by Kimberley Heit

Created on: November 10, 2008

American fashion designer, Anna Sui is a master at mixing an amazing array of eclectic looks and somehow making them look great together. Her 2008 Fall fashion collection is no exception and demonstrates why she has a celebrity cult following amongst stars like Mischa Barton, Nicole Ritchie and Hilary Duff. There are so many beautiful details in this collection that you may find yourself wanting to put the parade into slow mode just to take it all in.

Let's go behind the scenes and break down the inspirations, color palette, fabrics and key looks.

-Inspiration-

Anna Sui's 2008 Fall fashion collection brings many different cultures into focus. As soon as the show opens with "it" model Agyness Deyn rounding the corner in a beaded flower neck piece the 1960's hippie power movement can be felt. As the show continues viewers are treated to looks reminiscent of the 1920's, 1970's rock and roll movement and traditional Native American Indian style of dress.

Anna Sui stated that her main sources of inspiration for the range came from "the Pre-Raphaelites, Tiffany vases, Medievalism and American Indians". The runway show is like a veritable collection of fashion history brought into the 21st century.

-Color palette-

Purple, blue and red are some of the strongest colors in the Anna Sui Fall 2008 fashion collection. They are accompanied by touches of metallic gold, cream, fuchsia pink, green and some all black combinations.

Anna Sui said "As if from some opulent fairy tale, I based my fall color palette on the shades you find in pre-Raphaelite paintings. I'm using all the iridescent peacock hues in vibrant ombres: ultramarine, periwinkle, cobalt, cyan, purple, heliotrope, amethyst, teal."

-Fabrics-

The collection features an explosion of prints with many bold designs like animal print, heart print and romantic floral scroll work. There is also a lot of texture used in the range, with vintage style lace sitting beside faux fur, velvet, shimmering metallic fabrics, crochet edging and sheer chiffon.

-Key Looks-

The range features mainly dresses and skirts which are mostly short in length. Anna Sui's trademark printed mini dresses form a large part of the collection. The range also features vests, shorts and a few full length dresses. The common thread between all of the different looks is the silhouette. The clothes are all feminine and flowing with a feel that can be best described as bohemenian lady like.

One of Anna Sui's favorite pastimes is flea market shopping and this is evident in many of the looks. There is an almost patchwork style feel to many of the designs. The 60's inspired looks feature color blocking and floral neck and head pieces. The 1920's looks are almost slightly ostentatious feeling and tend to be all black combinations.

The collection is complimented by knee high boots and patterned stockings, both in striking colors, lots of beaded accessories and an equally eclectic range of hairstyles from long sleek straight hair to wild, teased looks.

To some, Anna Sui's fall 2008 collection may resemble a rather unusual mess, but from the very beginning Anna Sui has been willing to push the boundaries on style. Her first range which she displayed at the Boutique show in 1980 immediately netted her an order from Macy's. Today Anna Sui is sold in over 30 different countries and Anna Sui has been named on of Time Magazine's top 5 fashion icons of the decade.

Watch the parade and for yourself at annasui.com www.annasui.com to make your own judgment.

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