How contemporary designer Anna Sui, has reinterpreted and been influenced by the past - Essay Example

Question: Contemporary designers often use the past as inspiration for their collections. Using one or more examples of your choice, examine how the designer has reinterpreted style details from the past. Discuss the influences that have shaped the design of the contemporary pieces. Are there similarities or differences in influence from the original historical pieces? My Focus: How contemporary designer Anna Sui, Has reinterpreted and been influenced by the past (e.g. Through historical pieces) Tabe Of Contents 1.Introduction 2.Biography 3.Ancient Styles (Egypt, Mayan, Roman) 4.Victorian (e.g. Romantic, Pre-Raphaelites) 5.Rococo 6.Conclusion From folk, grunge and heavy metal music to Victorian, Rococo and ancient Egyptian style, Anna Sui channels her passion for fashion by getting influences from all aspects. Not only is she a well-rounded designer inspired by all things around her but also has become one of the “most celebrated names in fashion history” and the first Chinese-American to make it big in the industry. Anna Sui is especially “known for her timeless designs and her ability to transcend eras with historical and culturally inspired collections”. Each of her idea’s gets hours and hours of intensive research and special treatment which ultimately sparks a “Sequence of connection” creating collections which not only transport the audience but also successfully uses historical influences to take very dramatic concepts and turn them into more refined and casual “prêt-a-porter” clothing. (Ready to wear). Anna Sui born on the 4th of August 1967 believes that “clothes have to be fun” and representational otherwise why bother making them? She attended Parson the new school for design and after graduating started designing for sportswear labels. Anna Sui had a rough start as a designer, not only did she get fired from her job for featuring her collection in a New York fair trade but also started a small business in her apartment with only 300 dollars in her account. Her collection, which consisted of only 5 pieces, was designed and made exclusively in her studio apartment and got featured in New York Times. From that point on her talent as a designer was a force to be reckoned with, however she highly struggled next to “big-name houses” in the 1980’s as power dressing was the popular style and Anna Sui focused mainly on quirky design that incorporated her love for music (folk, gunge, punk etc.) and her fascination for the past (Victorian, Rococo, Parisian Boudoir etc.) Her close friend Naomi Campbell then suggested that she host a fashion show in order to show the world her different approach to fashion. Thus she rented a small space and rewarded the models with clothes, the show was a breakthrough in her career. Not only did her name get known but also she understood that staying true to herself and her inspirations was going to be the key to her success and to this day her designs still incorporate her love for music and her fascination for the past. For her Spring/Summer 2009 collection, Anna took her initial inspiration from the textile designer Alexander Girard. She got inspired by the way he took folkloric ancient Mexico and India and transformed it into mid-century modern. Not only did she love the way in which he did that but also loved his Cheery color palette, which she ultimately decided to use throughout the collection. Like Girard, She focused her attention on Hot colors like lime, coral, saffron, tomato, fuchsia, marigold, chartreuse and ultramarine blue. In the middle of researching her initial concept she went to Egypt, “One of the things that really hit me beside the beauty was the similarity between all the different sunny places such as the pyramids, sand and the beautiful history about it.” This inspired her to create a collection expressing not only the relationship between different culture such as ancient Mayan and ancient Egypt but also different time in history such as ancient Egypt and modern times ultimately leading to her final concept “Egyptian Hippie Chic” which was a bright and optimistic collection. She incorporated the theme of Ancient Egypt in more than one way. The colors (Aqua, Coral, White and Gold) which mirrored the Mediterranean played a strong part in the over all theme along with all the ancient Egyptian symbols such as Ankhs, Scarabs and the eye of Horus otherwise known as Udjat which were all prevalent on her jewelry, footwear and handbags. Furthermore Tassels and Leather were used to give the collection a modern, hippie bohemian vibe to the collection along with a slight Roman influence. Throughout this collection, Sui has incorporated big, wide and deep ornamental collars that were worn over the shoulders in the ancient Egyptian period by Pharaoh’s, empress and any other influential figure. This was recreated in an almost exact way as the shape, the pattern and even the colors of the jewelry highly resembles the antique version that would have been worn in Ancient Egyptian era. Although Sui wanted to create a modern version of the ancient Egyptian and Mayan period, she did want to capture the essence of the fashion of the time and thus decided to create most of her pieces out of Linen which was the principal material used for garments at the time. Furthermore many of the dresses are straight and semi long to capture the essence of the early ancient Egyptian period where dress were long, straight without much shape to them (usually one or two shoulder straps). Embroidery was used excessively within this collection as it was used in ancient Egypt as a highly decorative method used in order for them to obtain little specific details along the border and fringes of their garments. This was also a way to differentiate the Pharaohs from the Noble class, which had rather similar types of clothing. Furthermore this was highly used in the Ancient Mayan culture where the representation of their gods could be stitched directly onto their clothes, Thus causing Sui to incorporate the method within her clothes. Further on during the Ancient Egyptian period it became popular and “Fashionable” for dresses to be pleated and draped, This caused the upper class to take the draping style to a higher level by draping with different lighter, fine and transparent linen creating a “flowy” garment which was ideal for the hot climate of Egypt. Sui chose to recreate this feeling of light and “flowy” dresses through the use of layered silk dress with draped layers and flamboyant colors. Although it is much more complex and colorful than the Ancient Egyptian dresses would have been we, as the audience can clearly see where the influence came from. Furthermore she chose to use these playful layers and flamboyant colors in order to create a sense of happiness and health within her collection, utter enthusiasm “It’s not death on the Nile, it’s life on the Nile”. This theme of cheery, sunny optimism is further explored through the warm colored backdrop symbolizing the Mexican Sun face, which was also incorporated in some of her printed textiles. This hints at the Ancient Mayan traditions and the mixing of culture within the collection, as she not only paid attention to the Ancient Egyptian details but also the Ancient Mayan cultural symbolism. Within this collection all the shoes were golden colored, flat opened shoes or flat boots with no heels. This was done to stay true to the style of shoes that were worn in that era. The shoes were usually made out of leather and had gold ornaments or golden colors to them. Although she used flip-flops within the collection, which were often worn in that period, she could have made it even more authentic by including little flats instead of boots, as flats were the most popular sorts of shoes worn during that period. Furthermore there is Roman Influences seen within this collection through Sui’s usage of modernized gladiator boots. Although the concept of gladiator boots is a rather modern concept, as most gladiators fought barefoot. It was not uncommon for more influential gladiators with more money to wear leather sandals with a metal leg guard, which is where the current trends of gladiator boots originate. Although it is not authentic to the era, most of us would be able to identify the boots as being Roman and this is ultimately why Sui included them within her collection. “To me Anna’s work is influenced by historicism and neglectism which makes her the ultimate post modern designer along with John Galliano. They’ve kept this idea of post modernity in a way in which few other designers have done. I think her ability to use the past in order to create the future is her genius” said Andrew Bolton of the Costume Institute after studying the collection. Anna’s interest for the Victorian era can be seen as far back as the 1990’s when she designed her boutique, which was highly inspired by Victorian and Parisian Boudoir Belle period. Some mismatched pieces of Louis XV- revival furniture that she had found years ago at a flea market and had painted black were the first pieces of furniture to be showcased in her boutique. The Goth-dollhouse like aesthetic created through the fusion of red floors, lavender walls and black lacquer furniture is now her brand’s signature and is carried through her stores, her cosmetics packaging and even her own Greenwich Village apartment. The dressers, sofa, shoe holder and even makeup stand are all obviously inspired by the Victorian era. This is further emphasized by the wallpapers which all represent the flower embroidery that would have been found on the dresses of the time. In Victorian England the Pre-Raphaelites were romantic poets and artists, they were what we would call nowadays “Rebels”, exactly the kind of people Anna Sui likes so it was a wonder she had never used them as inspiration for a collection before until now in her Spring/Summer 2014 Collection where she is making up for lost time. She says, “I love their painting and I read all the time about them and decided to do a collection based on them”. She was initially inspired by the Tate Museum “Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde” exhibition. After deeply studying the canvases she decided to choose her color palette according to the luminous iridescent colors seen within these art works. The colors were composed of: teal, sage, lavender, lilac, robin’s egg, mauve, eggplant, coral, persimmon, and used tea dipped and bleached linen to achieve the perfect vintage, worn away texture and look to her collection. One of the thing that Pre-Raphaelites rebelled against was the way women were dressed, not only did they paint ladies showing skin such as shoulders and arm which was very unconventional of the time but also wearing clothes that reminds us of the medieval times. These consisted of Long, “flowy” body hugging dresses, which highly contrasted with the hoop skirts, which were all about volume and heavy fabrics. Anna Sui captured that “freedom” through the use ruffled fringed “light as air” short dresses and tunics but kept the traditional aspect by also having few long “flowy”, heavily embroidered gowns. She captured the theme of Pre-Raphaelites by having beautifully embellished light materials such as silks and chiffon that were common of the time. She also reproduced antique wallpaper patterns on her fabric to create this authentic feel. A lot of embroidery (e.g. crewel embroideries) is seen along with a lot of traditional patterns and flowers such as poppies, water lilies, sunflowers all fitting hand in hand with the time era that she had picked. Her inspiration is not only seen through the clothing that she had created but also through the accessories that she produced and her attention to detail. Her clothing is flecked with antique gold, like the clothing of that time would have been in order to show wealth and prosperity. And the styling was done with Balinese headdresses, which resembles the headdresses worn at the time and created this romantic feel by having “floral fantasy headpieces out of antique tinsel trimmings, ribbons and wisps of pastel feathers” which represent the freedom and the peacefulness of nature. The Pre-Raphaelites influences are not only seen in the female garments but also in the male ones. A lot of fur, embroidered jackets, silk suit with embroidered flowers and velvet assembles can be seen throughout the collection. Velvet and embroidery were big fashion “must haves” of the Victorian era for a male. Just like the female, heavily embroidered fabric represented wealth and prosperity, high rank within society. Her way of combining all these traditional elements into modernized outfits is not unique but also amazing. Although the collection varies from very traditional long embroidered gowns to short modernized tunics and shorts, the inspiration behind this collection remains clear and well executed. The Victorian era can also been seen within her other collections through the use of the Victorian chemise. Within many of her collection, the chemise makes its appearance, creating a vintage business look to the outfit she created. Andrew Bolton from the Met Costume museum said: “The way she (Anna) manages to combine historicism and the street is pretty unique. What is so amazing about her is that she’s able to filter history through a contemporary eye. It translates history into verbal historicism which really isn’t easy to do.” “The Victoria and Albert Museum has long been my favorite museum in the world and requires a visit every time I’m in London. So much of my design process involves research into the periods represented at the V&A “ Anna sui believes that research on history makes for a great collection, this is especially true for her spring 2000 “Rococo Gypsy” collection which not only included great elements from the past but also was her first collection which such strong historical influences. This collection was inspired by the 18th century, when women were first empowered with theories of liberation and fashion was at its frilliest and most embellished. Throughout this collection ruching, pleats and ruffles were used in order to recreate the style of the rococo era where hoop skirt and frills where often used. Although Anna Sui decided to go with shorter skirts which aren’t authentic to the era the texture of the fabric, the sort of fabric and the designs themselves prove to be era appropriate creating a subtle balance between the “more is more” rococo era and the “less is more” modern era. Furthermore she did incorporate some long skirts texturized to perfection in order for the Rococo style to shine through. She recreated the texture and shine that these gowns had by using Chinese export silks and 18th century Indian Palampores and colored in the palette of Boucher, Fragonard and Liotard. In order to get a modernized feel to the overall collection, Sui traded in the popular hoop skirt for a less dramatic but still era appropriate: bustle pad and crinolette . She finished off the look with details, whether it be from the style of jewelry, to the embellishments and embroidery or even the details on the sleeves, nobody can deny the amount of finesse and patience that went into these immaculate details. The embroidery follows the flower pattern that would have been used in the 18th; this is especially seen on the male’s vests as they are close to perfect replicates of what would have been worn at the time all while the print on the fabric also replicates some of the pattern that were seen on Hoop skirts. Furthermore the ¾ sleeves tied up with lace on the end or layered up with ruffles are also very age appropriate and are directly influenced from the rococo period. The last look influenced by the rococo era is also her most popular; this piece is nowadays featured in New York FIT. For the piece Anna dui decided to create a traditional18th century undergarment but give it a modern twist through the use of denim as the main fabric. From the bodice, to the 18th century stomacher, undergarment shapes or even to the crinolette and bustle pad this look was fully era appropriate. Not only was this the perfect modern take on an historical influence but this was also embroidered to perfection. The details on the crinolette from the ruching and ruffles on the end to the embroidered rose patterns going throughout perfectly symbolizes the kind of embroidery one would have at the time. As the crinolette is created directly over jeans and is fully embroidered, it could suggest that in this case it is suppose to represent an outer skirt as it clearly shows the audience that outer skirts at the time were fully embroidered, this is mostly done in order to achieve a quirky fun and temporary result that Anna sui is known for. Anna Sui, “Known for her timeless designs and her ability to transcend eras with historical and culturally inspired collections” transports the audience by successfully using historical influences to take very dramatic concepts and turn them into more refined and casual “prêt-a-porter” clothing. Whether it is Ancient cultures, Victorian rebels, Rococo or even some of the many other historical periods that he had chosen to draw from in other collections, Anna Sui never fails to disappoint. She does not only reinterpret the style and make it her own by trying to “reflect the times in history”, but also tries to tell a story by promoting enthusiasm. She is one of the few designers to bring laughing models to the runway, she believes that happiness is key to success and this theme is seen throughout her collection and ultimately her historical influences. Just as her passion for history shows through her clothing, her passion for clothing also shows from the way she studies and analyze history. Her unique perspective of looking at history makes her, along with John Galliano some of the only designers to mix post-modernity and historicism in such a graceful and elegant way. “A times I have this fantasy that I am going to work at a museum some days, I would love to do something like that”. Read More