Singapore in silk

Thailand's much-loved textile company Jim Thompson recently waved farewell to the Year of the Monkey, turning its upmarket eatery, Jim Thompson: A Thai Restaurant in Singapore, into a runway to showcase its new silk trench line. 
The red-carpet event, which was attended by celebrities from both Singapore and Thailand, displayed the latest in silk apparel and accessories. These cleverly combine the styles of the East and West, giving silk a more modern look that’s perfect for mixing and matching for both day and night.
“We are well known for our home decorative textiles but want to expand our line to include luxury ready-to-wear outfits and separates for the younger woman. We now have veteran designer Jean Christophe Vilain, who has worked with such luxury fashion brands as Loewe, Balenciaga, Bally and Chantal Thomas, as our creative director and he has used his 20 years of experience to develop luxury designs in silk,” says Chutima Dumsuwan, director of communications at Jim Thompson.
“With Thailand still mourning the passing of His Majesty the King Bhumibol, we felt it was more appropriate to launch our end-of-year collection of silk trench coats here in Singapore. We will of course be showing the collection to Bangkok when we feel the time is right. ?
The Singapore store, which opened 15 years ago at Raffles Hotel and was the first overseas Jim Thompson outlet, underwent a major refurbishment late last year and now boasts considerably more space. Popular with shoppers from the US, Europe, Australia and Japan as well as local Singaporeans, the boutique is decorated in a modern Thai theme and boasts all kinds of Jim Thompson products, ranging from home decorative textiles and home furnishings to clothes and souvenirs. 
The End of Year 2016 collection features cocktail dresses of the finest two-ply silk (known as Jim Thompson kaleidoscope). The trench-style dresses are available in lime, gold and pink and feature a silk inner lining in a leaf pattern. 
“We give four-ply silk a new treatment by creating a lighter texture while still maintaining the traditions of Thai silk. It’s a blend of Oriental fabric and Western design. This is the first time you can find a trench fashioned from Thai silk,” Chutima says. 
Among the evening wear shown on the catwalk was the seductive Opra dress in rich burgundy with a subtle X-cross back, a draped scarf dress with a floral print and a draped collar dress with suspended layers starting from the neck giving off a ephemeral effect. 
For day time, there’s a monochrome Cape silk blouse, which mimics the silhouette of an ancient Thai door panel and looks great with silk fisherman pants in olive green and a striped silk short-sleeve blouse in bronze and grey inspired by old-fashioned Thai tiles.
New-wave illustrator Suthipa Kamyam underlines the correlation between the traditional Thai way of life and the paddy fields through striking printed silk scarves with a rice ear motif. 
Another of her designs shows a tiger inspired by the traditional Thai tattoo that people in the old days believed would protect wearers from danger. The tiger scarves come in pink, yellow and brown with a background of leaves enshrining two of the big cats.
“This is the first time we have collaborated with an illustrator. She created the rice ears and tiger for our scarves plus a leaf-like motif to print on the soft lining of our trench coats. Our printing techniques showcase her sharp and detailed drawings,” Chutima says. 
Also on offer are Pyton long scarves with a black back lining of habotai silk and Door Print long scarves that give off an astonishing black-and-white visual of the silhouette you see when sunlight sneaks through the fretwork. 
Jim Thompson has also come up with a unique selection of bags fashioned from silk and genuine Italian leather. The Foulard lightweight silk bags, which also feature the rice ear print, come with a detachable handmade leather strap that turns them from day to evening totes in a flash.
 Influenced by the side-view of the rooftop in Thai-style house, the Rooftop bags are made of nappa calf skin and come with a handle and removable strap in black and olive. 
Made from Italian nappa calf skin, the Grajaat bags, also with a detachable strap, are designed to look like a Thai wickerwork basket. They’re available in black and rust brown. 
Jim Thompson’s womenswear from the End of the Year 2016 collection is now also available at Jim Thompson retail shops on Surawong Road, Siam Paragon, Central World and Emporium. 

•   Find out more by calling (02) 632 8100 or visit www.JimThompson.com/ EndOfTheYear2016Collection