Stylish on the stage

VISITORS TO THE City of Angels got a big boost last week as international fashion bloggers and media representatives from the US, Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore jetted into town to attend Bangkok International Fashion Week 2015 (BIFW2015).
Hosted by Siam Paragon and Siam Center in collaboration with Digital Fashion Week Singapore at Parc Paragon, the event showcased the latest collections by 20 prominent Thai designers and provided those without tickets the chance to enjoy a real-time broadcast of all 11 shows with reruns at www.SiamParagon.co.th/bifw2015.
The fashion shows were divided into four presentations. The first, “Siam Paragon’s 10th Anniversary: The Prismatic Phenomenon”, featured Tube Gallery and Singha Life. “Fashion Visionary” showed the designs of Painkiller, Wonder Anatomie, Vatanika presented by Citi, Fri27Nov and Chai Gold Label. “Absolute Siam” presented by True was made up of three labels, LaLaLove, Gin and Milk, and 77th while “The Lounge 10th Anniversary presented by Harper’s Bazaar” was limited to top brands Nagara and Flynow.
BIFW has also introduced Thai designers to the international fashion scene by showcasing their creative talents at Jakarta International Fashion Week 2016, which was held in the Indonesian capital from October 24 to 30, and also at Digital Fashion Week 2015 in Singapore from October 28 to November 1.
Tube Gallery kicked off the showings with Phisit Jongnarangsin and Saksit Pisalasupongs’ “Passage through the Lost Town” collection, which was inspired by a visit to the exquisite Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang, considered the crowd jewel of Laotian architecture. The designers adapted their signature embroidery technique with a little twist to create a new pattern called repousse, which enhances dimensions and creates an uneven surface like the stained glass of the temple’s walls. The colour palette of this collection, also inspired by the temple’s stained glass, carvings and mural paintings, included turquoise, amber, red, fuchsia, black, white and gold.
For Singha Life, designers Chamnan Pakdeesuk and Kowit Pongpandecha revived the ’50s and ’60s rockabilly style including that of jazz musician Chet Baker, to come up with modern and practical wear that combined a sporty look with and summer’s botanical prints in vermilion, blue and greyish blue.
Painkiller, which was created by siblings Poomsak, Terawat and Siriorn Teankaprasith, presented its “Optical Illusion” collection, using several techniques to add the optical illusion to two-dimensional pictures. The brand chose clean and simple silhouettes to bring out the prints and details and added a hint of blue to its mainly black-and-white palette to bring liveliness to the collection.
For Wonder Anatomie, designer Chalermkiat Katikasemlert, whose is known for his street experimental prints, launched the “War is Over,” collection, which was inspired by camouflage and survival. Prints featured living creatures, among them horses, owls, and skulls, in a 3D design that mimicked nature.
Vatanika Patamasingha Na Ayudhaya, founder and designer of Vatanika, unveiled a collection inspired by the mysterious charm of a journey around the Black Sea by a free-spirited woman searching for answers in her life. Distinctive outfits boasting stripes in every form and made from a figure-accentuating elastic fabric were combined with ostrich feathers, metallic sequins and Guipure laces. The designer also created a new silhouette by focusing on a modern and edgy style in burgundy, metallic silver, black and beige.
Chanachai Jareeyathana of Fri27Nov, who took the runway on Saturday, presented the gentility of Thai teens, whose inner-self is reflected through their dressing style. His “Jickko (hooligan) November” was centred on adopting an individual style and staying away from trends and relied heavily on embroidery and lace.
Chai Jiamkittikul of Chai Gold Label introduced the “Miss M” collection, drawing inspiration from Marilyn Monroe’s iconic flying white dress and reinterpreting her style by applying the sunray pleating technique to organza, jersey and lame to create a natural flow. The designer also used draping – the brand’s signature – and worked with crepe, silk and knits over hard fabric to create an appealing structure.
LaLaLove’s Linda Charoenlab unveiled her “Birds of Paradise” collection, featuring swimsuits inspired by man’s feathered friends as they soar through the sky. The collection also used a special printing method that guaranteed prints remain clear even after hundreds of washes.
Siam Center’s menswear multi-brand store Gin and Milk , which houses more than 30 local and international brands, integrated gentility with playfulness in separates, bags, footwear, leather goods and well-tailored suits.
77th by Phongmanas Swaddichai drew on old photos of the Ringling circus for his “Blink Blink Bros” collection and included everything from red velvet curtains, a red and white canvas tent, rabbits, gorillas, tigers, cats and even ostriches and magicians.
Nagara Sambandaraksa of Nagara was the first to show on the last day and as always focused on the Oriental style by making the traditional kimono s his key silhouette and enhancing the outfits with embroidery on flowing fabric.
For the finale, Flynow, designer Chamnan Pakdeesuk presented “The Birds”, a glamorous collection in burgundy and dark blue based on ’50s fashion that combined elements of womenswear and menswear. An innovative weaving technique was used to up the glamour factor while his contemporary Neo pattern added couture details.