NEW YORK,FEBRUARY 11, 2020 by STEFF YOTKA The devil is in the details—and lord, were there many to be consumed at Anna Sui’s fall 2020 show. Inspired by the languid heroines of ’70s horror films—Daughters of Darkness, Blood, and Black Lace were on the mood board—Sui dreamt up one of her richest, most sumptuous collections of late. It began as the lights on the runway flashed Suspiria red; the models turned in unison like possessed witches and started to glide down the runway one by one with the assured strut of Morticia Addams. It was, without question, one of the more sensual mise-en-scènes that Sui has ever created.
That sensuality carried into the clothing. Sui has always been a materials obsessive, turning her custom prints into custom laces into custom sequin embroideries like a magpie M.C. Escher. Yes, some of that Bohemia remained in a few lilac prairie dresses and a print collaboration with Liberty, but when it came to styling out her looks and considering their visual impact, Sui went full vamp. In addition to her sinuous poppy and Fantasia-worthy floral prints carrying through various fabrications, she also experimented with new materials and eccentric techniques. A black vinyl dress in a Victorian shape worn by Lulu Tenney had burnout velvet details on the yoke and embroidered eyelets along its hem. Sara Grace Wallerstedt’s emerald green Lurex mesh separates had fluttering lettuce edging. Yasmin Wijnaldum’s party dress was made from burnout velvet zig-zags on organza—a technique Sui had never seen before—while Issa Lish’s fully sequined jumpsuit and faux fur and shearling coat offered a high-dose of glamour that Sui’s audience has probably not seen from her since Linda was on the catwalk.
With cinched waists—also rarely seen in the Sui oeuvre—and sky-high John Fluevog platforms, Sui’s models looked lethally gorgeous. Their siren beauty was accentuated by Pat McGrath’s greenish makeup, Garren’s rolled-up pouf hairstyles, and sinister hats and headpieces by James Coviello, including several with feathers shaped into devil horns. Dreams and fantasies are two themes so often associated with Sui. This season she let herself be tempted into the world of enchanted nightmares, and this evil turn is so devilishly good.
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