Maybe we'd all look better in a Picasso

Just check out the catwalks of Milan, Paris, London and New York. All the models are sulkily skulking around wearing paintings on their shirts instead of the usual, you know, chiffon frills and stuff.

Emporio Armani has raided someone’s priceless collection of Claude Monet masterpieces. Calvin Klein has made off with Jean-Michel Basquiat’s doodles. Neo Celine has the gall to parade around in classic Classicism. At least Prada actually went out and paid six famous living artists to decorate its outfits.

The other design houses’ grand larceny has not gone unnoticed at Vogue Thailand, whose editor Kullawit Laosuksri has dubbed this month’s edition “The Art Issue”, subtitled “Fashion’s latest obsession with the painterly world”. Interestingly, Kullawit seems to thinks it’s not only sort-of-legal but cool. He’s got supermodel Kendra Spears on the cover, poured into a sexy dress bearing a pop-art portrait print. German photographer Marcin Tyska got a great shot, we have to admit, catching all the glitter of the embroidery beads nicely.

Inside the magazine, the model known as Carrie does a spread attired in art-inspired clothes from the likes of Prada, Celine Louis Vuitton, Gucci Hermes, Chanel, Pucci, Proenza Schouler and Fendi and Thailand’s owns Hook’s and Sanchai. Style director Jirat Subpisankul picked the togs, Nat Prabobsantisuk got the shots and upcoming artist Prasit Limpasatirakit decorated the pictures with graphics. Actually, we really like this stuff too.

Come to think of it, art looks great on human bodies. Check out young model Inna’s spread on Jongkol Tanpradit’s “Vogue Spy” page, images by Sootket Jiwpanit. Recent Silapakorn graduates Krittin Teerawittayaart and Duangporn Teerakulvanit painted the sensational backdrop.

But hang on: There are some guys here holding makeup kits saying, “We’re artists too!” “Vogue Diary” has interviews with three celebrated Thai makeup artists – Pomme Chan, Krisda Pakawatsunthorn and Threerawat Tienprasert. 

And “Vogue Style” is devoted to avant-garde jewellery designer Chanyaporn Thongthai, who once worked with Lady Gaga’s former personal stylist, Nicola Formichetti of Mygler. Chanyaporn admits that she’s maybe borrowed an idea or two from Francis Bacon.

Kullawit probably realised he’d better have something about actual artists as well – the ones with the oil paint all over their hands, so he’s got a profile on Korakrit Arunanondchai. Korakit, who’s only 28, has a solo exhibition called “Retrospective 2012-2555” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York this month. 

Hailed with good reviews in the US, Korakrit recently graduated from Columbia University, where Rirkrit Tiravanija was among his teachers. He already had a degree from the Rhode Island School of Design, but says Damien Hirst’s conceptual art and Olafur Eliasson’s “Weather Project” steered him toward actual visual art, so he went to Columbia.

And what did Korakit tumble out of Columbia with besides a master’s degree? A bunch of performance art, installation, videos and, okay, some paintings. He makes sculptures by burning denim and then paints the residue. He paints bodies, too, seeing as how it might get him a job on “Thailand’s Got Talent”. 

Next up is a film titled “Painting with History in a Room Filled with Men with Funny Names 2”, which is inspired by his life and that of National Artist Chalermchai Kositpipat. Korakit shot the first of its three parts at Chalermchai’s Wat Rongkhun in Chiang Rai and plays both himself and his twin brother, Korapat. He appears to be doing everything except decorating clothes, so good luck to him. But he’d better watch out that no one steals his burned denims.