Baked Cool By The Sun

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FASHION

Baked cool by the sun

Phatarawadee Phataranawik,

Onrawee Tangmeesang

The Nation

The Siam Centre's resident designers turn up the oven for three sizzling 'Visionary' days

BANGKOK: -- Siam Centre Fashion Visionary cranked up the seasonal heat last week with supermodels in vivid hot pants and beachwear in Discovery Plaza - 12 brands showing springsummer collections over three days and Flynow looking ahead to next autumn and winter. While smaller than Elle Fashion Week, the event twice filled 300 seats in an airconditioned tent, providing a platform for the 20-plus designers who sell their togs at Siam on Third, a top destination for shoppers from Japan, Europe and the Middle East.

SENADA

Chanita Preechawitayakul's customary femininity played out large in her elegant "Eau de Anemone" collection of updated 1940s classics like Aline skirts and highwaist slacks.

There were cute minidresses, twopiece swimsuits and hot pants with soft layers of pleated chiffon. Cheerful, seethrough white cotton dresses were reminiscent of babydoll pyjamas with draped short sleeves.

The beautiful dresses carried geometric prints inspired by hilltribe patterns or undersea imagery like coral reefs. Harsher materials mingled with soft satin and lace, although Thai silk might not be the ideal fabric for Aline skirts.

THEATRE

Sirichai Daharanont always goes for dramatic shows, and this one - titled "Paradise" - was an exciting journey around South Africa. Nature's more vivid hues came out - red earth, banana yellow, bright orange, emerald green and navy blue - on embroidered minidresses, draped blouses matched with hot pants and miniskirts and sexy twopiece outfits.

For men there were slim suits with shorts or trousers and bodysuits for swimming, plus long, Vnecked tribal robes with stripes. Tribal beaded accessories were also on view, ranging from bracelets and necklaces to platform shoes.

PAINKILLER

The menswear label plunged deep to join Jules Verne "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", his popular novel about adventurers aboard a submarine who discover a lost civilisation. Siriorn Teankaprasith adorned his collection with prints of deepsea divers and marine life.

He offered poplin shirts, jersey tanks and buttondown shirts, polo blouses and linen blazers matched with droppedcrotch slacks in tweed with chiffon flourishes. Digitised drawings appeared on his "Painkiller Archetype" denim and Egyptian cotton shirts, and on wool blazers with coppercoloured studs. Everything had a brass chain clinging to it for a tad more sophistication.

Completing the look were Converse shoes, tote bags, rucksacks, clutches and small leather messenger bags.

GOOD MIXER

Good Mixer's Ha Yaek Plub Pla Chai (Social Stripes) collection marked two decades in the business for designer Chaichon Savantrat. It was all mixandmatch shirts and trousers with expanded silhouettes.

Chaichon says he goes for the "traffic of colours", anything from black and white to bright turquoise, orange, green and yellow. Sandals - and big bags of the sort that monks carry - boosted the casual feeling of the easybreezy summertime show.

TUBE GALLERY

Redandgold chairs, chandeliers and a jazz band shared the runway with models showing "The Constantinople" collection, named for the Turkish EastmeetsWest city where Pisit Jongnarangsin and Saksit Pisalasupongs found their inspiration.

Mysterious gothic looks for both men and women gave way to gorgeous evening gowns, with various outfits for women in between that reflected femininity in seethrough, strapless, lace and glitter. The dresses bore prints of mosaics and gods and goddesses.

Opulent fringes decorated men's militarystyle tunics and formed the belt or ornamental flourish on women's dresses. The show ended with Wichayanee "Gam The Star" Pearklin performing a tribute to the late Whitney Houston - and a Whitney lookalike joining in.

CURATED BY EK THONGPRASERT

Ek's trip to Havana had all the island beauty of Cuba and the cool aroma of cigars too. The male models' outfits included chic details on collars, pockets and waists that evoked summer relaxation.

Sky blue, sandy gold and navy blue dominated layeredcollar suit jackets worn over draped shorts and slim trousers. Most of clothes were in plain hues, but some used geometric prints for added modernity.

Famed for his postmodern rubber jewellery, Ek also dressed his models in rubber clothing inspired by the sea.

FRI 27 NOV

Chanachai Jareeyathana's "Everybody's Free" collection took its cues from the wild and free 1960s, with nods to revolution chic and Woodstock. The mixandmatch outfits were full of fun - colourful costumes in knitted and embroidered fabric, with prints of peace doves and the banthebomb symbol.

The women dressed as hippies in maxiskirts, minidresses and loose, seethrough knitted blouses. The guys wore slim twotone suit jackets over printed tees, sleeveless knitted tees, short pants and slim trousers.

FLYNOW

Flynow closed the proceedings with a string of surprises. Show director Sombasara Threerasaroj converted the car park into an innovative catwalk with huge light bulbs between the seats to delineate runway lanes.

After a hot halfhour wait, the more than 250 guests got the signal from Nueng Jakrawal at a grand piano, the lights switched on, and 50 supermodels began the parade of Chamnan Pakdeesuk's autumnwinter collection.

The inspiration for the women's outfits came from Le Smoking Suit, created in the 1966 by Yves Saint Lauren, and for the men, Halston's androgynous suits of the 1970s. He also borrowed Romeo Gigli's sense of volume in his chiffon blouses and overcoats with sophisticated details and cutting. The ladies looked smart in highwaist trousers matched with longsleeved shirts and closet tops.

Minimalist with clean lines and neat tailoring, the outfits relied mostly on red, yellow, green and blue, as well black and white. He added plaintone platform shoes for women and classic black leather shoes for men.

-- The Nation 2012-03-27

[David48]

What's wrong guys ... are we all to PC to say Hubba Hubba ...

All the comments seem to be over at the Miss Thailand contest.

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[xthAi76s]

Hot hot hot. The women look attractive, too!