THE WORLD OF ANNA SUI
The World of Anna Sui is a Fashion and Textile Museum exhibition
Image ©Joshua Jordon
GRUNGE ‘It was my moment. If grunge music was an alternative to stadium rock, the kind of clothes I designed were my alternative to power dressing.’ Of all the collections that Anna Sui has designed since launching her first catwalk show, it is arguably the grunge collections of 1993 and 1994 that ensured her place in the annals of fashion. For Sui, the music scene, centred in Seattle, Washington, was the major force in the youth culture of the late 1980s and early 90s. During the 1993 Spring season, Marc Jacobs and Christian Francis Roth also showed grunge- inspired collections. While some decried this as the cynical adoption of a no-fashion subculture, it was a valid reaction by a group of fashion designers to the changing mores of the time. For Sui, it was a personal response to the moment and the music. The layering and mixing seen in the grunge style were used to great effect in the designer’s approach and, combined with Sui’s ability to riff on the idealism of the scene, produced some of the most influential looks of the 1990s.
Bed Jacket Ensemble (Top row) Spring 1993 Polyester/rayon Dress and Bed Jacket Silk corsages, nylon socks; rayon satin covered cowhide sandals by Emma Hope for Anna Sui
Anna Sui often finds inspiration in film. This romantic ensemble is partially influenced by Luchino Visconti’s 1969 film, The Damned, notable for its lavish sets and costumes, and Sui makes a specific reference with the corsage detail. In the film, the character Sophie von Essenbeck places a rose on her bodice as she is about to die: a romantic and dramatic gesture. Sui was also influenced by the film’s 1930s’-style bias-cut costumes, evoking the same spirit in the cheongsams and lace and chiffon dresses that made up this very eclectic collection. Holly Hobbie Dress (Middle row left) Spring 1993 Silk Dress and Corsages Rayon hat by James Coviello for Anna Sui; glass/nickel choker by Erickson Beamon for Anna Sui; wood bracelet and découpage bag by Designs from the Deep; cowhide/cotton boots by John Fluevog for Anna Sui
Grunge and the London boutique Biba, founded in the 1960s by Barbara Hulaniki, provided the inspiration for Sui’s Spring 1993 collection. Layering was a dominant aesthetic and extended into the designer’s Biba-inspired fashions translating into a series of long, floral printed chiffon dresses with matching Holly Hobbie self-fabric petal bonnets and découpage handbags by Designs from the Deep. Sui captured the, as she called it, ‘granny’ feel of Biba with her colour palette of rusts, plums, blueberries and mulberries, which Hulaniki herself called her ‘auntie’ colours. The dress shown here as worn by Naomi Campbell on the catwalk, however, looked anything but ‘granny’! The outfit also pays homage to the fictional children’s book character, Hollie Hobbie, a cat-loving, rag-dress-wearing little girl in a bonnet. She was the creation of illustrator Denise Holly Ulinskas (b.1944). This collection was the first to include menswear.
Grunge Apron Dress (Middle row centre) Spring 1993 Silk Dress and Apron Ceramic/nickel/glass necklace by Erickson Beamon for Anna Sui; silk corsage, nylon socks, silk panties; rayon satin covered cowhide sandals by Emma Hope for Anna Sui
The fluidity and muted rust tone of the print reference the ‘Biba’ look, while the apron recalls the ready-to-wear designs of Claire McCardell (1905–58 ), who revolutionised American women’s fashion by creating practical everyday clothes. In 1941 she showed her first ‘Kitchen Dinner Dress’ featuring a full skirt with attached apron. This dress was included in the iconic Vogue ‘Grunge and Glory’ shoot (December 1992). This showcased floral dresses, denim and plaid with a thrift[L2] - shop vibe, and was shot outdoors, directed by Grace Coddington and photographed by Steven Meisel.
‘But when I made my grunge collection … I approached it the same way I did punk. Positive all the way! Rainbow stripes, romantic dustbowl florals, reanimated army surplus, marabou- trimmed bed jackets … a playful paean to youthful idealism, rather than a descent into teen despair.’ Puff Print Grunge Dress (Middle row right) Spring 1993 Silk Dress Glass/ceramic choker and necklace by Erickson Beamon for Anna Sui; nylon socks; rayon satin covered cowhide sandals by Emma Hope for Anna Sui; rayon bag by James Coviello for Anna Sui; silk panties
This puff print dress was immortalised in the Vogue ‘Grunge and Glory’ feature modelled by Nadja Auermann and Kristen McMenamy alongside Naomi Campbell. Coddington recalls the shoot: ‘One of the most memorable sittings I’ve ever done was with Steven in 1992, when we found a way to get grunge into the pristine pages of Vogue. Since I don’t follow pop music, I hadn’t made the connection between the music and the clothes, as I describe a shoot to him using floral dresses, denim and plaid that looked like they had been bought in a thrift shop. Being as hip to music as he is, he said, “You mean grunge?” Steven then added a few items to the list – heavy kilts and a nose ring for Nadja Auermann.’ (Grace Coddington, ‘Thirty years of Fashion at Vogue’, Vogue)
Grunge Ensemble (Bottom row left) Spring 1993 Poly/cotton T-shirt and cotton Trousers Rayon cap by James Coviello for Anna Sui; brass/glass necklace and wood bracelets by Erickson Beamon for Anna Sui; cowhide shoes by John Fluevog for Anna Sui
The sailor-style, wide-legged trousers seen here are a direct reference to the plaid flannel shirt of Seattle blue collar grunge, as were the kilts, dusters and cut-off shorts included in Sui’s Spring 1993 Collection. Rainbow Grunge (Bottom row centre) Spring 1993 Silk/rayon Vest and Shorts with Cotton/polyester Union Suit Rayon cap by James Coviello for Anna Sui; cotton/wool belt, ceramic necklace[L6] by Erickson Beamon for Anna Sui; cowhide shoes by John Fluevog for Anna Sui
Sui said of her Spring 1993 collection: ‘It was my “make love” not war statement’. This statement was translated into fashions that combined both ‘hippy’ and grunge elements. The former included T-shirts, bikinis, union suits, halter dresses, bell-bottoms and lace-front vests in rainbow- striped cotton rib. The colour combination recalled 1980s’ rave style but was actually inspired by the album cover of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), designed by Peter Blake and Jann Haworth. Sui then combined her multicoloured pieces with khaki army fatigues made in silk and decorated with embroidered butterfly patches, elevating them from their utilitarian and militaristic origins. It was, however, Sui’s bold layering that injected a ‘grunge- like’ deliberate, self-conscious sloppiness. Grunge Kilt Ensemble (Bottom row right) Spring 1993 Poly/cotton Tank and Cotton Kilt, Shorts, Leggings Rayon cap by James Coviello for Anna Sui; cotton/wool belt, wood bracelet by Erickson Beamon for Anna Sui; cowhide boots by John Fluevog for Anna Sui
Grunge style sprang out of a Seattle subculture where a new wave of musicians, including Nirvana fronted by Kurt Cobain, sported a ‘thrift’ style of dressing that seemed to mirror their novel sound although in fact it was mainly influenced by the poverty of the area and the harsh climate. This ‘un-fashion’ style chimed with the decade’s contrast with the excesses of the 1980s and quickly went from subculture to mass culture. Marc Jacobs, who was working for Perry Ellis at the time, decided to take this style and glamorise it, creating a grunge collection. He took grunge staples such as the plaid flannel shirt but used luxurious fabrics like sand-washed silk. Jacobs was dubbed ‘the guru of grunge’ but was fired nevertheless by Perry Ellis. Anna Sui’s references to grunge in her 1993 collection are coloured with optimism and combined with a ‘hippy’ sensibility. This outfit features a kilt, one of the garments associated widely with grunge, as well as a flower belt more reminiscent of the 1960s or 1970s. Sui always filters her themes through her own particular lens creating unique outfits that reflect her talent in blending seemingly disparate influences into a cohesive style.
THE WORLD OF ANNA SUI
The World of Anna Sui is a Fashion and Textile Museum exhibition
Image ©Joshua Jordon