TheWorldofAnnaSuiisa

FashionandTextileMuseumexhibition

Image©JoshuaJordon

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VICTORIAN

‘TheBalletsRussesweren’texactlyVictorian,butthey

wereanextensionofmyfascinationwiththeBelleÉpoque

andthedemi-mondeofthetime–sorich,sodecadent.’

AnnaSui’stakeontheVictorianencompassesadarkglamour:a

visuallyricherafilteredthroughtherockandrollsensibilitythat

underpinsherworld.Beginningwithherteenagefascinationfor

AubreyBeardsleyprintsandthevoluptuous,decorativeformsofArt

Nouveaufurniture,Suihascontinuallyminedthelateeighteenthand

earlynineteenthcenturiesforinspiration.Hersartorialjourneysthrough

thishistoricalperiodareasprolificasthestylesandthedecorative

movementsofthoseyears.FromtheBelleÉpoquethroughtheAesthetic

andPre-RaphaelitemovementstotheAmericanWest,thishistoricism

hasinfusedSui’sdesignswiththeirownindeliblemark.

‘ThegloomyrichnessoflateVictoriandecor…was

impossiblyexoticforagenerationofaspirationalpop

stars.’

BelleÉpoqueEnsemble(Toprow)

Autumn2009

CottonblendSweaterbyJamesCovielloforAnnaSuiwithsilk

DressandcottonblendThermalTrousers

Acrylic/feathercapbyJamesCovielloforAnnaSui;rayon/

brass/plasticbroochbyEricksonBeamonforAnnaSui;cowhide

bootsbyBallinforAnnaSui

ThisisanotherensemblefromSui’sAutumn2009collection,inspired

byParisinthe1890s,adecadeknownastheBelleÉpoque.The

monochromeoutfit,modelledonthecatwalkbyAgynessDeyn,

combinesreferencestoboththe‘demimonde’andtheMoulinRouge.

Evokingthegrandiosetendenciesofhigh-profilecourtesans,Sui

suffusedhercollectionwithjewellerythatwasdeliberatelyostentatious,

includingoversizedcameobroochesasseenhere.ThehatbyJames

Covielloreflectsthisshowystylewhilealludingtothefashionfora

hairstyleknownasthe‘psycheknot’,whichinvolvedpullingthehair

fromtheforeheadandknottingitontopofthehead.

AestheticEnsemble(Middlerowleft)

Autumn2008

SilkjacquardDresswithMerinowoolSweaterbyJames

CovielloforAnnaSui

NylonhosebyAtsugiforAnnaSui;brass/glassnecklaceby

EricksonBeamonforAnnaSui;cowhidebootsbyBallinfor

AnnaSui

AprevailinginfluenceinSui’sAutumn2008collectionwasthe

Aestheticmovement,ofwhichLouisComfortTiffanyhimselfwasa

member.TheAestheticsemphasisedthe‘aesthetic’valueofart,

believingthatartaboveallelseshouldproviderefinedsensuous

pleasure.TheywouldsurelyhaveappreciatedSui’sownabilityto

makeaestheticconnectionsbetweenseeminglyincongruentreferences,

atalentthatsetsherapartasadesigner.Thisensembleshowcasesa

beautifulAnnaSuiprintinhertrademarkpurple,wornwithaknit

jacketbyJamesCoviello.Onceagain,theproportionsandstylingare

key,astheyunderlinethelook’smodernfeel.

ComboPatternDress(Middlerowcentre)

Autumn2008

SilkDress

NylonhosebyAtsugiforAnnaSui;cowhideshoesbyBallinfor

AnnaSui

ThisoutfitshowcasesSui’spassionforprintandcolour,nottomention

hereyefordetailandthecohesionofhervision.Eventhepatterned

tightsandthedecorativedetailsoftheshoesreflectthedesigner’s

commitmenttoheraesthetic.

‘Itmusthavebeenlikelivingina

wunderkammerwithsomeofthose

hugeoldVictorianhouses,stuffedwith

allthetreasuresthattheempire

collectedfromthecolonies.’

PheasantCapEnsemble(Middlerowright)

Autumn2009

CottonvelvetMilitaryjacketandacetatePuffSkirt

Acrylic/silk/feathercapbyJamesCovielloforAnnaSui;nylon

hosebyAtsugiforAnnaSui;cowhidebootsbyBallinforAnna

Sui

Sui’swonderfullyfrivolousAutumn2009collectionwasinspiredbythe

‘demimonde’oftheBelleÉpoqueof1890s’Paris,aperiodwhen

notoriouscourtesanswerefamousfortheirexcessiveclothesand

jewellery,asportrayedintheworkofMarcelProust(1871–1922).Sui

alsoalludedtothedancersandactresses,suchasJaneAvril,who

performedattheMoulinRougeandwerefamouslydepictedbythe

artistHenrideToulouse-Lautrec.Thisoutfit,withitsshortruffledskirt,

referencesthecancanskirtsandpetticoatsoftheMoulinRouge.The

jacketfeaturesgigotsleeves,typicalofthelatenineteenthcentury.Even

thetonesofthisensembleandtheotheroutfitsinthecollectionreflect

Lautrec’spalette,includingrust,plum,rubyredandabsinthegreen.

ThefeathercapcreatedbyJamesCovielloreferencesthe‘psyche

knot’,oneofthemostfashionablehairstylesoftheperiod,which

involvedpullingthehairbackfromtheforeheadandknottingitontop

ofthehead.WiththiscollectionSui,alwaysappreciativeofdifference,

showcasesthebeautyofthecourtesan,modelandactress,all

charactersusuallyrelegatedtothefringesofsociety.

TotemPoleBeadedBedJacketEnsemble(Bottomrowleft)

Autumn2008

Silkvelvetwithmother-of-pearl/glassbeadingBedJacketandsilk

georgetteDress

RayonvelvetorchidheadpiecebyJamesCovielloforAnnaSui;

cowhide/plasticbagandshoesbyBallinforAnnaSui;nylonhose

byAtsugiforAnnaSui

‘Passionpersuades.Suiloveswhatshedoesasmuchaslifeitself.’

Sui’spassionforwhatshedoesandthelevelofdetailshecreatesis

incomparable,asillustratedbythisensemble.Sui’sAutumn2008

collectionwasinspiredbytheVeteransRoominNewYork’sPark

AvenueArmory,theinteriorofwhichwasdesignedanddecoratedby

AssociatedArtists,acollectiveofartistsanddesignersthatincluded

LouisComfortTiffany:‘WalkingthroughtheVeteransRoom,Iwas

struckbyanoverallfeelingofradiance,ofillumination.Thesunlight

pouringthroughtheTiffanywindowsseemedtoreflectoffevery

surface.Iwantedtocapturethisluminescence,thisdefiningelementof

Tiffany’sartisticgeniusinmycollection.’ThisoutfitreferencingTiffany’s

collectionofNativeAmericanartefacts(includingatotempole)

showcasesajacketintricatelyembellishedwithmother-of-pearland

glassbeading.Thebasefabricisvelvet,whichSuichosebecauseofits

lustre.Theensemble,however,althoughhistoricallyinspired,hasa

distinctlymodernattitudeinitsproportionsandofcourseinitsstyling:

Sui’sgeniusintheartofstylinghasbeenherfortesincetheverystart

ofhercareerinfashion.

VictorianBoleroEnsemble(Bottomrowcentre-left)

Autumn2008

RayonBoleroJacketwithsilkBlouseandShorts

NylonhosebyAtsugiforAnnaSui;brass/glass/rayonnecklace

byEricksonBeamonforAnnaSui;cowhidebootsbyBallinfor

AnnaSui

Thisensemble,whileillustratingSui’shistoricismandeclecticism,isalso

apureexpressionofherpassionforwhatshedoesasadesigneras

wellastheenjoymentshederivesfromherresearch.Theprintsandthe

combinationoftheredandpurplewithtouchesofgoldprovidea

visualtreat.Atthesametimethevolumeoftheshirtcontrastedwiththe

briefnessoftheshortsgivesthisoutfitamodernandyouthfulvibe.

However,theyouthfulspiritofAnnaSuiisneveraboutage;itisastate

ofmind.

TealPre-RaphaeliteDress(Bottomrowcentre-right)

Autumn1993

RayonpannevelvetDress

Rayon/silk/cottoncorsages;nylonlacehose;rayon-coveredcowhide

shoesbyEmmaHopeforAnnaSui

MultiplelayersofhistoricalreferencesdefinedSui’sAutumn1993

collection,althoughasusualshedidnotliteralisethepast.Herstarting

pointwastheearlynineteenth-centuryillustrationsofFrenchpainter,

HoraceVernet(1789–1863),thatwereinspiredbythe‘Incroyables’

and‘Merveilleuses’,youngmenandwomenwhoreactedagainstthe

Jacobinausterity,imposedattheheightoftheFrenchRevolution,by

adoptingextremesindress.Sui’sinterpretationofVernet’svision

involvedconcentratingonthefocalpointsoftheoutfits–thecoatinthe

caseofthemale‘Incroyables’andthedressinthecaseofthe

‘Merveilleuses’–whilerelaxingthesilhouetteandinfusingthemwith

referencestootherhistoricalperiods.Sui’sMerveilleusedresseswere

madeinarangeofmaterialsincludingrayon,satinandpannevelvet

andreflectedinfluencesfromthe1930sandthe1970saswellasthe

MiddleAges(bywayofthePre-Raphaelites),revealingher

kaleidoscopicsweepofhistory.Thissumptuoustealvelvetdressrecalls

therichdepthandiridescentcoloursofPre-Raphaelitepaintings.

PinkPre-RaphaeliteDress(Bottomrowright)

Autumn1993

RayonpannevelvetDress

Rayon/silk/cottoncorsages;Nylonlacehose;rayon-coveredcowhide

shoesbyEmmaHopeforAnnaSui

Sui,abigfanofvintageclothes,wantedhervelvetstohaveanantique

look,asiftheyhadbeenfoundinanatticandborethepatinaoftime.

Toachievethis,shepre-washedallthevelvetherselfandifshedidnot

gettheeffectshewantedatthefirstattempt,shewouldsendittobere-

dyed:suchisSui’seyefordetailandthepassionshefeelsforthe

clothesshedesigns.ThefocusofSui’screativevisionislegendary.

Manyofthesehistoricallyinspireddressesfeaturedetailsattheneck,

suchascollarsandlacejabots,reflectingasenseofdecorum.

TheWorldofAnnaSuiisa

FashionandTextileMuseumexhibition

Image©JoshuaJordon

THEW

ORLD

OFA

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