BOYS AND GIRLS COME OUT TO PLAY

There were nervous giggles, misplaced shoes, hiccups, occasional sobs and plenty of stage fright but excitement won out in the end for the 450 pint-sized models who strutted their stuff on the catwalk at Siam Paragon Kids International Fashion Week 2012 last weekend.
Junior models aged between four and 13 presented their new autumn-winter 2013 collections of 13 brands including top Thai labels Tube Gallery, Kloset, Tutti Frutti, and 27 Nov.
Sirinthip “Gamsai” Pongprayoon, daughter of Olympic boxing champion Kaew Pongprayoon, kicked off the proceedings, leading a cute team of children to promote the “Kids Power” campaign to reach out to underprivileged children. Proceeds from sales of the Kids Power t-shirt are being donated to World Vision Foundation of Thailand and the aim is to help the little ones understand early the need to contribute to society so as to make life better for those around them.
This year’s fashion week on the theme “Tales of the Unexpected” led off with a show by Kid’s Planet, bringing together the fashion brands sold at Siam Paragon department store and showcasing the designs of Gingersnap, IKKS Junior, Pumpkin Patch, Mezzo Piano, B-Bush and Catimini.
The trend for this season is vintage retro. French label IKKS Junior highlighted the chic look of New York City with outstanding street and sporty wear. Catimini, also French, offered creative and exclusive fabrics in trendy and refined colours with an emphasis on cool prints. The retro look was colourful with a hint of rock with dark trousers worn with tight pink jackets for girls and hooded checked over-shirts for boys.
Gingersnap offered s classic and feminine collection with floral prints and colourful mock-up dresses for girls. Spaghetti line jumpsuits were matched with sport shoes. Mezzo Piano, a leading brand from Japan, had a distinctly European flavour with a focus on pink and lush romantic overtones while B-Bush focused on hip and happening street wears with cool stripes. A young boy stole the show as he strolled down the catwalk in jeans and big boots with a sweater draped casually over his shoulders.
Guess Kids, US Polo, and Play it were next to show their duds. An all-time favourite fashion brand for kids, Guess Kids’ autumn and winter collection served up fun and wrapped it in chic design. Colourful graphic prints accentuated the typical child’s lifestyle, full of movement and activity.
Play it pleased young fashion lovers with its lovely preppy style. School uniforms were twisted and turned into hip fashion. The latest collection “Campus Life London College” for boys is British inspired, with polos, smart dressy shirts, and slim fit chinos, while girls get an uptown style with silky fabrics and glitter in royal blue, red, and mustard-yellow shades. US Polo’s “Everyday Polo” collection is inspired by the cheerful and enthusiastic nature of sports. The fashion fits all occasions and the red, blue, white colours give a subtle hint of its homeland.
Pisit Jongnarangsin and Saksit Pisslasupongs of local brand Tube Gallery showcased a luxurious side to children’s fashion under the concept of “The Little Wonder Land”, aiming to inspire the sons and daughters of the county’s elite. The brand was joined by P&P Jewellery, who created the majestic accessories.
A new mum herself, Mollika Ruangkritya of “Kloset” proudly presented the special collection, “Pollen Space”. The collection embraced whimsy and playfulness with luminous supernovae often outshining the entire galaxy. The label “27 Nov” presented “Boys in Uniform” with designer Chanachai Jareeyathana interpreting boy’s ambitions of growing up to be soldiers, police, businessmen, racers, stars and singers and dressing up them in the super fashionable gear of these professions.
Tutti Wongpuapan of Tutti Fruitti looked back on her childhood of watching her own mum making dresses for her favourite dolls in her “Lost Dolls” collection, offering classic outfits with a hint of vintage style in white, beige, grey, and denim blue, along with embroidery and doll sleeves. The junior models truly looked adorable as they smiled for the camera.