Anna Sweet

Can I admit to something? It’s my blog, of course I can. My admission is that I just don’t understand why Anna Sui has never quite achieved the same fame as Marc Jacobs. Anna Sui is certainly no unknown in the fashion world, and Marc Jacobs is, in my opinion, in every way deserving of his fame, but the more of her stuff I see, the more I think that she’s damn good. The reason that I compare her to Marc Jacobs is that she has the same sense of ‘devil may care, I’m doing what I want,’ in her design, but she’s also always equally on the mark, trend-wise.

Take this dress as an example. The shape is perfectly sweet. The patent, vinyl-y bow is a little ironic--a bow is a touch that's about as cutesy as can be, but the sheen gives it a lot of edge. It's almost bondage-esque. The pattern is completely Anna Sui's work. It's unexpected, busy, and a bit strange, to be honest, but it works perfectly well.

I liked the palette of black and white. It was interesting to see how much fun she could make sophisticated looks be. But really, Anna Sui works best in color.

Don't you agree?