A VETERAN of the Thai fashion industry, Busadi Muntarbhorn of Busardi is well known for her elegant designs. And she has once again lived up to her reputation with her semi-couture autumn and winter 2016 collection, the aptly named “Thai Inspired”, which drew sighs of pleasure from the audience during the recent showing at Grand Hyatt Erawan.

Busardi, which was founded in 2009, was the first Thai label to show during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, and the latest collection would also delight the French fashion crowd with its chic fusion of East and West artistry combined with refined craftsmanship.

The daughter of the founder of Yoswadee, Thailand’s oldest surviving fashion house, Busadi presented a range of day and evening dresses in jacquard, chiffon, cloque, organza and Thai brocade exquisitely enhanced by embroidery and Guipure lace.

Models floated along the catwalk in fluid dresses in pastel shades of pink, lavender and cool aqua, sometimes enhanced with |gold braid.

The Busardi Autumn/Winter 2016″Thai Inspired” collection is now available at the Busardi Boutique on the first floor of Golden Place Plaza on Rajdamri Road.

AMID THE increasingly frequent demise of women’s magazines – Preaw, Image, Volume and the Thai editions of Cosmopolitan and Seventeen have all succumbed in the last nine months to soaring printing costs and slumping ad revenue and circulation – at least one new title has appeared, even if it’s not in print.

While the hard-copy publications are dying off, online beauty and lifestyle bloggers are thriving, and Anon Poungtubtim, who edited Volume, is taking them on at their own game, declaring, “I haven’t quite given up yet!”

Anon is today launching the chic digital magazine The Editors Society, a compendium of stories by experienced editors, with the aim of taking back his throne from the bloggers and rising to the challenges of the new technology.

“You can’t get stuck in one time period,” he says. “If you do, you’re outdated.

“I’ve lived through the age of public telephones, pagers and handheld mobiles. Admittedly I love print, but I’ve also spent plenty of time swiping my mobile screen and engaging with people on the social media. It’s all part of the modern lifestyle – people prefer getting their information through the digital media and it reaches more people faster and easier, even if the information disappears just as quickly.”

Anon wants to counter the fleeting nature and often-dubious factuality of the stories and gossip shared online, as well as the sloppy grammar in which they’re typically couched.

“I believe there are many people like me who want to read useful, creditable content in correct and beautiful language, not necessarily just like you find in print but creative and standardised. So I thought, ‘Why not turn this crisis into an opportunity? Why don’t I simply change platforms?'”

One of the pioneers in the Thai women’s-magazine field, Anon got a degree from Sorbonne University in Paris and worked for an advertising agency before moving into publishing. He started as a guest columnist at Lalana and Preaw and was art director at Image before founding Lips and Volume.

During his 30 years in the trade he witnessed the boom times for print media, when lifestyle journalists led five-star lifestyles, jetted off for fashion shoots overseas, chummed around with famous foreign designers and sat in the front row at Milan runway shows. They were spoiled, it was excessive – and it made for excellent experience, something the new generation of bloggers simply can’t match.

“Time flies and everything changes,” Anon says. “In the print media we used the language beautifully so that readers could close their eyes and see the image as if they were right there with us. We had incredible pictures they could enjoy while sipping their coffee.

“Online these days, it’s more like ‘Please get to the point!’ The new generation doesn’t like to wait. They scan the story and move on – unless it’s something they really want to read and then they click on the link. We want to get their attention and make them click the link.”

Women’s print magazines that also have an online presence tend to lose readership for the hard-copy edition, Anon says. “The team works incredibly hard, but the readers see what’s online and don’t buy the print issue unless it’s a really special edition or has a star they like on the cover. So all the magazines on the shelves end up looking very similar.”

With online content rocking the social networks, the Editors Society is looking for an edge in its presentation of hot trends, hotter fashion brands, cool travel and dining features and the coolest advice on beauty. Party events and celebrity news will add to the site’s liveliness, and a partnership with online shopping portal Lazada means there’ll be deals from across Asia.

One of the editors populating the “society” is Aomsin Saenlom, the former beauty editor at Cosmopolitan (Thailand) and author of the blog Oh La La Story. Anon’s concept appeals to him, he says, because it has all the superior writing of a print magazine in a catchier format.

“I wrote for Cosmo for 20 years and I can’t change my writing style,” Aomsin says. “I can’t ‘chat’ with my online readers as if they were my pals, using lots of slang. What I can do, though, is share my experience and expertise in a friendly way.”

Vorasit Turongsomboon, who handles brand publicity in the beauty and grooming division at Procter and Gamble Trading (Thailand), cautions that there are crucial marketing factors to consider in the shift from print to digital. It comes down to how effectively the consumers are targeted and how well they respond, he says.

“These days the challenge in marketing is really about content. Once you identify the target consumer, you see what content they like and then blend the product advertising into that that so they don’t feel like they’re being sold something. You need an ‘influencer’ – a key opinion leader – and finally you decide which communication channel would be most effective in reaching that consumer, whether TV, newspapers or blogs.”

While it’s apparent that readers do absorb the content of the traditional media, it’s trickier to measure when it comes to blogs, Vorsasit says. You have to assess the “engagement rate” – the number of likes, shares and reader comments, and the quality of the comments too – to determine whether the marketing message is getting through.

Supranee Janthapaiboonkajon, country manager of Sephora Thailand, says digital content is extremely important for her retail store – “the future”, in fact. Sephora customers are Net-savvy, grabbing their gadgets as soon as they wake up to check what’s been happening.

Bloggers on beauty and fashion who write about Sephora products become crucial, she says, “and since we have limited resources, we set priorities. We don’t want to work with every blogger – only those who share the same aim, which is to be sincere with our customers and not get overly commercial. Integrity and having a real passion about beauty is a must.”

One of Thailand’s biggest “influencers” when it comes to beauty trends is Napassorn “Momay” Buranasiri, who hosts the “Momay Pa Plearn” telecasts on the SpokeDark TV website and, as “Dailycherie”, has 730,000 followers on Instagram alone.

Momay started out seven years ago posting videos of her sampling different makeup products. “I don’t call myself a blogger – I’m a consumer. I don’t write,” she says.

She’s also a musician, singer and dancer, familiar with show business since her mother Suda Cheunban and sister Patcharida Wattana are well-known singers. She’d always do her own makeup for concerts and television shoots. When the Internet began creating its own stars, she and her friends decided to get into Web-based television.

Momay says the focus of the telecasts is always on the consumers rather than the brands, so being sincere is essential. She had no sponsors to begin with, since it took a while for marketers to recognise the potential in what she was doing. She still pays for all the products she tests and feels free to criticise those she doesn’t like. Viewers thus know they can trust her and their numbers have grown steadily.

Marketers now understand the importance of creative content, Momay says. “There are plenty of lipsticks out there, so you need to be creative in the presentation. Whether bloggers survive or not very much depends on whether they can really teach people anything. The consumer is smart enough to see whether they’re only in it for the fame or to get stuff for free. They have plenty of choices in who to follow.”

GET A DIGITAL ‘DO’

-The Editors Society is at http://www.TheEditorsSociety.com and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube as “theeditorssociety”.

– Keep up with Aomsin Saenlom at http://www.OhLaLaStory.com and “ohlalastory” on Facebook.

 

THAI FABRICS don’t need the help of any modern flashy technology to attract buyers, says Polpat Asavaprapha. Their heritage and characteristically impeccable weaving – brought to life by creative and contemporary design – provide all the allure that’s necessary.

The president of the Bangkok Fashion Society and creative director at Asava made the remarks while helping unveil plans for the Contemporary Thai Fabric Project undertaken to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday on August 12.

The Fashion Society and the Culture Ministry’s Office of Contemporary Art and Culture have organised a show for Monday at Central World. The participating designers are Chai Jiamkittikul of Chai Gold Label, Palath Palathi of Realistic Situation, Sirichai Daharanont of Theatre and Wisharawish Akkarasantisuk of Wisharawish.

Clothing made with traditional materials and inspired by local culture and wisdom will also be on view in a static exhibition at the mall from Tuesday through August 14.

Announcing the project last week with Polpat and Sirichai were Thanpuying Charungjit Teekara, deputy secretary to the Queen and assistant secretary general of the Support Foundation, Culture Minister Veera Rodpodchanarat and Isares Chirathiwat of Central World.

Veera affirmed that the project honours Her Majesty, who initiated national efforts to preserve classical Thai art and culture. The ministry encourages citizens to wear local fabrics more often, he said, and backs projects like this to demonstrate how traditional materials can easily suit modern tastes, not just at home but also overseas.

Fashion is one of the “5F’s” promoted by the ministry, Veera pointed out, the others being food, festivals, fighting (muay thai) and film.

Polpat said much of the Fashion Society’s focus is on passing knowledge on to the next generation of designers and spurring them to adapt their designs using traditional fabrics.

“Together with the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, we will hold a series of events promoting the creative lifestyle, extending into next year,” he said. “Every August will be devoted to celebrations of Thai fabrics, fashion and lifestyle.

“Fabric is a raw material that can easily be adapted to different designs, just like the strokes of the brush in art, responding to cultural shifts.”

The four designers taking part in Monday’s fashion show have mainly used mudmee silk.

Chai of Chai Gold Label presented models wearing clothing suitable for daily wear, made with the silk in golden brown, yellow, gold and green. “I’ve incorporated my signature draping technique and the fabric looks soft and sensual, and we’ve done a lot of embroidering on the silk.”

Sirichai of Theatre, an expert in textiles, noted that Thai silk thread is quite narrow compared to other fabrics. He had design ideas in mind before going to the Sirikit Institution at Chitralada Villa to choose his fabrics, he said, but once saw the range of material available, he realised his designs would have to be more diverse.

Sirichai has crafted seven pieces for men using the selvage from bolts of mudmee silk – the tailored edges. In his modern concepts they become chic hems on shirts and jackets. “We haven’t used the whole piece of silk but rather just the selvage to decorate different items, such as a cotton shirt or jacket,” he said.

“The look is interesting – it was a challenge to create, but it’s a great combination of materials. The classical Siamese gentleman showed international flair. He’d wear a tailor-made silk top, such as a suit or tuxedo jacket, but his trousers were the traditional pha khao ma.”

Palath from Realistic Situation drew inspiration from the attire of the royal court of bygone days, adapting the outstanding details into his brand’s working concept. The shape of the clothing mixes graphic and classical design, and silk of unusual colours was selected.

Wisharawish, who comes from Buri Ram, utilises the lively hues of Isaan clothing in a cheery collection of embroidered mudmee that suggests festive celebrations.

Thanpuying Charungrit said the project offers further proof that the Queen was foresighted in launching the effort, through the Support Foundation, to conserve traditional skills and craftsmanship.

“Seeing more people wearing their fabrics makes the weavers very proud,” she said. “I remember well that when Her Majesty asked them to weave fabrics for her, they doubted she’d ever wear them, since they were only made by poor upcountry people.

“So when they saw Her Majesty wearing their fabrics and incorporating them into her own designs, the weavers were extremely proud. Now, if we can get the younger generation wearing their fabrics too, I’m sure it will really boost their spirits and they’ll be able to happily carry on their work.”

 

THE FOOD was scrumptious at a recent dinner hosted by Swatch Group Trading (Thailand) country manager Tipanat Lenbury, but the star of the evening was the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean “Deep Black”, the first diving watch made entirely of ceramic.

Unveiling the wristwatch for the first time in Asia, Tipanat, who is also brand manager for Swiss luxury watchmaker Omega, set up test bars brought in from Switzerland for the guests to gauge their watches.

There was a Diving Test Bar, a Magnetic Demonstration Test Bar and a New Technologies Test Bar. Magnetism has no effect on Omega watches, since they’re certified for |precision and performance at the industry’s highest level established by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology.

Omega’s more than 168 years of expertise in horology becomes clear in the Seamaster Planet Ocean “Deep Black”, which takes its design cues from the bond between the Earth and its moon and the magnificent natural phenomena that ensue.

Evolving from the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon released in 2013, Omega’s expertise in the use of ceramics has resulted in the first all-ceramic diving watch, which can withstand deep-sea pressure to a depth of 600 metres.

The remarkable 45.5mm case is crafted from a single block of ceramic. Inside is the Omega Master Chronometer Calibre 8906, certified at the highest standard by METAS in Switzerland as well as earning the traditional COSC certification.

A GMT ring is fixed to the dial, which features Arabic numerals and a diving scale on the unidirectional ceramic bezel, formed in Liquidmetal or Omega Ceragold. The hands and indices are 18K white gold or 18K Sedna gold and coated in white Super-LumiNova.

Another first is the patented ceramic Naiad Lock caseback, which ensures that the engraved wording sits perfectly in position.

For added uniqueness, the “alveoli” design features an aesthetic wave pattern on the back.

There are four models. On the Blue and Red models the dials are brushed for a matt effect, and for the first time injected rubber has been blended with ceramic, covering the first quarter hour on the dial bezel, GMT hands and indices for better visibility underwater. The colours change the deeper you dive. The helium escape valve and Omega crown are also coloured using rubber injection.

The Black model is polished to a gloss and Liquidmetal is used on the “He” symbol marking the helium valve and Omega logo on the crown.

These three models come with a Kevlar-pattern black rubber strap that looks like fabric, with anti-bacterial rubber underneath. Each costs Bt391,000.

The 18K Sedna gold model featuring bezel, helium valve and crown of Ceragold uses a unique gold-injection technique to ensure the colour’s longevity. The case is glossy and the strap is water-resistant black alligator leather with the same anti-bacterial rubber underside. The price is Bt522,000.

 

AN ESTIMATED Bt350 million worth of timepieces will be on view and on sale at the Siam Paragon Watch Expo opening on Monday and continuing midway through August. More than 180 brands will be represented in the show, which has as its theme “The Icon of Timepieces”.

This year’s exposition is being run in partnership with Swiss manufacturer Breitling, whose watches typically celebrate “the spirit of aviation”. Breitling will transform Parc Paragon out front of the mall into an “airport” where a 12-metre-long jet will be parked.

The firm will also be promoting its latest collection, including the Exospace B55, which for the first time connects the chronograph and data functions. You can use your smartphone to set the time and time zone, and also transfer to your phone measurements such as flight time, recorded time and split time.

Meanwhile the Navitimer 1884 – of which 1,884 units were made – revisits the original pilot’s model of that vintage.

Other participating brands include Baume & Mercier, Corum, Frederique Constant, Graham, Gucci, Glashutte Original and Nomos Glashutte, Hubolt, Maitre Du Temps, Montblanc, Longines, Oris, Perrelet, Tag Heuer and Zenith.

In all there will be more than 30,000 timepieces set out in three categories – Masterpieces, Luxury and Trends. Some of the watches commemorate the makers’ historical achievements. Mont Blanc is celebrating its 110th anniversary, Tudor 90 years and Seiko 135 years.

Rolex is marking the 60th anniversary of its Day-Date models and the 90th of its Oyster model. Jaeger-Le Coultre introduced the Reverso 85 years ago, and Tag Heuer the Monza and Citizen the Eco Drive 40 years ago.

Also on view will be museum pieces first displayed earlier this year at Basel World, the premier watch event in Switzerland.

The Grand Seiko Avant-Garde Exhibition underscores the beauty of craftsmanship and the power of creativity in the contemporary art of Japan’s Daido Moriyamo and Nobuyashi Araki, as applied to Seiko’s Black ceramic model. And Gucci’s travelling exhibition features its “Cabinet of Curiosity”, arriving in Southeast Asia for the first time.

The Masterpieces segment includes the Glashutte Original: PanoMaticLunar in stainless steel with striking grey settings on the ruthenium dial, rhodium indices and white-gold hour, minute and subsidiary second hands.

The automatic-winding, 47-jewel mechanical Panorama Date has white numerals on a grey ground with a silver moon and stars set against a silvery night sky.

The Hublot Classic Fusion Tourbillon Skull boasts a skeleton movement housed in ceramic-coated aluminium for a truly striking appearance. It’s been micro-blasted by hand to ensure extreme hardness, resistant to corrosion and friction and yet twice as light as ceramic.

With a manually wound HUB6014 calibre and an astonishing five-day power reserve, it’s been limited to just 50 pieces – nine of which are available in Thailand.

In the Luxury category, jewels and craftsmanship come to the fore. The Gucci Diamantissima borrows the firm’s Diamante criss-cross canvas motif.

The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Skeleton features a finely finished, pared-to-the-bone movement in a transparent case. Large spaces between each double spoke let you admire the numerous movement parts, particularly the house’s own hand-wound ML134 with its sandblasted details.

The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 01, so named in honour of company founder Edouard Heuer, similarly reveals its chronograph controls and has an open-work date disc on the dial side. A red column wheel on the caseback, a skeleton bridge and a black weight also draw the eye.

In the Trends segment are stylish timepieces such as the Oris El Hierro Limited Edition, of which 2,000 pieces are being sold around the world and 50 in Thailand. The diver’s watch takes its inspiration from an underwater volcano off the coast El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands, mimicking the black and grey of volcanic rock and the red (in the bezel minutes scale, dial and central seconds hand) of the molten lava.

The 44.3mm Seiko Zimbe Limited Edition, with 1,299 pieces on sale in Thailand, has a grey dial resembling the hide of a whale shark. It deploys Air Diver technology to protect the case up to 200 metres deep in the ocean.

The Sevenfriday Kuka II is equipped with an NFC chip for authentication via a mobile application, a stainless steel case treated with black PVD, and a highly resistant black silicon animation ring with a “robot track” pattern.

– The Siam Paragon Watch Expo 2016 takes place at the Bangkok mall from Monday through August 15.

– Watch Galleria outlets at the Emporium and all branches of The Mall will also have promotions through September.

 

BEST KNOWN for its bold prints and neat tailoring, Marimekko, a fashion and lifestyle brand from Finland, recently unveiled its new concept store at Siam Discovery and used the occasion to launch its autumn and winter collection. Much of the focus was on its simple tunic dress, a favourite with the ladies, which looks as good for a day at the office as for a power lunch.

ML Chanika Patpongpanich, brand manager, talked about the highlights of the new collection, noting that Marimekko is a classic brand that often plays with prints from the past.

“Some of the prints we see today were created more than 50 years ago but still look great when they are mixed with contemporary designs and high-quality materials and cutting. For this latest collection, designers Katsuji Wakisaka, Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi, Oiva Toikka and Joe Duke introduced elements that add an edge to the clothes, such as asymmetrical arrangements and pattern build-ups, inspired by the brand’s original designs.

Highlight pieces include a signature silk shirt, peony dress shirt, and the print-on-print total look. There are also shoes and bags that Marimekko fans will definitely want to wear in this upcoming winter.”

Straight from the Finnish wardrobe, the innovative ideas are translated through the fashion’s house trademark prints and interesting colour combinations. Creative director Anna Teurnell was fascinated by the surrealists’ investigation of the space between fantasy and reality, and how this dialogue could be combined with Marimekko’s inclusive and functionalistic design approach.

The print “Adam and Eve” with its blooming cityscapes was designed by Wakisaka in 1972. Duke’s “Taped Pansy” print is a picturesque flower print mixed with quadrangles that creates an interesting rhythm. “Pieni Pioni”, as the small peony pattern is known, is a small-scale version of Maija Isola’s floral Pioni from 1970.

The collection also includes a new bijou line designed by Ilenia Corti plus large scarves and shawls that add a chic touch to the season’s outfits. Boots and shoes come in black, burgundy and white and in leather and suede and offer the perfect complement to casual and festive attire.

Aniporn Chalerm-buranawong, Miss Universe Thailand 2015 led the fashion show, which wrapped with a champagne toast to officially open the store. The event was joined many of Thailand’s A-listers including Mayuree Chaipromprasith, Kleddao Panichsamai, MR Chantaraladda Yugala, ML Chanika Patpongpanich, Kuntinee and Nopmanee Krairiksh, Yumi Kiangsiri and ML Oradis Snidvongs as well as celebrities Kemisara Paladesh, Panida Iemsirinoppakul, Ploy Chariyaves, Pimlada-Sirima Chaipreechawit, Pattreeda-Nualtong Prasarnthong, Maneerat Kham-uan and Sopitnapa Chumpanee.

 

WITH ITALIAN DESIGNER Maria Grazia Chiuri expected to take the reins at Christian Dior within days, the French fashion house went back to its eminently wearable roots in its Paris haute couture show Monday.

Swiss pair Lucie Meier and Serge Ruffieux, who have been holding the fort since the shock departure of Belgian designer Raf Simon last October, did not try to reinvent the wheel before handing over to Valentino’s Chiuri.

Instead they returned to one of founder Christian Dior’s favourite visual tricks – contrasting black and white.

Apart from a few sprinkles of gold leaf, the typically feminine collection – shown before a celebrity-studded audience that included singer Celine Dion and actress Marion Cotillard – comprised only the two colours.

The pair, who won warm applause at the end, quoted the master himself who said, “White is simple, pure and goes with everything… while I could write a whole book about black.”

While they paid tribute to the expertise of the famous Dior couture studios, speculation grew that Chiuri’s appointment was imminent.

A well-placed source said last week that the 52-year-old Italian had been anointed to take over the luxury French brand.

Chiuri has turned around the fortunes of Valentino with her long-time creative partner Pierpaolo Piccioli, making it one of the hottest and most profitable houses in Europe.

Neither Dior nor Valentino would comment on her possible appointment, nor whether Piccioli would be joining her.

If Dior may have lacked invention, the brilliant Dutch designer Iris van Herpen made up for it in spades.

In what was the most poetic and subtly suggestive show of the season thus far, she created a line of exquisite high tech dresses inspired by the Japanese concept of “seijaku”, of “finding serenity amidst life’s chaos”.

Three dresses in particular stood out amongst creations presented like art installations in a baroque church to the sound of Zen bowl music played live by Japanese musician Kazuya Nagaya.

The first, an almost transparent bubble dress, was made from more than “one thousand hand-blown glass bubbles in transparent silicone that create a bioluminescent prism around the body,” the designer said.

Another sheer creation used a similar technique to coat “tens of thousands of Swarovski water drop crystals” to give the idea of “wet skin covered in dew drops”.

The third exuded a subversive sensuality with pearl-coated cotton and tulle cut to resemble opening oysters.

Van Herpen, however, said it was inspired by the study of “cymatics, which visualises sound waves”.

“For me it is very important to show that fashion can do different things. Innovation is needed, craftmanship, showing that there is a different way of making a garment. We have to move on,” she said.

“I was very inspired by my visits to Japan, it is a beautiful culture,” she added.

In contrast, Schiaparelli paid homage to its famous “Circus” collection of 1938, when its founder Elsa Schiaparelli roped in surrealist artists including Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau to help her design her fabrics.

Chanel pulled the curtain back on its Paris haute couture show Tuesday to reveal the secret life of its studios, where a small army of tailors, embroiderers and plumers turn out some of the world’s most expensive clothes.

Veteran designer Karl Lagerfeld transported 80 of his so-called “petites mains” (little hands), who can spend hundreds of hours on a single dress, onto the set of his catwalk show.

With American actors Jessica Chastain, Will Smith and his daughter Willow looking on, seamstresses laboured over impossibly detailed creations while models walked between tailors’ dummies and bolts of silk and taffeta.

The message of this minutious recreation of Chanel’s famous rue Cambon ateliers was clear – haute couture was timeless.

After the knowing rebels at hip brand Vetements had attempted to steal the traditional houses’ thunder with their cheekily commercial show in which they recut existing designer and streetwear clothes, the “Kaiser” was reasserting that real couture was painstakingly handmade.

Like Dior and Schiaparelli, Lagerfeld insisted that couture was unique, mounting a spirited defence of its values.

“If there were not these women,” he said pointing to his staff bent over their Singer sewing machines, “haute couture would not exist,” he added.

“We are dealing with great luxury, and this is how it is done, just as it was 100 years ago,” he added.

There was more than a whiff of Victoriana too about the plumed peacock dresses Lagerfeld sent down the runway, many in black and white, another echo of the Dior show.

There was also lots of the riffs on the classic Chanel box jacket and bolero – often in the palest of pearl pinks – before the show-stopping finale of English model Edie Campbell as a bride who |can both wear the trousers and have a frou-frou train of pink plumes.

“Next time I will have a bride who is over 40, and I will be put her in navy,” said the designer, who even at 82 shows no signs of hanging up his starched collar.