Anna Sui: Madcap Heiress

Somebody should really build a monument to Anna Sui, though, in a certain sense, we already have. Because of her energy, fertile imagination, and the fact that tastes have swung back to her idea of maximalist downtown style, Sui’s designs seem more relevant and impactful than ever.
 
Her shows are small but always with a great sense of occasion. Recent catwalk displays have been staged inside the Strand—New York’s greatest secondhand bookstore—or in tiny cocktail bars in the Lower East Side. This Saturday, Sui invited us to the National Arts Club on Gramercy Park—a far more elegant location for a far more soignée collection.

The opening tune on the soundtrack set the stage: Rita Hayworth singing “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.” The cast then appeared like quirky, modernist versions of Rita’s model pals in Cover Girl.
 
The cast, their tresses stacked up in a great display by hairstylist Dame Pat McGrath, clearly loved the clothes as they strode about the charming Victoria Gothic mansion. It was once the home of Samuel J. Tilden, governor of New York and the losing candidate of the highly contentious 1876 presidential election. Disputed results are nothing new to American politics.
 
Opening with some great to-the-manner-born tartan hacking jackets and jodhpurs worn over plaid riding boots.  Sui cut some chic snug tweed suits, though always styled with a sense of humor, pairing them with leopard print tops, soft top hats or handbags.

She showed glittering emerald jacquard cardigans, Venetian stripe shirts and bronze Fortuny pleat trumpet skirts. Everything was hyper-jumbled up, but somehow, it all worked—aided by some excellent accessories, from triple-hued sneakers made with longtime collaborator John Fluevog to superb cat-eyed Peggy Guggenheim shades from Mondottica.

 
Swaddled in faux-mink fur, the models sashayed past the oil paintings and mahogany bar with no care in the world. The color palette was upbeat—magenta, Roman Imperial purple, caramel, plum, and faux silver.
 
“This is my madcap heiress for today,” explained Sui, referencing Barbara Hutton, Doris Duke, and Peggy Guggenheim after she took a bow to several minutes of applause, looking faintly surprised by the intensity of the ovation. Everyone fed off the emotion in the National Arts Club for Anna Sui. There was a lot of love in that room.
  

Altuzarra: Wuthering Heights in the Woolworth Building

The opening double-faced cashmere wrap coat in Joseph Altuzarra’s latest collection looked like it had just escaped a storm—albeit in elegant attire—evoking the heroine that inspired the show.
 
As is often the case at an Altuzarra show, Joseph left a novel wrapped in cotton on each guest’s seat. This season, it was Emily Bronte’s great romantic gothic classic Wuthering Heights, and its tragic heroine, Catherine Earnshaw, would surely have loved this collection.
 
The Alpine cashmere sweaters, black riding boots, jodhpur-style pants, fabulous hooded greatcoats, and soft blousons would have been ideal for braving the North Yorkshire moors where Wuthering Heights was set. More tellingly, they would work perfectly for anyone stepping out into Saturday’s subzero New York temperatures. Most brilliantly, the shearling cape jackets with deep pockets, paired with matching boots and skirts, embodied New Romantic cool at its best. Crisp pea coats combined with bouffant bubble skirts were the height of chic, while two studded gowns at the finale exuded classy elegance.

 
The novel’s gothic elements were echoed in the choice of location—the Woolworth Building and the famed Cathedral of Commerce, both covered in terracotta detailing and grotesque gothic gargoyles. Catherine’s dream of an eternal romance was suggested in many semi-sheer and sheer chiffon and satin dresses and nightgowns, often printed with leaves or smudged kisses.
 
“Softness and vulnerability contrasted with overt sexuality and strength. Exquisite chaos,” smiled the designer backstage.
 
This was a great contemporary fashion statement, aided by some snazzy jewelry—organic-shaped chokers and necklaces—and cool bags, notably his fringed and studded Origami Bag or Knot-Basket tote woven from straw and suede.
 
An ideal meeting of Parisian chic and Manhattan energy—by a Parisian who has made New York his home.