Finery refined

“THAI SILK IS like a piece of art. I almost cry when I cut it. But with the applique technique, I put every piece of fabric back so nothing is wasted. This is how I pay my respect to the artists, Surin’s weavers,” says aspiring designer Hermione De Paula.
The young Briton was in Bangkok recently at the invitation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand to design seven looks using Thai silk for the grand celebration “The Way of Silk, the Way of Thai: A Tribute to Her Majesty the Queen.”
The fashion show was held last Friday in front of the elegant Parusakwan Palace and the exhibition continues at Siam Paragon’s Hall of Fame until the end of this month.
Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana not only presided over the fashion show but also contributed her specially designed collection under her Sirivannavari Couture label.
Elegant, glamorous and detail oriented, Sirivannavari Couture’s designs are unique in structure and use a special couturier technique to achieve delicate silhouettes and precise cutting styles for a new take on the traditional Thai costume adorned with a wraparound shawl – the sabai.
The Princess says she was inspired by the designs of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s exquisite Thai silk evening gowns worn on state visits overseas.
“For this latest collection, I had the idea of combining delicate Thai embroidery with elegant French embroidery techniques and adding beautiful hand-made floral pieces from Her Majesty the Queen’s Support Foundation. Apart from Her Majesty’s exquisite silk dresses, I was also looking at incorporating aesthetic elements from characters in traditional Thai literature to complement this collection,” the Princess explains.
In addition to the unique silhouette in Thai textiles, the spotlight is also on accessories, which combine design simplicity with Thai silk, elements from the 1950s’ Romantics, as well as local floral embroidery from Her Majesty the Queen’s Support Foundation.
“Initially, the purpose is to teach the younger generation the unique character and silhouettes of a traditional Thai costume. Later we can learn how to adapt these designs into easy ready-to-wear pieces using Thai textiles. Then we may work to create a more luxurious and contemporary look,” the Princess says.
“Finally, Sirivannavari Couture wishes to demonstrate how hand-woven Thai silk and textiles can be transformed into beautiful designs for all occasions.”
Other Thai designers too are working hard to revive and pass down the value of Thai silk to future generations while preserving the country’s cultural heritage. They include the New York-based Nanthirat “Koi” Suwannagate and Chamnan Pakdeesuk from Flynow who has taken the brand to London Fashion Week. Also involved in the celebration are Phisit Jongnarangsin and Saksit Pisalasupongs from Tube Gallery who recently joined the creative team as costume designers for the opening and closing ceremonies of the SEA Games 2015. And then there’s British rising star De Paula who worked with Christian Dior Couture and Alexander McQueen before launching her own ready-to-wear label in 2008.
Nanthirat has selected Yok Dok silk, a traditional Nakhon Si Thammarat heritage for her collection, which underlines the beauty of fine hand-woven silk and the delicate craftsmanship it requires. Traditionally, Yok Dok brocade silk is rich in graphic patterns, which is ideal for contemporary ready-to-wear design.
“I began by thinking of how I would like to wear Thai silk as daywear. It was a truly impressive experience to visit the village and see firsthand how the weavers create such beautiful pieces of silk. That made me appreciate the fabric far more than if it were presented to me as a bolt of material,” says Nanthirat.
“Coming from New York, my kind of woman has quite an energetic attitude; she might look sweet but she also has some masculinity. This is the first time I’ve worked with Thai silk so it has been quite a challenge since my signature is knit. I’ve created totally new designs. I’ve also come up with one look for a limited edition, a kimono-like wrap dress. Proceeds from sales will be returned to the weavers.”
For the footwear, Nanthirat collaborated with Nanyang in coming up with some silk sneakers.
De Paula was inspired by albino elephants celebrating with a fantasy feast. She’s worked with Yok Thong silk from Surin Province, which is delicately woven, and revamped it to her style with floral prints for a more fashionable feel.
“The signature print I’ve taken is the traditional English rose, which is an iconic flower and the one I always like to work with. I also discovered that Surin brocade includes the rose and that was really inspiring. I’ve used the applique technique so that none of the fabric is wasted. Usually I design my own fabrics so working with Surin’s weavers has been a dream,” she says.
De Paula’ woman has a sort of dark romance: she’s feminine with an edge, classic but also quirky. “The clothes have a timeless silhouette but are feminine and with a sort of whimsical, playful edgy,” she tells XP, adding that even though she started her research and prepared the preliminary sketches in London, visiting Surin two weeks ago made her rethink her designs.
“It was like a new journey. I actually had to redesign, which I like to do anyway to keep it organic. Every piece has a soul. I’m very excited about what we can finally see. You can’t really design until you’ve been somewhere. I’d love to work with Thai silk again in my future collections. I’ve only come up with seven looks but I already have 40 pieces in my collection,” she enthuses,
Phisit Jongnarangsin and Saksit Pisalasupongs from Tube Gallery tell XP that they are honoured to join in the birthday celebrations of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. Their collection features pastel shades of silk such as baby pink, baby blue and rose pink. They too have taken inspiration from flowers in their designs, which are created from the famous Yok Dok silk of Lamphun province.
“Lamphun silk has a unique weaving technique and, different from other silk cloth, the fabric texture is embossed with patterns. Because of this complexity, the weavers can only produce 20 centimetres of cloth on any one day,” says Phisit.
“We then applied a modern silhouette, which showcases the special quality of silk. The patterns are never the same and cannot be combined so it we have a two-metre piece of cloth, we can make just one very unique outfit. It can never be replicated,” adds Saksit.
The designers use this kind of fabric to make tea-length dresses along with evening gowns and structured bell-bottom skirts in sweet pastel colours.
For his part, veteran designer Chamnan Pakdeesuk took inspiration from Kalasin’s Praewa silk. Intricately hand-woven, Praewa’s delicate pattern is unique and elegant and ideal for a collection designed to portray the emotions of the body-conscious lady. Chamnan’s seven elegant looks, which include a blazer, pencil skirt, trousers, blouse and dresses, are black with structured shape highlights at the corset and waist. Hand embroidery with shining black sequins adds extra texture and dimension to the silk and every piece can be mixed and matched.
 A TOUCH OF CLASS
- “The Way of Silk, the Way of Thai: A Tribute to Her Majesty the Queen” is at Siam Paragon until August 30.
- The show also features rare silk-weaving demonstrations as well as a display on touring the silk-weaving villages in Lamphun; Cha-Uod, Nakhon Sri Thammarat; Baan Tha Sawang, Surin; Chonnabot, Khon Kaen and Kham Muang, Kalasin.
- Mini shows of the designers’ collections can be seen on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free. For timings, call (02) 610 8000.