Catwalk Review: Anna Sui S/S 2011

Catwalk Review: Anna Sui S/S 2011

Frazer Harrison, Getty Images for IMG

DESIGNER:Anna Sui

INSPIRATION: The American prairie

TOP LOOKS: Plaid apron dress with ruffle trim over waxed-linen leg-o'-mutton shirt; nude chiffon square-neck top paired with cream lace shorts; romantic, feminine, floaty chiffon pieces in mixed prints

ACCESSORIES: Long, feather-strewn rope necklaces with wood, turquoise, bone, and crystal beads by Erickson Beamon; feather and dried-grass headpieces; boots and shoes by Fiorentini + Baker

WHO WAS THERE: Photographer Bruce Weber, art director Fabien Baron, creative power couple Simon Doonan and Jonathan Adler

WHAT WE THOUGHT: Anna Sui knows how to get behind a theme. For spring, she did prairie dressing. It had a 1960s flavour, and you could just picture her trawling flea markets and vintage archives for inspiration. Sui sent almost 50 looks of maximal Western prairie fare down the runway, all of it exuberant and feminine.

She mixed up patterns, from vines and florals to plaids, birds, and bandana and scarf prints. Almost everything had a ruffle here and a pin-tuck there, and almost everything was chiffon. It was soft and pretty. Who doesn't want a breezy, floaty printed top in summer, to pair with shorts or jeans, or to wear over a bikini? This is why Anna Sui has such staying power.

Close

What's Hot