Anna Sui predicts a change in fashion.
“We call this collection romanticism. It is about the fantasy of imagination, beauty, heroism and folklore. I think we are about to change. Fashion is going to change and I think we are on the verge of something new. I’m trying to try a little harder,” Sui said during a preview, citing the widespread positive response to Chemena Kamali’s debut Chloé collection and the return of bohemian fashion.
“It could become something new, more romantic. Quiet luxury doesn't go very far, so we tried to make it more feminine,” she said.
Her clever response to today's change was a resort collection filled with ruffles, ruffles, peplums, lace, pussycat bows, prairie dresses (which she calls “granny”), and richly textured wardrobe rooted in simple, youthful wearability. Case in point: a sweet white lace ballgown with a bow belt that reminded Sui of a look Courtney Love wore in the '90s; Little petticoat skirts with matching bralettes or oversized cardigans, or a little Chanel-style skirt suit with a striped pajama shirt.
Sui mentioned his recent trip in April to Italy, where he visited the Museo San Domenico for its exhibition of Pre-Raphaelite art., fed the motifs of the collection's tapestries; wallpaper with floral prints “Rosetti” and “Sleeping Beauty”; mainly blue tones (along with another color story of black and lilac), and flowy dresses inspired by paintings of Italian nymphs and goddesses.
A light, lightly embellished blue denim with embellished butterflies (and matching boots reissued in collaboration with John Fluevog in spring 1993) or a denim corset top paired with a tweed kilt, grounded her layer-dyed looks nicely. romanticism and textures. Lots of fun stitches, derived from the designer's current obsession with the pattern, added to the collection's light and playful feel with prints or devoré satin, velvet and Swiss dots.
Overall, the collection champions Sui's sweet sensibility and wearability with nostalgic and vintage nods, all of which its increasingly younger and growing customer base continually craves.
