News feed
Anna Quan’s brand MO is simple and consistent: elevated, highly wearable wardrobe staples with clever seasonal updates. For her Resort 2022 collection at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week, she delivered on that promise in droves, staging a runway show which wove through tables at the super chic Potts Point haunt Franca Brasserie.
Classic cotton day dresses (perfect for afternoons spent rosè-sipping with the sound of the ocean crashing beside you) were reworked in a refreshing shade of limoncello. Ribbed cardigans fell long, past the knee, and were worn with matching beige-toned trousers. Linen safari suiting—a nod to 70s-era Yves Saint Laurent—was rendered super-modern with a shrunken mini skirt and tucked-in jacket. In short? It’s the precise wardrobe you’ll be packing once international travel restrictions ease next year.
“The last year has been challenging for us all, but it’s showed that the human spirit is remarkable. Restrictions create boundaries, but hope always seems to ignite new ideas and aspirations,” Anna Huang, the brand’s founder, tells GRAZIA. “I wanted to embrace this concept of ‘revenge’ dressing—an opportunity to wear all the clothes you couldn’t wear during 2020. It’s rebellious and celebratory at the same time.”
Huang burst onto the industry’s radar in 2015 with the launch of her signature white shirts, which featured exaggerated cuffs and optional monogramming. Shirting has remained an Anna Quan mainstay in the intervening years—flirty mini shirt dresses, oversized menswear-adjacent shirting, and crisp white button-downs all appeared at the Resort collection. The exaggerated cuff even made a comeback–“our loyal customers have been requesting it for a while!” quips Huang.
A balance between masculine sartorial codes and more feminine silhouettes was on display throughout, with Huang leaning further into the ‘sexier’ elements of the Anna Quan woman. “One of the hero silhouettes this season was inspired by tying a scarf across a man’s oversized shirt to create a fitted dress,” she says. “I’ve also introduced more body contouring, and a standout bustier detail shape that pays homage to the ‘revenge’ dressing theme.” Rose gold fastenings and backless details provided extra touches of nonchalant glamour.
Plus, there’s an added feel-good factor. The Anna Quan Resort ’22 collection is made with ethically-sourced cottons, including GRS Certified recycled polyester wool and cotton and linen blends, as well as Better Cotton Initiative-sourced cottons. “They’re sourced from select farmers that grow cotton in a way that reduces stress on the environment, and improves the livelihoods and welfare of farming communities,” says Huang.
