After visiting the Savannah College of Art and Design, prior to its recent 2023 student fashion show, Anna Sui remembered her personal experience as a graduating student at Parsons.
“When there was that possibility that everything could happen ahead of you,” she said during a showroom preview. Wanting to capture that feeling again, she was drawn to the dreamy works of Impressionist paintings, which filled her showroom moodboard.
Dreamy was a key word for her resort collection — all of her fabrics were developed with that quality in mind, as was her cheerful color palette (said to be inspired by the Peranakan ceramics Sui collects). For instance, watercolor floral and colorful swirl motifs that were printed, covered in iridescent sequins, digitally printed onto embroidered tulle, or done in velvet devore; a baby blue and white cloud-like jacquard; rainbow and hand-dyed ombre finishings, or her favorite blurred butterfly print, based off of a photograph by Danielle Dee Winters and used on chiffon and metal mesh.
Throughout the line, Sui piled sweet, lingerie dressing — myriad slips, bed jackets, nightgowns, pajamas, camisole tops — with her signature tweeds, granny knits, ’60s A-line shifts, denim, plenty of shimmering layers and adorable shrunken graphic T-shirts and tanks (with artworks by Masayuki Ogisu and Ken Sigafoos).
Bringing back hits from her archive has worked well for the designer as of late; a continuation of ’90s and early Aughts silhouettes offered a playful, youthful spirit to the sweet inspiration. Case in point: a one-shoulder, swirled iridescent sequin minidress with baby yellow marabou hem. The party-ready look was paired with colorful recycled acrylic bead accessories designed in collaboration with London-based designer Clio Peppiatt, whom Sui had met while traveling.
Also, the revival of her spring 1994 gold faux leather cropped vest and miniskirt, originally worn by Linda Evangelista and modernized for resort with a slimmer skirt, or a 1993 tie-front, cropped blouse with handkerchief hem sleeves, as seen on Madonna and updated with a colorful swirl print (styled with patchwork Levi’s jeans). Her men’s ‘93 little kilts were also brought back and layered atop cargo pants, as seen in icy blue satin with matching cropped sequin top and marabou bolero — a standout look of the collection.
