TheWorldofAnnaSuiisa

FashionandTextileMuseumexhibition

Image©JoshuaJordon

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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.

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

asuitandisaccessorisedwithamatchingtartanumbrellaaswellas

shoes.Asusual,Suishowstotalcommitmentinherdesignandstyling.

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

andpoliticalupheavalandtheanarchyofpunk,Suidelivereda

collectionthatcelebratedherownpassionateattachmentto

idiosyncraticstyle.ThisleopardprintdressreflectsperfectlySui’stwo

maininspirationsforSpring2013withits‘girly’empiresilhouette,

counterbalancedwithitspunk-inspiredrippednylonmeshT-shirt,

leggingsandstuddedshoes.Suilovesoppositesandisalways

fascinatedbythe‘good’girl/‘bad’girlcontradiction.

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

collectionwasmultilayered,includingaphotographofthedesigner

AnyaPhillipswearingoneofherownbody-condresses.This

photographwastakenbyEdBertoglioandhisgirlfriend,Maripol(one-

timestylisttoMadonna),whodocumentedtheManhattannightlife

scenetogetherinthe1980s.

‘IhavetosayIwasimpressedbythe

dress-codedisciplineoftheBritishtake

onpunk.’

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

referencedthepirate,whilethemonochromeprintrecalledthestrict

dresscolourcodeoftheNewYorkclubsofSui’syouth,suchasMax’s

andCBGBs.

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

wellasFrenchmusicaltunes.Sui’sshowsarefamousfortheirvisual

creativityaswellastheirrockconcertsoundtracks,whichtogether

reflecthertotalvisionforeachcollection.

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.

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.

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.

TheWorldofAnnaSuiisa

FashionandTextileMuseumexhibition

Image©JoshuaJordon

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ORLD

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