by Monique Nelson

Created on: November 08, 2008

It looks as if Anna Sui beat her models black and blue and then splashed them with metallic paint for her 2008 fall fashion line. Though she claims to have based her "fall color palette on the shades you find in pre-Raphaelite paintings...As if from some opulent fairy tale" (http://www.annasui.com/news/), it feels like she attempted to brighten up the darkest and dullest of hues by lining everything she created in gold, silver and bronze stitching. Unfortunately, the result was unpleasant.

Sui was obviously inspired by First Nations art for this collection; many of the patterns she uses are beautiful and the "fringe benefits" are certainly noteworthy. That being said, I feel that she tried to incorporate too many traditions into a single line. We see flashbacks to the 60s with the Hippie / Gypsy inspired paisley and headbands. The current trend of layering tights and over-sized tops with knee-high boots are prominent in her fall collection, along side a very confused attempt at a modern western apparel.

It is not unusual for designers to pull out all the stops for their runway shows, and Anna Sui is no exception. Her signature style is always unique and frequently "retro." It is typical of her to favour dark colours, conservative styles and over-sized shapes for her fall collections. Her layers are overwhelming and, this year in particular, there is simply too much going on to allow for a stylish outfit.

Though I am hard pressed to find a Anna Sui fall line that is creative and wearable, I absolutely adore her spring collections. Anna Sui's 2009 spring collection is already out and holds infinitely more promise than her fall line. Though we still see some of her Gypsy and Western, she pulls it off with simple yet stated spring dresses. Her spring collection is more subdued and with fewer layers; her patterns are no longer overwhelming, though undoubtedly eye-catching. She introduces pieces that a flirty punk rocker business woman might wear.

One thing is for sure, Sui is not for the faint of style: she is certainly not afraid to go short, sheer or bold in her collections. Her fall line doesn't leave her followers with many "ready-to-wear" options, but we can always follow her direction: tights need to be patterned, dark colours need to be dressed up with metallic accents, and paisley is wearable once more. Fringe is debatable, but knee high boots are always a great choice.

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