September 10, 2019 |
Putting on an Anna Sui dress is a psychedelic experience in its own right; a legal type of high. The free-flowing frocks in candy-coloured hues that have become synonymous with the brand can make you feel a sort of heightened nostalgia dating way before many of us were even born. Put one on and you’re transported to the sun-kissed afternoons dancing to Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock, front row at the Cavern Club swooning over George Harrison, or equally just prancing around in your garden like a fairy listening to Florence + The Machine when Dog Days Are Over first came out.
Anna Sui has channeled most, if not, all the key cultural landmarks. The swinging sixties, cowgirl couture, even dousing frocks in graphics created by mid-century interior designers. Though for SS20, the nostalgia veteran didn’t look to a particular era as such. Fashion illustrator, set and costume designer Lila de Nobili was the key totem to this season’s mood board. Nobili’s light drawing hand and airy gowns transpired into a chorus of etherial tunics, caftans and nighties in pale yellow, lilac and duck egg blue. The collection still felt street-centric, aligning with many of today’s current trends. Fancy frocks were paired with cloud-shaped specs, neon laced walking boots and one look even being paired with a sugary pink chiffon utility vest, proving Sui’s vision for femininity – despite looking to the past – is always pointing to the future.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
