ALFRED SUNG

My most recently acquired pair of pleated pants are vintage Alfred Sung.  They brought to mind the 1987 hubbub around Sung's commission to design the  new Girl Guide uniform.  Everybody wanted the new drop shoulder design and those who wore their sister's hand-me-downs had to swallow their pride.  Both Naomi and I were very involved in guiding as kids and looked into becoming leaders a few years back.  Times have changed.  The military inspired dresses have been replaced by sweatsuits.  Our fixation on the outfit is antithetical to guiding ideals but we just couldn't imagine leading a gaggle of girls in t-shirts.  The original guides sewed their own uniforms from a common pattern...perhaps we'll form an offshoot.

Alfred Sung is a corner stone of the Canadian fashion industry.  Raised in Hong Kong, Sung studied fashion in Paris and New York before moving to  Canada in  1972.  In collaberation with Saul and Joseph Mimran (Joe Fresh), Sung created the Monaco Group Inc., responsible for launching the Alfred Sung brand as well as Club Monaco (subsequently bought by Polo Ralph Lauren in 1999).  Sung's name has been licensed to products ranging from perfume to housewares.  He is still designing with his personal focus now on bridal.  His bridesmaid collection is unusually elegant and practical for the genre (pockets!)  It's too bad that these garments aren't still made in Canada as my 1980's slacks were.

1987 uniform designed by Alfred Sung (photo from the Girl Guides of Canada website)