the world of anna sui the world of anna sui is a fashion ... · jacket also has a ring of ‘glam...
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TheWorldofAnnaSuiisa
FashionandTextileMuseumexhibition
Image©JoshuaJordon
THEW
ORLD
OFA
NN
AS
UI
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PUNK
‘WhenImademyfirstpunkcollectioninSpring1994,I
wantedtomakeitpositive.Theconceptofnihilismwas
neverme,anyway.Icouldneverbelievetherewasno
future.DIY,ontheotherhand,IcouldbuyintobecauseI
feltI’dalwaysdoneeverythingmyself.’
AnnaSuiremainsoneoffashion’seternaloptimists:inreferencing
punk,shecapturesthestyleandessenceofthemovementratherthan
thenihilismandself-destructiveelements.Relatingittoherown
experiences,Suihighlightstheenergyandbravadoofthepunksinher
work.AsadesignerSuialsoacknowledgesthedisciplineofthepunk
aestheticinitsBritishincarnation.Rarelydoesshecreatealiteral
interpretationinherdesigns;whenpunkdoesemergeinoneofher
collectionsitiswithherownuniquetakeonitandmixedwithother,
seeminglyincongruouselements,suchasinfluencesfromthelegendary
Frenchinteriordesigner,MadeleineCastaing.
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TeddyBoyEnsemble(Toprow)
Autumn1992
MohairJacketandSkirtandsilkShirt
Mohairumbrella;Glasscollar/braceletandfobbyErickson
BeamonforAnnaSui;cotton/spandexsocks;mohair-covered
cowhideshoesbyJohnFluevogforAnnaSui
AswellasrecallingthedesignsofBalenciaga,oneofSui’sdesign
heroes,the1992collectionalsoincludedaseriesofjacketsinspired
bythosewornbyJohnnyRottenoftheSexPistolsinthe1970s.Sui
herselfhadmetSidVicious(Rotten’sbandmate)andhisgirlfriend,
Nancy,inLondonin1977andhadspentaneveningintheircompany.
ThesejacketswereinturnstyledafterversionswornbytheTeddyBoys
inthe1950s.Suiwasparticularlyinfluencedbythestyleofthese
‘drapejackets’,whichwerelong,single-breastedandsportingvelvet-
trimmedcollars.Herethejacket,madefrommohair,iswornaspartof
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asuitandisaccessorisedwithamatchingtartanumbrellaaswellas
shoes.Asusual,Suishowstotalcommitmentinherdesignandstyling.
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LeopardPunkDress(Middlerowleft)
Spring2013
SilkDressandnylonPetticoatwithnylon/spandexnetT-Shirtand
Leggings
Aluminium/porcelain/plasticnecklaceandbraceletbyErickson
BeamonforAnnaSui;studdedcowhideshoes
ForSpring2013,Suicombinedtwocompletelydisparateideas
blendingtheaestheticofthelegendaryinteriordesignerMadeleine
Castaing(1894–1992)withherownpersonalexperienceasan
habituéofLondon’sandNewYork’spunkscene.Theresultillustrated
Sui’sastonishingabilitytoweaveautobiographyintohercollections.
Dominantshadesofblueandleopardprintreferencedtheinteriorsof
Castaing,afanofthemid-nineteenth-centuryperiodthatfollowedthe
chaosoftheFrenchRevolutionandNapoleonicupheaval,knownas
theSecondEmpire.Makingaconnectionbetweenthechaosofsocial
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andpoliticalupheavalandtheanarchyofpunk,Suidelivereda
collectionthatcelebratedherownpassionateattachmentto
idiosyncraticstyle.ThisleopardprintdressreflectsperfectlySui’stwo
maininspirationsforSpring2013withits‘girly’empiresilhouette,
counterbalancedwithitspunk-inspiredrippednylonmeshT-shirt,
leggingsandstuddedshoes.Suilovesoppositesandisalways
fascinatedbythe‘good’girl/‘bad’girlcontradiction.
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Slash’ntieT-shirtDress(Middlerowcentre)
Spring2001
GlassrhinestonestuddednylonDress
Cowhide/glassbeltandnickel/glassearringsbyEricksonBeamon
forAnnaSui;Nylonhose;Glass/cowhideshoesbyBallinfor
AnnaSui
TheSpring2001collectionwashighlyautobiographical,including
manyensemblesthatreflectedSui’sMuddClub,thriftshopaesthetic.
TheMuddClub(1978–83)wasamajorfixtureontheNewYorkclub
sceneandwasseenasthecompleteantithesisoftheglamorousStudio
54.SuidescribesthestyleofthegirlsattheMuddClubas‘downtown
roadwarriorgoddess’.Thisdualitywasreflectedinaseriesofdresses
thatappearedtobeslashedrandomlywitharazorwhereasinreality
theyhadbeenmeticulouslymadefromintricatepatternpiecesandthen
embellishedwithglassrhinestones.Asusualtheinspirationforthe
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collectionwasmultilayered,includingaphotographofthedesigner
AnyaPhillipswearingoneofherownbody-condresses.This
photographwastakenbyEdBertoglioandhisgirlfriend,Maripol(one-
timestylisttoMadonna),whodocumentedtheManhattannightlife
scenetogetherinthe1980s.
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‘IhavetosayIwasimpressedbythe
dress-codedisciplineoftheBritishtake
onpunk.’
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ZebraPunkPartyDress(Middlerowright)
Spring2007
SilkchiffonDresswithnylonPetticoat,LeggingsandGloves
Brass/glass/plasticnecklacebyEricksonBeamonforAnnaSui;
cowhidebootsbyBallinforAnnaSui
ForSpring2007,Suicombinedinfluencesof1980s’Britishmusicwith
thoseof1780s’Frenchcostume,inspiredbySophiaCoppola’sunusual
historicalapproachinherfilm,MarieAntoinette(2006).LikeCoppola,
Sui’sowntakeonhistoryisoftenanachronisticandiconoclastic.Inthis
vein,theSpring2007collectioncombinedreferencestoVivienne
Westwood’sandMalcolmMcLaren’spunkfashionsofthemid-tolate
1970s,forexampletherippedmeshedleggingsandarmletspaired
withthisdress,aswellasWestwood’s1981‘Pirate’collection,
characterisedbyitsloose-cutbillowingsilhouettestogetherwith
influencesof1780s’Frenchcostume.Thebootswithstrapsandbuckles
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referencedthepirate,whilethemonochromeprintrecalledthestrict
dresscolourcodeoftheNewYorkclubsofSui’syouth,suchasMax’s
andCBGBs.
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PunkCatEnsemble(Bottomrowleft)
Spring2013
CottonwithpatchesShirtandpolyester/cottonjacquardWaistcoat
andSkirtwithnylonmeshLeggingsandT-shirt
PlasticclutchbyAliRappforAnnaSui;aluminium/plasticbracelet
byEricksonBeamonforAnnaSui;Straw/glasscat-earhatby
JamesCovielloforAnnaSui;cottonnecktie;patentleather
cowhideshoesbyBallinforAnnaSui
ThisoutfitblendselementsinspiredbyMadelineCastaing(theuseof
jacquardandbluedenim)andSui’sexperienceofpunk,reflectedin
theguitarmotifonthetieaswellasthenylonmeshleggingsandT-shirt
andtheplasticoftheclutchbag.Theshoesaddglamour,whilethecat-
earhataddsanextraidiosyncratictwisttypicalofSui’sstyle.Theblend
ofinspirationswasalsoreflectedinthesoundtrackforthecatwalk
show,whichincludedtracksbytheRamonesandotherpunkbandsas
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wellasFrenchmusicaltunes.Sui’sshowsarefamousfortheirvisual
creativityaswellastheirrockconcertsoundtracks,whichtogether
reflecthertotalvisionforeachcollection.
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PunkJumpsuit(Bottomrowcentre-left)
Spring2013
CottondenimwithembroideryJumpsuitandNylonmeshT-Shirt
GlasscollarbyEricksonBeamonforAnnaSui;studdedcowhide
shoesbyBallinforAnnaSui
ChannellingasinspirationfortheSpring2013collectionthestyleof
FrenchinteriordesignerMadeleineCastaing,thepredominantcolour
ofthisoutfitisblue,deniminthiscase,decoratedwithembroidery.
Sui’sclothesalwaysincorporateintricatedetails.Thezipsarean
allusionto‘biker’chic,whiletherippednylonmeshT-shirtreferences
punk.Thestuddedshoesevokethetribalisticuseofstudsinpunk
accessoriesalthoughthedesignoftheshoesaddsafemininenoteto
thisotherwisetomboyishensemble,reflectingSui’sattractionto
contradictoryjuxtapositions.
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MohairCobwebSweaterEnsemble(Bottomrowcentre-right)
Spring1994
SatinDressandmohairSweater
Nylonsocks;cowhideshoesbyJohnFluevogforAnnaSui
‘Punkstylewassonihilistic…Iwantedtomakeitmorepositive…’
Sui’sSpring1994collectionrevisitedgrungeandcombineditwith
elementsofpunkstyle.Themohaircobwebsweaterseenhereistypical
ofthepunkstyleassociatedwithVivienneWestwood’sandMalcolm
McLaren’sSeditionarieslabel,whichprovidedasartorialidentityfor
thepunkmovementinthemid-tolate1970s.Theshortmetallicsatin
dressaddsa‘girly’notereferencingtheRiotGrrls,ahighlypoliticised
musicalmovementrenownedfortheir‘littlegirl’look,aswellinjecting
atouchofpositiveglamourthatcontrastswiththemorenihilistic
viewpointofpunk.
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SilverPeruvianEnsemble(Bottomrowright)
Spring1994
Hand-painted/silk-screened/studdedmetalliccowhideJacketand
SkirtandcottonT-shirt
CottoncapbyPeruvianConnectionforAnnaSui;poly/nylon
socks;metalliccowhidebootsbyJohnFluevogforAnnaSui
Thisensemble,whilereferencingpunkwithitsleatherskirtandbiker
jacketalsohasaringof‘glamrock’aboutitduetothemetallicsilver.
The‘perfecto’jacketiscustomisedwithsilverstudsandanimageof
Sui’sbeloveddollyhead(arecurrentSuimotif)byartistMichael
Economy.Thisoutfitwithitsblendingofpunk,bikerandglamnotes
embodiestheethosof‘bricolage’(theborrowingofsymbolsand
imageryfromdiversesources),adefiningfeatureofsubculturalstyle.
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TheWorldofAnnaSuiisa
FashionandTextileMuseumexhibition
Image©JoshuaJordon
THEW
ORLD
OFA
NN
AS
UI