1997 marked one of the pivotal years in the emergence of Sui onto the world stage. The first freestanding Anna Sui boutiques opened in 1997 in Tokyo and Osaka through a distribution and sales license with Isetan. Sui also partnered with Italian shoemaker Ballin to create a shoe line. For the Spring/Summer 1997 fashion collection, Sui drew considerable media attention when Dave Navarro of the Red Hot Chili Peppers appeared on the runway for her show in underwear only. The same year, Sui designed her mannequins together with New York gallerist Ralph Pucci. The mannequins were based on the measurements of actress Michele Hicks and would later form the inspiration for Sui's first diffusion brand, Dolly Girl. Japanese magazine "Spur" featured a portrait of Sofia Coppola in one of Sui's 1997 Fall/Winter dresses complete with a beaded devil horn headband in its October edition. The Fall/Winter collection, which took place at the Church of Divine Paternity, a gothic style church in Manhattan, was noted at the time for its infusion of whimsy and lightheartedness and its repudiation of the conspicuously dark undertones traditionally associated with gothic fashion.