of the sheerness, and the vertical stripes of course elongate the hell out of those already enviably long legs.

It’s certainly a dark, heavy look (not exactly something you’d wear to a spring wedding), but dammit, emo girls need couture too.