Few designers have been able to traverse the style divide between punk and bohemian quite as effortlessly as Anna Sui and remain relevant. Perhaps it’s a testament to the deep level of research she puts into every one of her shows, in which she aims to “take audiences on a journey” with each season’s presentation. Or perhaps it's due to her deep immersion in the culture, having come up in the 1970s New York underground scene of Andy Warhol, Debbie Harry and Steven Meisel, reaching her apex amid the iconic fashion moment of the ‘90s. Since then, the Detroit-born designer has remained a household name, keeping her finger on the pulse at every turn.
Her most recent ready-to-wear show, which took place this past Saturday at the storied Chelsea Hotel, was no different. For her latest collection, the designer behind many downtown cool girls went full bohemian, at moments pastoral even, with an array of pinafore dresses, peasant skirts, fringe trims and plenty of ruffles. She swapped her signature mix of black and bold colors for off-whites, sunny yellows, peony blues, lilac purples and dusty rose pinks, and traded trompe l’oeil for true texture. Ditsy floral patterns and lace were layered, layered again, and then accessorized with suede belts and flannels draped around the waist. The result was distinctly delicate and atmospheric, a sun-drenched, coquettish fantasy that only Sui could pull off with a level of execution that feels not just real but historically grounded.
For Spring 2026, Sui looked West, drawing inspiration from the Mabel Dodge Luhan Ranch in Taos, New Mexico. Home to the genius of D.H. Lawrence, Georgia O’Keefe, Ansel Adams and Martha Graham over the first half of the 20th century. Later bought by Dennis Hopper and Michelle Phillips, the ranch served as a haven for free-spirited creative expression. Similarly a cultural mecca, but for a grungier scene, the Chelsea Hotel housed many of New York’s punk icons over the ‘60s and ‘70s, including Bob Dylan, Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, to name a few.
That’s not to say that there wasn’t a signature, self-referential Anna Sui-ness about the show. The designer drew from her own archive as much as the historical one. Her classic proclivity towards patterns was highly present, as was her love for babydoll dresses. Her aforementioned propensity for plot was also apparent. Guests at Saturday's show took home a copy of Sui’s book, The Nineties x Anna Sui, a snapshot of the designer’s defining decade, just launched with Rizzoli. Much like the ‘90s, Sui’s whimsical work is always looking forward and back at the same time. Maybe that’s the key to true timelessness. After all, fashion and storytelling go hand in hand.
Photography: Matt Weinberger
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