When Ugbad Abdi stepped onto Anna Sui’s spring 2022 runway, a seatmate cheered, “Yes, bitch, these clothes are the moment!” Abdi was wearing a tropical floral mesh dress, crochet knit vest, and ankle socks with a little coordinating crochet bag. Hannah Motler’s surfer girl mesh top and strapless dress elicited an, “okay, this is what I’m talking about!” And Rebecca Longendyke’s nylon floral romper inspired a “look at that! I want it!” Personally, I’d rather like Mika Schneider’s pink meshy tee and cardigan or maybe Adut Akech’s lamé camp shirt. The message here is that Anna Sui’s sweet, quirky clothes are striking a chord with millennial and Gen Z customers who are interested in an X-Girl-meets-fashion girl look.
Inspired by her travels and favorite tiki haunt, Sui’s tropical paradise show was positively filled with cute wantable things. She is always expanding her product offering, and this season, she hit almost every note, from rainbow tweed mini suits to floral board shorts to girlish prom dresses. There were even white lacy caftans that, in a cheeky wink, appeared on the runway as The White Lotus’s title track began to play. Shoppers will eat these pieces up as they return to stores, but if they need any inspo, Sui’s niece and actress Chase Sui Wonders was there to provide it, wearing her aunt’s clothing often with an edgy ease.
The location helped lift the vibe, too. Nestled into booths at Indochine, where Sui had designed a purple St-Germain cocktail complete with palm tree straws to set the vacation mood, the audience didn’t have to work to imagine these clothes at work and play. Wouldn’t you like to be at Anna’s tiki bar, wearing a daisy chain bag and Erickson Beamon beaded brooch, kicking some neon pink John Fluevog platforms up to the sky? In the past, Sui’s shows could feel a little overdone with reference and reverence. This was the designer at her freest and most joyous, and it’s certainly about to influence a new generation of Sui girls. Another seat mate was, in fact, wearing a tank that read “I Love Anna.”
