Anna Sui estimates that she owns thousands of books, but there are several that she finds herself returning to time and time again. When prompted for five books that changed her life, Sui couldn’t bear to kill her darlings, instead sending a list of 10 wide-ranging reads, neatly divided into sub-categories.
Indeed, the world of literature has often inspired Sui’s work, and for her fall 2024 collection—a hodgepodge of 1920s aesthetics and her trademark ’60s-inspired pieces—the designer was particularly taken with the works of Agatha Christie, name-checking the mystery writer in her show notes. But Sui also acknowledges the influence of fairytales, fashion literature, and punk music on her worldview, citing books of photos and works of nonfiction that have lingered in her psyche.
See Anna Sui’s list of the 10 books that changed her life below.
Formative:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
My teacher gave me an A-minus [on an assignment] because she said I was too old to read fairytales. So my rebellious nature always had that one at the top of the list. And I think that she’s been proven wrong because of the success of that book and that story.
Mrs ’Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico
Not only was it about a cleaning woman that wanted to buy a couture gown, but the fact that she actually did it, and that she sacrificed so much to actually do it. When I read it, it was at the point when I wanted to become a fashion designer, and had no idea how to do it—how to get to Parsons, how to get to New York—and so I think that gave me the drive. Here was somebody that just had her sights set on something that seemed impossible.
Out of Africa by Karen Blixen
Here was a woman that was very comfortable in Denmark, and she went to Africa and rebuilt her life. I just thought that that was such an adventure and so inspirational—that somebody would have that the strength to do that, and then also overcome all the obstacles and become this world-famous author.
Inspirational:
Goodbye Baby and Amen by David Bailey
David Bailey made such a strong selection of celebrities and models from the ’60s, and also presented them in such an iconic way. Every photograph is so iconic.
The Big Book of Birds of Britain by John Green
Birds of Britain featured all the cool people from Swinging London. They became who I dreamed about designing for, or designing that whole lifestyle.
Allure by Diana Vreeland and Christopher Hemphill
You could really understand what Vogue was about then, and how she created these icons. It was a very personal choice: the type of models she used, the type of celebrities she would feature, and the especially photographers who she worked with.
Fashion and Rock:
Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
The punk period was so fun and impactful for me, it’s like my favorite rock period. I saw a lot of the bands, I went to England, but I never knew the full story. I could have even been at some of the events that they talked about in the book, but I wasn’t the fly on the wall that heard really what was going on.
England’s Dreaming by John Savage
I think that if somebody is really interested in how music could impact a fashion movement, [they should read that]. You really have to understand all of it to get the full effect of what was going on.
The Look by Paul Gorman
I love that book, and I refer to it all the time. He talks about how rock influenced fashion, but also he talks about all the boutiques that were in London during the whole period in the ’60s and through the ’70s; how much they influenced not only what rock stars were wearing, but also what people were wearing. People were aspiring to that look. Those early Carnaby Street designers and boutiques eventually influenced someone like Vivienne Westwood and her Kings Road store, and I think that book is such a great reference for all of that.
Agatha Christie:
At Bertram’s Hotel by Agatha Christie
When I was working on my [fall 2024] collection, I watched all the Agatha Christies on TV, but my favorite story was the one about the Bertram Hotel. I was trying to understand why I liked that story so much, and I think that the whole beginning is about Miss Marple going back to revisit this hotel that she saw as a child, and that, to her, personified glamour and luxury, and an idyllic kind of atmosphere and grouping of people. But there was a lot of darkness going on behind it all.That illusion that she had, of this glamorous hotel—I just love that. So much of what you are fascinated by or dream about, it’s not the reality—there’s a lot of grit behind a lot of things. But just having that exalted position in your mind of what something is is kind of the impetus behind accomplishment and dreaming and creativity.