how anna sui's iconic hairstyle came to be
behind the scenes of my interview with the queen of 90s fashion.
Hello!
I’m on vacation and wasn’t planning on sending out a newsletter until I’m back, but the time difference has made me an early riser, so let’s see what I can pull together before I have to hop on a kayak in an hour…
Also, I’m still reeling from the TSTIP finale (who else is listening to the Chris Briney narrated Quinn story to fill the void?) and a fashion commentary Part 2 is coming soon. There’s so much to discuss re: Belly in Paris outfits.
Ahead of NYFW, I interviewed Anna Sui for SSENSE about her role in the heyday of 90s fashion, documented in a new Rizzoli art book (distributed to guests at her show last week).
You can read my interview with her here.
It was such a treat to talk to her—like catching up with a glamorous aunt about her lifetime of travels and flea markets and parties. It’s not every day you get to interview Anna Sui, so I made sure to do my research beforehand and prepare a mix of thoughtful and fun questions.
I made sure to ask about how her vintage shopping methods have evolved over years, and what’s on her secondhand wishlist these day. Turns out, she’s just like us!
And here are a few behind-the-scenes moments that didn’t make it into the interview, but I found charming and hilarious nonetheless:
1). She cuts her own bangs.
I couldn’t help but point out during our Zoom call that we sort of had the same bangs…so we ended up talking about our hair journeys. I asked Anna how she landed on her famous fringe style, which she’s had for decades.
“If you look at pictures of me as a kid, I had the bangs and pigtails, and then as a teenager I had the bangs and long hair. There were times when I grew out bangs, but I always couldn't stand it and I would chop them again. So when I started doing my own collection, I decided like, okay, this is going to be my signature look from now on.
There’s been times when my hair's much more layered, but I’ve always had bangs. I just cut them last night.”
2). Purple has always been her signature color.
Anna Sui knew who she was from a very early age. She decided at the age of 4 that she was going to become a fashion designer! The same goes for her commitment to the color purple.
“I was having a birthday party and my mom wanted to know what kind of cake I wanted. So I got very specific and I said, I want lavender roses and I want a lavender dress. So that became the color. And I think that now, whenever you see that color, it's a signature icon of the brand.”
3). She loves Sandy Liang.
I’ve always wondered if they had a personal connection, given their shared positions as highly influential fashion designers of their respective zeitgeists who both happen to be Chinese American.
“I'm really good friends with Sandy, and I think she's so great. I love what she does, and I got to know her from one of my nieces. One of my neighbors is best friends with Sandy's sister, so we all got together for dinner. But yeah, I'm crazy about what she does.”
4). She has an affinity for the Southwest.
We saw this come through in her most recent show. Anna’s interest in Southwestern art and culture has been bubbling for a long time.
“I think it was late eighties that I got there [the Southwest] for the first time. And I read up a lot about it. I went to visit the Mabel Dodge Luhan Ranch. She started this artist colony and some of the people that passed through were George O'Keefe and Millicent Rogers. I just love seeing what influenced those people and how combined all the different cultures and created their own styles.”
If this got you in the mood to browse secondhand Anna Sui, may I turn your attention to this very fall 90s leopard print jacket?
Anna Sui Vintage Leopard Suit Coat 90's animal print
To bring this back to TSITP (everything is connected…) Lola Tung wore leopard print Anna Sui for her September NYLON shoot.
Would you to hear about your favorite Anna Sui memories/moments in the comments, and feel free to post secondhand links in the chat—you guys are so good at sharing finds <3
Ok, talk more soon.
xo viv
collab of the century
I remember being obsessed with Anna Sui in high school back in the mid-aughts and finding an Anna Sui x Anthropologie top at a secondhand store and making it my entire personality well into college. Her aesthetic has always been so unapologetically feminine but also very informed by pop culture. She is truly an icon.