Born in Detroit, 45-year-old Parsons-educated Anna Sui never really wavers from her girly/punky/preppy/babydoll formula, but somehow, it always works. For spring 2010, Sui showed retro funky schoolgirl, with lots of plaid, zany '60s patterns and a healthy dose of fun.
The theme seemed to be circus, with a nod to Mary Quant. I'm not sold on the tights, but the dress is cute!
A little window-pane pattern suit for grown-up schoolgirls.
Styled in to a riot of color, this vest and dress would look great farther away from each other, no? Also: How cute is Chanel Iman?
The collection veered into shine, which was maybe not the best direction.
But a plaid shrunken blazer paired with matching walking shorts? Could go punk or prep, and looks pulled-together and fun.
I'm digging the little vests, and the blouses, even if I wouldn't wear them.
I wouldn't wear this either, but it made me smile.
That punchy blue blazer could just as easily be paired with dark denim jeans; the dress has a nod to the psychadelic '60s without looking dirty messy hippie.
Anna Sui did a Gossip Girl collection for Target. Couldn't you see this on Blair Waldorf?
For some reason this makes me think, "Marcia Brady's big date."
And this goes with the Brady Bunch classic, "It's A Sunshine Day".
More adorable plaid suiting.
"Let's meet on the quad at 3pm and go get sodas, it'll be a gas."
A wee dress with a teeny tie and a bitty belt, because as a nation, we're scaling back, you know?
One thing this collection has is a sense of optimism: Although Anna Sui loves black and purple, she threw in a lot of other colors and played with patterns, making upbeat, fun clothes — and instructing the models to smile. The show feels light, happy, carefree.
Sui seems to find delight in girliness.
And she also proves that spring clothes don't have to be bright yellow and green and white: This purple coat is fabulous.
This right here — black and purple dress, verging on babydoll — is classic Sui. The sandals, on the other hand…
Not band geek, band chic.
LOL! How can she not grin? Her sweater has a freakin' cartoon lion on it.
I love all the '60s prints, and if I can't wear them, I want them as sheets.
This is Blair Waldorf's ass-kicking ensemble.
Nix the tie and Michelle Obama's all over this.
A wave from the lady who embodies "forever young."
[Images via Getty.]