Editor’s note: This year, in advance of her 45th year in business, Anna Sui published a book on her collections from the ’90s. To celebrate that, and as part of Vogue Runway’s ongoing efforts to document the history of fashion shows, we are closing out 2025 by adding two newly digitized shows from that era to the site. This fall 1995 collection was presented in New York on April 6, 1995, in the tents in Bryant Park.
Picture it…Swinging London, but transported and updated to mid-’90s New York. The purr of a moto precedes the appearance of a snow white Vespa at the end of the runway. It’s driven by a long-haired chap in black leather, tight pants—of course. Perched at the back is Linda Evangelista wearing a neat single-breasted tweed suit with a black turtleneck, sunglasses, and patent leather go-go boots. Mod with a soupçon of existentialism.
As usual, Anna Sui had her finger on the pulse of what was going on at the nexus of fashion and music. The designer, wrote Vogue at the time, “went straight to the sources for her ideas: David Bailey’s photos of 1960s icon Jean Shrimpton, early publicity shots of The Who, and a newly released Beatles album. But to keep her styles from becoming purely retro retreads, Sui pulled in other references as well. ‘I looked at early-’80s mod like the Jam and current bands like Elastica, then mixed all three decades up to make it more today.’”
The Clash wasn’t on that list, but the collection was full of unexpected material confrontations. There was the essential mod contrast of black and white in garments and two-tone shoes; the oily shine of patent contrasted with the matte scratchiness of tweed; wild leopard prints paired with tame checks; and second-skin latex mixed with proper herringbone. At the end of the show, dressy looks made of iridescent sharkskin taffeta faced off against the club-ready glitz of clear sequins over drab camouflage print.
It has always been the case that the action extends beyond the catwalk at Anna Sui. “Iggy Pop and Marianne Faithfull were there!” the designer enthused. (Fun fact: That pink-haired imp traipsing up and down the runway was none other than Eric Daman. Then a favorite subject of photographer Steven Meisel, he went on to work as a costume designer on Sex and the City and Gossip Girl.)
