(Runway)
Anna Sui Puts A Modern Spin On ‘70s Silhouettes & Glam For Spring/Summer 2027
The designer proved, once again, that she knows what the fashion girls want.
On Saturday afternoon, Anna Sui welcomed guests into The National Arts Club in Gramercy Park to present her Spring/Summer 2027 collection, titled Wonderment. “Wonderment is the moment of enlightenment when you discover something new — something that sends you down a rabbit hole,” wrote Sui in her show notes. “It is the impulse to keep your eyes and mind open to possibility: to reach beyond the familiar, to remain receptive to surprise, and to allow yourself to be astonished and inspired by newfound awareness, sometimes beyond your wildest dreams.”
Based on the reactions of the showgoers around me, it isn’t far-fetched to say Sui successfully captured this idea. With just the opening look — a silky-lavender-and-black-lace cropped kimono and accompanying midi skirt accessorized by a traditional bamboo parasol — women of all ages beside me cracked a smile at Sui’s simultaneously fresh yet familiar take on femininity.
The following slew of models walked the runway in progressively more bohemian looks that any fashion girl would fight to wear at Coachella: pink printed mini dresses layered under sweeping matching robes, apron-like crop tops with crocheted hemlines and floral embroideries paired with silver-studded denim, ruffled high-collared eyelet blouse-and-pant sets, and stripey tunic tops styled beneath white-and-green silk camisoles and capris.
That’s not to say there weren’t party girl-friendly options, too. Variously sized iridescent pailettes cascaded down the front of slinky slip tops with coordinating skirts and crossbody bags, neon lace bralettes peeked out from beneath runched corset-adorned chemises, and silver sequins shaped into stars acted as pasties across a black jersey halter-neck dress. Each look has a vintage air to it (as most of Sui’s designs do) but are also well-grounded in the reality of what the modern girl-on-the-go wants, as especially evidenced by the show’s glam. Mismatched ‘70s-inspired curls took up models’ heads in funky patterns and crimps — making me feel a lot better about my own varied and heat damaged curls.
“I discovered Howard Gardiner Cushing’s paintings while flipping through a 1970s issue of Vogue, searching for an Avedon photograph of an Ara Gallant hairstyle,” Sui wrote. “On Justine Cushing’s walls were the most fantastical paintings. What began as a search for a photograph suddenly became something else entirely: a new visual world opening before me.”
With each passing look, that world became clear as day, with Sui continuing to cement herself as the go-to cool-girl whisperer. While there were everyday, covered-up pieces that could easily round out the wardrobe of someone heading to brunch at the latest downtown hotspot, there were also some naked-dressing moments, such as a completely sheer maxi dress showing off a magenta-and-baby-blue bra-and-undies set beneath. Although those ensembles are certainly on the sexier side, they still somehow feel more rooted in a fun, frilly, female-gaze fantasy, rather than simply for the sake of being exposed. Every single outfit truly felt like it was crafted from a dreamy doll-like closet — another sentiment shared as guests shuffled toward the exit following the show. “Take my money,” one person said to me. In other words, Sui once again proved that she just gets it.
Below, see more highlights from Anna Sui’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection.
