Well before fashion's current love of groupie chic and punk revival took hold, rock 'n' roll was Anna Sui's chief source of inspiration. Each Sui collection reveals what's been in her CD player, and for Fall she clearly had Cream, T. Rex and Sergeant Pepper–era Beatles in heavy rotation. The result was a groovy, hippie show that wouldn't have been out of place at Woodstock—although it looked just fine on Naomi Campbell, Carolyn Murphy and all the other top models who regularly walk Sui's show.
On the bill were chiffon baby-doll tops with vivid Indian prints, appliquéd denim skirts, studded boot-cut cords, open-work crocheted tops and dresses, and wool separates embroidered with folky cross-stitch. Sui worked mostly in dark hues, with occasional forays into historically appropriate colors like purple, olive green and peacock blue. Greatest hits included a series of pretty, sheer floral-print dresses and two great embroidered Mongolian lamb-trimmed coats that screamed "light my fire."
Worn head-to-toe, this collection could be too trippy-hippie for the average customer. But a few pieces from Sui's '60s anthology could retune any wardrobe.
