The only way Anna Sui’s show yesterday could have been better is if we were served an ice cold Mai Tai upon arriving at the tropical oasis she conjured, fake palm trees included. Those palm trees, by the way, perfectly matched Iris Apfel’s feather boa. Now, that’s when you know you have a good show coming. And it was great; fun in a way that the rest of the fashion world has seemingly forgotten how to have, yet incredibly focused and creative with a single idea – the romance of escaping to a faraway island, maybe in the thirties or maybe as a chorus girl in Elvis Presley’s Blue Hawaii.
The collection was a treasure trove in the characteristic Anna Sui mode – among its riches were some seriously cool bomber jackets with beaded sailor tattoos, sailor striped knits with floral board shorts, indigo clam digger shorts with a yellow lei stripe down the sides, sarong-like wrap skirts and a lot, a lot of great print dresses. From Mexican roses and lagoon berry flowers to pineapples, starfish and butterflies and swimmers by beach umbrellas, they had everything on them and more. Frilly, sheer, lace-trimmed, knotted at the hem and seashell-trimmed, they had the feel of a good rummage through your eccentric aunt’s great wardrobe. Now, if you could find her famous Mai Tai recipe…
