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TheWorldofAnnaSuiisa

FashionandTextileMuseumexhibition

Image©JoshuaJordon

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FAIRYTALE

‘I’mastoryteller.WhichiswhyIlovefairytales….The

fantasy–thedressing-uppartoffashion–hasneverlost

itsmagicforme.’

MagicisneverfarawayinAnnaSui’swork.Thefantasiesthatshe

spinsoutthroughherdesignsreflectboththeprincessinthetoweras

wellasthewickedwitch.TheimportanceofstorytellingisclearinSui’s

collections,andthefairytaleworldthatsheconjuresupisoneof

Icelandicprincesses,pirates,fairies,Vikingsandenchantedanimals.

ForSui,thelightisalwayscounterbalancedbythedark,atwistthat

shelovestoinject.Hermagicalshowshavefeaturedsomeofthemost

whimsical,surrealaccessories,fromanimalhatstogingerbread

handbagsandahobbyhorse.

SnowQueenEnsemble(Toprow)

Autumn1998

Polyesterfakefur/alpineappliquéCoatandsilk/nylonDress

PolyesterfakefurhatandwoolbraidcapbyJamesCoviellofor

AnnaSui;brass/glassnecklacebyEricksonBeamonforAnna

Sui;cowhide/glassshoesbyBallinforAnnaSui

Fairy-taleillustrations,especiallythosebyWalterCrane(1845–

1915[L2]),formedtheinspirationforSui’sAutumn1998collection,

particularlyintermsofhercolourpalette.Crane,ahighlyinspirational

illustratorofchildren’sbooks,wasinfluencedbythePre-Raphaelite

brotherhood.Theresultinggarmentsshowcasedrichcolourtonesand

longleanshapesaswellasfairyprincessdressesforevening.Several

ofthedressesinthecollectionweretrimmedwithfauxfur,recallingthe

fairytaleTheSnowQueenbyHansChristianAnderson.This

connectionwasaccentuatedbythefrostyshimmeringofthepanne

velvetusedbySui.Thefakefurappliquécoatisalsotrimmedwith

edelweissbraidandrickrackaddingafolklorictone.Sui’sfavourite

children’sbookisTheLion,theWitchandtheWardrobebyC.SLewis,

whichfeaturesacharactersimilartotheSnowQueen,knownasthe

WhiteWitch,famousforherabilitytoturnpeople’sheartstostone.To

underlinethefairy-talesensibilityofthecollectionasawhole,Sui

endedhercatwalkshowwithaknightinshiningarmour.Thefactthat

hisarmourwasmadeofvelvetandhissteedofpolystyreneseemedto

emphasisethechildlikeinnocenceandtheplayfulnessofthecollection.

FairyPrincess(Middlerowleft)

Spring2014

Nylon/polyesterlaceDress

Brass/glasscrown,necklace;rayon/cowhideshoes

AnnaSuinamedthiscollection‘TheMistsofAvalon’,takingher

inspirationfromEnglishPre-Raphaelitepaintingscharacterisedbytheir

‘luminousiridescentcanvases’thatstronglyinfluencedhercolour

palette.ButbeingAnna,otherreferenceswereaddedtothemixsuch

asthe1960s,arecurrentthemeinherdesigns.Therehadbeenabig

Pre-Raphaeliterevivalinthatdecaderesultinginromanticclothingand

psychedelicpostersaswellasexoticinteriorspopularwiththerock

personalitiesoftheday.Addedtothiscocktailwasareferencetothe

shapesofclothingwornbyMasaimenthatSuihadobservedonatrip

toTanzania.Thisfairyprincessdressmadefromtulle,decoratedwith

goldenlaceflowersandaccessorisedwithacrownandagiant

butterflynecklace,encapsulatesSui’svisionforthecollectionwithits

castofromanticPre-Raphaeliteheroinesfloatingdownthecatwalk,

recallingArthuriancharacterssuchasQueenGuinevereandTheLady

ofShalott.Annadescribeshervision:‘Everythingisfleckedwith

antiquegold,orshotwithpeacockshadesofmetallicthread…an

entireenchantedforestfilledwithsparrowsandsongbirds,blooming

withpoppies,waterlilies,sunflowers.’

FakeSealShearlingSwissMiss(Middlerowcentre)

Autumn1998

PolyesterfakefurJacketwithwoolSweaterandmohairSkirt

Cowhide/goatskinboots;wood/wool/plasticlunchbox

ThisoutfitisfromSui’sAutumn1998collection,inspiredbychildren’s

costumesincludingstorybookanimalssuchaslions,bearsandrabbits.

FauxfurjacketsstyledafterInuitparkas,oftenwornwiththefurside

inward,werethentrimmedwithedelweisstrimmingsusingfolkloric

motifs.Otheroutfitsinthecollectionwereaccessorisedbyheaddresses

intheformoflargestuffedanimalheadsdesignedbyJamesCoviello.

Fairy-talehandbags,includingaHanselandGretelgingerbread

house,reflectedtheideaofamagicalenchantedforest,athemeSui

alsoinvokedinsweatersandcardigansknittedwithfairies,turtlesand

dragons,andfloralembroideriesonskirtsandwaistcoats.Sui

considersherAutumn1998collectiontobeoneofherpersonal

favourites.

‘Sheisinthetruestsenseoftheterm,a

raconteur.Butinsteadofusingwords

orletters,Suiusesstitchesandseams

toexpresshernimblycraftedfables’

(AndrewBolton,AnnaSui,2010)

NordicVikingEnsemble(Middlerowright)

Autumn2015

Polyester/sequinsDressandpolyesterfakefurCape

WoolhatbyJamesCovielloforAnnaSui;cowhidebootsby

BallinforAnnaSui;cowhide/shellnecklacesbyErickson

BeamonforAnnaSui

‘AfterfallinginlovewithVikings,theHistoryChannel’sswords-sex-and-

shearlingspectacular,shemadeatypicallylateralleapintothemid-

centuryScandi-designthatreshapedtheworldinitsimage.’(Tim

Blanks,Vogue,18February2015)

Suidescribedthiscollectionherselfas:‘afullonNorseMythology

fairytale’.InspirationforherdesignscamefromtheArtsandCrafts

movementinNordiccountries,inparticularthewatercoloursandhome

ofCarlLarsenaswellastheneedleworkandtapestriesofthe

Norwegian,FridaHansen.Suithendecided‘tomakeitallabit

cheerier’(herownwords),byreferencingmid-centuryScandinavian

decorativearts,ceramics,furnitureandprintedtextileswhile

simultaneouslylookingbackwardstoaddamoreprimitivepagan

elementemphasisedbytheuseofshearlingandfur.Thecollection,

whichincludedprintsoffolklorictapestries,needleworkandcrochet

thatwerethenover-embroideredforaddeddimensionality,reflectedthe

amountofworkanddetailthatSuiinvestsinherdesigns.ModelJamie

Bochertclosedthecatwalkshow:aValkyrieinknittedVikinghelmet

andashimmeringsequindress,asseenhere.

RococoPirateEnsemble(Bottomrowleft)

Spring2007

KnitcottonTopandhabotaisilkSkirt

Cotton/rayonjerseysleeves,socks;strawhatbyJamesCoviellofor

AnnaSui;silkscarf;cowhideshoesbyBallinforAnnaSui;

brass/glassnecklacesbyEricksonBeamonforAnnaSui

SofiaCoppola’ssomewhatanachronisticandimpressionisticfilmMarie

Antoinette(2006),whichmixed1780s’-inspiredcostumeswitha

soundtrackthatincludedclassicalmusicaswellas1980s’post-punk

andNewRomanticmusic,providedthecatalystforSui’sSpring2007

collection.SuitookCoppola’svisiononestepfurtherandmergedthe

auditoryandsartorialelementsofthefilmcreatinggarmentsthat

combinedtheinfluencesof1980s’Britishmusicwitheighteenth-century

costume.Forinspirationforthishybridlook,SuilookedtoVivienne

Westwood,andinparticulartoher1981‘Pirate’collection,focusing

onthedefiningdetails,namelythelayering,thebillowingsilhouette

andtheeclecticmixingofcoloursandtextiles.Thisoutfitcombinesred,

blueandgreenProvençalprints,basedonIndianwoodblockprints,

withablueandwhitejerseytubetop,armbandsandsocks.

DorothyDraperPirate(Bottomrowcentre)

Spring2007

SilkcrepedeChineandlaceDress

Straw/nylon/ostrichfeatherhatbyJamesCovielloforAnnaSui;

nylonsleeves;Brass/plasticnecklacebyEricksonBeamonfor

AnnaSui;nylonhose;cowhidebootsbyBallinforAnnaSui

Thisdressisinspiredbythe‘robealafrançaise’,theeighteenth-

centuryRococogownfavouredbyMarieAntoinette.Sui,however,

radicallyalteredtheproportions,givingthemapunkmakeoverby

cuttingthemoffmid-thigh.Shecreatedaseriesofthesedressesinsilk

chiffonandcrepedeChineprintedwithhearts,roses,stripesand

polkadots.Theywerewornwithpetticoatsandproducedina

combinationofred,whiteandblack,acolourmixthatevoked

memoriesoftheband,TheNewYorkDolls:‘I’djustseenBobGruen’s

documentaryontheNewYorkDollscalled“AllDolledUp”,andit

remindedmethatbackinthe1970s,ifyouwerepartoftherockscene

orifyouwenttoclubslikeMax’sorCBGB’s,youonlyworered,white

orblack.Everythingwasheavilycodified.’Versailles,too,was

governedbyrigidcodesanditwasthiscodifiedaestheticthat

providedthelinkforSui’scollection.

MarchingBandEnsemble(Bottomrowright)

Spring2010

SilkjacquardDressandembroideredcottondenimCape

PolycottonpassementeriehatbyJamesCovielloforAnnaSui;

cowhideshoesbyBallinforAnnaSui;plasticbraceletby

EricksonBeamonforAnnaSui

TheinspirationforAnnaSui’sSpring2010collectionwasthe1967

versionofDoctorDolittle,starringRexHarrison,andinparticularthe

film’scircusscenes.Itwasthe1960s’Victorianvibeofthefilmthat

particularlyappealedtoSui,whostagedthecatwalkshowinahuge

pinkandblackcircustentstartingthespectaclewithhercircus

ringleadersportingamajorettecapeandfloraldress.Thecollection

wasariotofpatternandtextureincludingplaids,florals,Libertyprints

(re-colouredespeciallyforher),metallicsandpatchwork,all

accompaniedbyplayfulaccessoriessuchaspeep-toestackedbooties.

Thecollectionfeaturedmoretomboyishlooksthanusual,thankstothe

sartorialinfluenceofRexHarrisonandhiswaistcoats.Thismajorette-

inspiredensembleshowcasesanabstract-stylepeacockprintpaired

withadenimcape,trimmedwithpassementerie,andtoppedoffwitha

matchinghatdesignedbyJamesCoviello.Thiscollectioncameshortly

afterSuihadbeenpresentedwiththeCFDALifetimeAchievement

Award.

TheWorldofAnnaSuiisa

FashionandTextileMuseumexhibition

Image©JoshuaJordon

THEW

ORLD

OFA

NN

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UI