Anna Sui Designed Her Dream Vintage Haul for Fall 2024

Brooke Frischer

February 11, 2024 at 1:55 PM·5 min read

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Anna Sui has made a habit of presenting her collections in unique and "IYKYK" New York City destinations. Last season, it was the intimate movie theater in the basement of The Crosby Hotel in Soho; this season's show took place at The Strand — a beloved, nearly 100-year-old independent bookstore on the edge of Union Square. The prized New York institution only garnered more support after nearly closing in 2020 due to the lack of customers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The Strand is one of the biggest treasures New York City has. It was so scary when we thought we were going to lose it," Sui told Fashionista. "So when I was thinking about an atmosphere for this show, I thought I wanted a library, but is there a room more beautiful than this?"

The Strand's Rare Book Room — an upstairs space typically used for author talks and private events — was Sui's runway of choice. Books as antique as first-edition F. Scott Fitzgerald works, and as new as Bill Clinton's 2004 autobiography, lined the golden-lit room, painting the perfect backdrop for Sui's time-melding collection, which was inspired by aesthetics spanning from the '30s until now.

"The silhouettes of the clothes represent all of my favorite eras, but made relevant for now," Sui explains. "I wanted people to be able to relate to them."

Leg warmers remindful of the '80s, silky paisley prints evocative of the '60s and slouched beanies, crushed velvet and, of course, slip dresses reminiscent of the decade in which Sui rose to fame (the '90s) came together on the runway as an ode to all of Sui's favorite fashions.

"It's everything that I love. I'm just loving how there's such a revival of vintage and people searching for pieces like treasure. You have to find these things, hunt them down until you find that piece that you want. I think that having that kind of value on things is worth more than any retail worth," says Sui. "It doesn't matter if it's couture or what. It's the treasure and the treasure hunt that matters."

Unfortunately, these treasure hunts have grown more difficult over time, inspiring Sui to use Fall 2024 as an opportunity to recreate the types of items she once found with ease.

"The vintage scene is so depleted now. We used to have the best flea market in the world on 25th Street and 6th Avenue. People would go every weekend. It was like church," Sui says. "The accessories (in this collection) like slingbacks in tweed, granny bags — we made them or I searched them out. I wanted souvenir scarves. I used to collect them when I would go to Europe, but you can't find them anymore. So I sought out all of these things."

She collaborated with lingerie-specialty store Eveliina Vintage to source some of the collection's slip dresses, and created new versions of elusive fabrics like corduroy and faux curly lamb in warm tones to evoke the same energy of her favorite vintage pieces: "These great colors like marmalade and curry — again, you don't find those, even in the flea market. These were the colors of my dreams."

Keep scrolling to see every look from Anna Sui Fall 2024.