‘Madcap Heiress’ Anna Sui FW25.
Sui’s invitation teased Twenties (of yore, not now). It featured an illustration of a bejeweled flapper controlling a tiny tuxedoed, top-hatted gentleman, literally in the palm of her hand. Turns out, the collection was less about a time than a type, or an archetype: the Madcap Heiress, described in the program notes as a woman “purely driven by fabulosity.”
A delicious baseline for a runway romp, and once again, Sui delivered bigtime. She invariably uses her runway as a platform for disseminating joy. Yet as part of her particular genius, she often does so while making deft social commentary. Here, Sui referenced a trio of real-life, now-legendary Twentieth Century heiresses – Doris Duke, Peggy Guggenheim and the ultimately tragic Barbara Hutton – as well as Hollywood Golden Age movies including My Man Godfrey, a Depression Era screwball comedy that juxtaposes wealth and poverty in a tale about spoiled, competitive sisters.
Sui imposed a vague Forties vibe via the models’ beauty look – hair and makeup by, respectively, the greats Garren and Pat McGrath. This unifiedthe visual abundance – compilations of textures (tweeds, knits, corduroy,lamés, fake fur) and patterns (florals, stripes, animal spots, zigzags) – intoa message of coherent abandon.
The more-is-more tone radiated from the first look out: vibrant plaid beltedjacket with geometric border; herringbone tweed jodhpurs; diagonallystriped top; bold necklace; lace-up, leopard-print boots with magenta pipingand purple sole; glam fake fur stole.
Then came riffs on suiting (oversized peacoat and midi skirt with soft-brimmed hat and double handbag, all in magenta wide-wale cord) sweater- dressing (Fair Isle reimagined as three-piece suit with cardigan, micro mini and cloche) and languid curves (black, gray and white cabbage-rose print dress). It was all finished with ample jewelry, hats and handbags galore, and demonstrative footwear including a snazzy new sneaker done in collaboration with John Fluevog.
Madcap, for sure. But for all the flamboyance and fun, the collection had an underlying chic sprung from Sui’s decades of experimentation with abundance. Sui may indeed be driven by fabulosity, but for her joyride, savvy control rides shotgun.
