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The Good Buy is a podcast from Harper’s Bazaar in which editors Leah Chernikoff and Lynette Nylander invite celebrities, designers, models, and tastemakers to talk shop: what they buy, where they got it, and why it matters. Come down the fashion rabbit hole and take a peek inside the closets and shopping carts of the world’s most stylish people. Learn how they use style to tell their stories.
On this week’s episode of The Good Buy, we are joined by American fashion legend Anna Sui. Known for distinctive and eclectic designs inspired by the music and culture of the 1960s, Sui has cemented herself as one of the most influential faces of New York’s design community for over 40 years.
Even before launching her namesake label in the 1990s, Anna Sui had an immense love for fashion. From her early days buying her first designer piece—a Zandra Rhodes creation from Henri Bendel—Sui has developed a deep knowledge of vintage fashion and culture that had helped shape her signature style.
Bazaar caught up with Sui to learn all about her vintage treasures, the stories behind her most memorable buys, and the pop culture icons that shaped her individuality. Read on for highlights, and listen to the show in full here or watch it above.
On her first runway show:
“Linda [Evangelista] and Naomi [Campbell] and Christy [Turlington] were all friends socially. I did a styling thing with Linda because we did an Italian Vogue story of her and it was a tribute to Diana Vreeland. So she and Naomi and Christy got me all the other supers. And that was that first show.”
On becoming a fashion designer:
“I came to New York every year as a kid because my uncle lived here. The first time I came here as a flower girl to his wedding, when I went back to Michigan, I said to my parents, ‘When I grew up, I’m going to live in New York and I’m going to be a fashion designer.’ I had no idea what that meant. I had no idea how to do it, but that was my life goal, and everything that I did after that helped make it happen.”
On her love for Elizabeth Taylor:
“Elizabeth Taylor was always my favorite actress. I loved the way she dressed, and she spent time in London, so she wore a lot of Thea Porter. And for her auction, there were quite a few Thea Porter Caftans available. Sophia [Coppola] and I went to the auction and we were so excited because, I mean, there were like 14 or 15 of those caftans. And we got so deflated so quickly because we were bidding against Wendi Murdoch, who just had no limit. And then there was somebody bidding against us on some of the other things, and we turned around and it was Jennifer Tilly. We were like, ‘Okay, Jennifer, come sit with us. Let’s divide and conquer here. You tell us what you really want. I’ll tell you what I really want. At least we won’t be bidding against each other.’”
On her style inspirations:
“Not only Elizabeth Taylor, but I love Baby Jane Holzer. I love a lot of designers and the way they dress. My first apartment was on the block where Norma Kamali had her boutique. My roommate worked at Kamali, and I would see Norma every day. It was so amazing to see how she put herself together. I love Anita Pallenberg—kust the fact that the Stones were so influenced by her that she really taught them how to dress. She was so sophisticated and already well traveled by the time she met them, and they were always borrowing her clothes and following her lead.”
On befriending Steven Meisel at Parsons:
“I remember walking into a drawing class and seeing Steven, dropping my box of pencils and paints, and with my mouth open, thinking, Oh my God, this is the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. And I didn’t really get to meet him until one day I went to the lunchroom. Design students were warned not to go there and mix. But of course, where did I go? The lunchroom. And he went. And so I went over and sat with him, and he’s like, ‘Do you ever go out dancing?’ And I’m like, ‘No, but I’d like to.’ He said, ‘Well, we’re going out dancing tonight. You want to come with us?’ And so that’s how we started hanging out.”
Shop Anna’s Good Buys
HER FIRST BUY:
“My first job was owned by Genesco who also owned Henri Bendel, so I got a discount there. And one day I went to look at the Zandra Rhodes shop where there was a sale rack. And so with my bad math, I kind of calculated, Oh, I think I can afford this. So I bought a Zandra Rhodes silk jersey ruffly dress, with big trapunto flowers on it.”
HER REGRET BUY:
“My biggest regret buys are things I think I have to get because I’m going to need something practical. And then those things usually don’t end up getting worn.”
HER REPEAT BUY:
“I buy the same jacket over and over again. It could be a little more shaped, a little oversized, but it’s still the same jacket…I have a recent one from Dries [Van Noten], I have the Steven Meisel x Zara one, I have a Prada one.”
Single-Breasted Mohair Jacket
$4500.00 at prada.com
Oversized Double-Breasted Blazer
€1258.00 at driesvannoten.com
Oversized Blazer With Shoulder Pads
$62.93 at zara
HER DREAM BUY:
“Suddenly I have this obsession with the Prada Holliday and brown prints. They were Thai prints from the ‘60s and they had a whole series of Art Nouveau, but they were colored very ‘60s in bright colors. So I recently discovered that they have a little swatch book that you can choose from, and you can order a shirt or a shirt dress.”
Double-Breasted Printed Natté Coat
$9000.00 at miumiu
HER MOST RECENT GOOD BUY:
“There’s a designer, Laurids Lønbørg, that not only did very pop, mid-century flower placemats, but also did these wooden kind of toys that were cats and mice.The placemats and tablecloths and things that they did aren’t available anymore, but those wooden toys still are. But of course, I had to buy every placemat I could find on Etsy and eBay before I went, so I have a little collection of that now.”
Set of 2 Wooden Cat Figures
$199.99 at eBay
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