Ensemble

Designer Anna Sui American

Not on view

PRECOCIOUSNESS 1. Exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age:

Anna Sui has often looked to music and youth culture as creative reference points. For her spring/summer 1994 collection, she drew inspiration from grunge, specifically the personal style of Nirvana’s lead singer, Kurt Cobain. Citing Cobain’s proclivity for wearing dresses belonging to his wife, Courtney Love, Sui presented her take on the baby-doll dress, a childlike style popularized by Love. With its thigh-high hemlines, flirtatious ruffles, and sugary embroidery, the example shown here is simultaneously provocative and innocent. Its exaggerated girlishness challenges gender stereotypes, a provocation that resonated with grunge musicians.

Ensemble, Anna Sui (American, born 1955), Cotton, feathers, plastic, synthetic, American

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Ensemble, Anna Sui (American, born 1955), Cotton, feathers, plastic, synthetic, American
Ensemble, Anna Sui (American, born 1955), Cotton, feathers, plastic, synthetic, American
Ensemble, Anna Sui (American, born 1955), Cotton, feathers, plastic, synthetic, American
Ensemble, Anna Sui (American, born 1955), Cotton, feathers, plastic, synthetic, American
Ensemble, Anna Sui (American, born 1955), Cotton, feathers, plastic, synthetic, American
Ensemble, Anna Sui (American, born 1955), Cotton, feathers, plastic, synthetic, American

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