We visited this museum in March 2025, during a weekend we stayed in town. The Phoenix Museum is considered the largest art museum in the southwestern United States and is home to a collection of more than 20,000 objects. As presented in its website, the museum engages more than 300,000 guests, lifelong learners, and art lovers each year, both within the walls of the Museum and through its “multidimensional community programs”.
Its mission is defined as “to ignite imaginations, create connections, and serve as a vibrant destination, a brave space, for all people who wish to experience the transformative power of art”.
The very last photos correspond to a special exhibition hosted at the museum when we visited it, and which we also had a chance to go through. It was titled “The World of Anna Sui” and taps into the timeless nostalgia of fashion’s earlier days and pairs it with her rocker aesthetic.
We learned that, since premiering her first runway show in 1991, Sui has launched over 80 collections of ready-to-wear garments, accessories, cosmetics, and fragrances through her independent brand, effectively popularizing the boutique fashion look. Through head to toe looks, she has created a graphic, imaginative universe inhabited by alter-egos that draw inspiration from the worlds of cowgirls, grunge girls, hippie chicks, hula girls, Mods, pirate rock stars, Pre-Raphaelite maidens, and surfer nomads.
We learned about Sui’s unique approach to threading narratives through her work, which is considered to be legendary. A self-taught historian of culture, art, and fashion, she samples music, books, exhibitions, movies, time periods, photography, and art movements in her designs. Over the years, Sui has explored wide-ranging materials and inspirations, including papier-mâché mannequin heads; linens by Vera; Claire McCardell sportswear; army surplus jackets; Japanese hankies; qipao dresses; wood-soled platforms from Goody Two-Shoes; and the styles of Jane Holzer, Zandra Rhodes, and Anita Pallenberg. She has also received numerous awards, including the CFDA Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent (1992) and the CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award (2009).
The exhibition explains that The World of Anna Sui features more than 80 ensembles from the renowned designer’s archive, presenting a roll call of 12 archetypes that are staples of the Sui aesthetic. Featuring everything from garments to accessories, hair styles to makeup, scent to sound, the exhibition explores in minute detail the materials, cultural obsessions, and global styles that have inspired Sui for decades.
Marco Serrato 
Leave a comment