TheWorldofAnnaSuiisa

FashionandTextileMuseumexhibition

Image©JoshuaJordon

THEW

ORLD

OFA

NN

AS

UI

ANDROGYNY

‘…thegreatestdesignershavealwaysunderstoodthatthe

shadowlandbetweenthegendersiswheresomeofthe

mosthauntingstorieslie.’

ThemysteriesofandrogynyareoftenpresentinAnnaSui’sfashion.

Since1993,shehaspresentedasmallcollectionofmenswear

alongsidethewomenswear.Sheexploredtheideaofandrogynymost

notablyinthegrungecollectionof1993,whenbothmaleandfemale

modelsweresentdownthecatwalkinmatchingbaby-dolldresses:a

lookinspiredbythegender-bendingfluidityofmusicianslikeKurt

CobainofNirvana.Sui’sworkalsohighlightsthefragileandrogynous

beautyofboysinthe1960sasseeninphotographsoftheRolling

Stonesandfilmsoftheera.IfmencantakeonthefeminineinSui’s

designs,womeninthecatwalkshowsareaslikelytobeintailored

suitsprojectingaboyishcharmoragangster’spinstripedswagger.

GlenPlaidSuitEnsemble(TopRow)

Spring2008

Polyester/viscoseglenplaidJumpsuitandJacketwithsilkShirt

Polyester/nylon/cottontieplasticbroochesandbraceletsbyErickson

BeamonforAnnaSui;NylonsocksbyAtsugiforAnnaSui;

Cowhide/snakeskinshoesbyBallinforAnnaSui

TheSpring2008collectionwasanartfulbricolage/collagemixing

1930s’and1940s’Hollywoodstylewith1970s’NewYorkdowntown

chic.BusbyBerkeleymusicals,famousfortheircomplexroutines

includinglargenumbersofdancersperformingsynchronised

movements,werethestartingpointforthecollection,butSuiwasalso

influencedbythenarrow-waistedbroad-shoulderedpowersuitsof

GilbertAdrian.AdriandesignedforbothBroadwayandHollywood

andwasamongthemostcelebratedcostumersofthe1930saswellas

beingoneofthemostfamousdesignersofthe1940sand1950s.His

clothesembodiedatechnicalvirtuositythatcombinedanappreciation

ofParisiancouturewithanAmericansensibility.ThestylingofSui’s

2008collectionwasinspiredbythe1970sandinparticularbysome

ofthedecade’ssuper-groupies,includingCyrindaFoxewhoappeared

inDavidBowie’s‘JeanGenie’videoandwentontomarryDavid

JohansenoftheNewYorkDollsandsubsequentlySteveTylerof

Arrowsmith.

PlaidSuitEnsemble(Middlerowleft)

Spring2010

Cotton/polyesterJacketand

TrouserswithsilkShirtand

sequinnedWaistcoatSilktie;

metallicdomesticcowhidebutterflyflatsbyBallinforAnnaSui

Sui’sSpring2010collectionwasdescribedbyVogueasa‘circus-

themedspringfling’,inspiredbythe1967filmDoctorDoolittle,

starringRexHarrison.Thistailoredplaidjacketandtrousers,wornwith

awaistcoatandtie,projectsatomboyishvibe,whilethefloralshirt

withitsfrilledcuffsaddsafemininetouch.Thisoutfitmixesavarietyof

patterns,includingmasculineplaid,daintyfloralandapopappleprint

inanexuberantSuimash-up,whichalsofeaturessequins.AsAnnaSui

says:‘I’malwaysaboutoptimismandexuberance.It’swhatIfeelabout

fashion.’

AestheticSuitEnsemble(Middlerowcentre)

Autumn2008

Wool/cottonJacket,VestandShortswithsilkShirt

NylonhosebyAtsugiforAnnaSui;rayoncorsagebyErickson

BeamonforAnnaSui;cowhidebootsbyBallinforAnnaSui

ThemainsourceofinspirationforSui’sAutumn2008collectionwas

theVeteransRoomintheParkAvenueArmoryinNewYorkCity,

designedanddecoratedin1880byAssociatedArtists,aco-operative

firmofartistsanddesignersthatincludedLouisComfortTiffany.The

roomrepresentedanamalgamationofdecorativeideas.Suilovedthis

eclecticismandthefactthattheroomreflectedallherfavourite

influences:orientalism,ArtNouveauandtheAestheticmovement.

Tiffany’sprimaryemphasiswasonlight,colourandtexture,anditwas

theseelementsthatSuievokedthroughoutthecollection,choosing

fabricsknownfortheirlustre,suchassilk,lamé,satin,velvet,taffeta,

organzaandcrepedeChine.Thedesigneralsofilledhercollection

withreferencestothenaturalworld,focusingherattentiononbirds,

insectsandflowersassociatedwithArtNouveauandAestheticism.She

usedthesemotifsinprintsandembroideriesaswellasinher

accessories,highlightingpeacocks,butterfliesandpoppies.Thefinal

pieceofthedesignjigsawwastheresultofSui’sabilitytomake

aestheticassociationsbetweenseeminglyincongruentphenomena.On

atriptothePacificNorthwest,shecameacrosstheartsoftheHaida

tribesofBritishColumbiaandwasstruckbythelinesandshapesthat

remindedherofArtNouveau.WhileresearchingTiffany,shethen

discoveredthathehadcollectedNativeAmericanartand,asaresult,

referencedthisepiphanyinthedesignofhercollection:‘That’stheway

Annarolls,layeringepiphaniesfromherownlifeinhercollections…’

(TimBlanks,Vogue,11September)

‘Ilovednourishingmyteenfantasiesof

MickandMarianneorKeithandAnita

withphotosofthemwearingwhatI

imaginedwereeachother’sclothes.

Andnow,yearslater,wheneverI

includemenonmycatwalk,thoseare

stilltheimagesthatareplayinginmy

mind.’

Modsuitensemble(Middlerowright)

Spring2010

LinenJacketandTrouserswithcottonShirt

Plastic/cottonsequinnedtie;cowhideshoesbyBallinforAnnaSui

Sui’sSpring2010collectionfeaturedanumberoffloralprints,

includingaseriesofLibertyprintsre-colouredespeciallyforSui.This

vibrant,tailoredsuitwithitscroppedjacketwaswornonthecatwalk

bymodelRanyaMordanovasportingaVidalSassoon‘MaryQuant’

haircut.Thisstylingreflectedtheprevailing1960s’vibeofthe

collection,describedbyVogue’sLairdBorellias:‘acoolsixties-take-on-

Victorian-menswear-feel.’(Vogue,16September2009)

MaleGrungeBaby-dollDress(Bottomrowleft)

Spring1994

RayonDressandcottonUnionSuit(wornunderneathdress)

CowhidebootsbyJohnFluevogforAnnaSui

FemaleGrungeBaby-dollDress(Bottomrowcentre-left)

Spring1994

RayonDress

Nickel/glassnecklaceandbraceletbyEricksonBeamonforAnna

Sui;cowhideshoesbyJohnFluevogforAnnaSui

TheSpring1994collectionrevisited‘grunge’,whichhadhitthe

catwalksomewhatcontroversiallyinSpring1993,embracedbySuias

wellasbyMarcJacobsandFrancisChristianRoth.Thisincarnationof

thethemewasinspiredbySui’striptoaNirvanaconcert.Influenced

bythegrungebandsoftheday,Suifoundparticularinspirationinthe

performativewardrobeofKurtCobainwho,togetherwithothergrunge

musicians,wasknownforwearingvintagedressesonstage.Sui

translatedthisactofgendersubversionintoaseriesofbaby-doll

dressesforbothmenandwomen.

MalePunkEnsemble(Bottomrowcentre-right)

Spring1994

MohairSweaterwithrayonsatinTrousersandKilt

CowhidebootsbyJohnFluevogforAnnaSui

TheSpring1994collectionalsoreferencedtheRiotGrrrls,ahighly

politicisedmusicalmovementthatemergedatthesametimeasgrunge

andborrowedheavilyfrompunk.Sui’scollectionreflectedthisby

includingmohairsweaters,trouserswornwithkiltsandT-shirtsprinted

withiconicimagesdefacedbygraffiti.Alltheseitemsareassociated

withMalcolmMcLaren’sandVivienneWestwood’siconiclabel,

Seditionaries,whichprovidedthesartorialidentityforthepunk

movementinthemid-tolate1970s.

FemalePunkEnsemble(Bottomrowright)

Spring1994

MohairSweaterwithsatinSkirtandsatinBra

Polyester/nylonsocks;shoesbyEmmaHopeforAnnaSui

Theuseofgoldsatinforthegirl’sskirtandtheman’strousersandskirt

addsaglamrocknotetoSui’soptimisticinterpretationofpunkinthis

collection,whichalsoincludedmetallicleatherandlurex:‘Punkstyle

wassonihilistic.Iwantedtomakeitmorepositive.’Byaccessorising

outfitswithpunk-inspiredaccessoriessuchasdog-collarnecklaces,Sui

reflectedthetribalismthatwasadefiningelementofpunkfashion.This

multifacetedcollectionstronglyreflectedtheethosof‘bricolage’,

borrowingsymbolsandimageryfromawiderangeofsources,a

definingfeatureofsubculturalstyle.

TheWorldofAnnaSuiisa

FashionandTextileMuseumexhibition

Image©JoshuaJordon

THEW

ORLD

OFA

NN

AS

UI