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Published on September 14, 2007

The princess, daughter of HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, will be the first Thai designer to ever show her work at one of the world's major fashion events.

She said the collection "Presence of the Past" was inspired by her grandmother HM Queen Sirikit, who impressed her through her magnificent contribution to Thai craftsmanship, refined dress and impeccable sense of style.

"This has been my foremost inspiration since childhood," the princess said.

The Crown Prince has been very supportive of his daughter. He told the princess before he went abroad he would see her in Paris and wished her all the best for the show.

Yesterday's press conference, held at the Thailand Creative and Design Centre, featured two of the princess' 39 semi-couture dresses that will be shown at the fashion week. Her creative designs reflect the virtue of "Thai-ness" and combine with the best of Thai craftsmanship.

Sponsored by the House of Balmain, the collection features Thai silk from the Support Foundation under Her Majesty the Queen's patronage. World famous Thai silk has been designed harmoniously with Western fabrics such as tulle, silk crepe and silk chiffon.

The princess said it was a challenge to choose from so many beautiful materials to create a collection that would appeal to people from other countries.

"Many Thai designers are not so successful despite their Thai approach. Perhaps that's because their creations are deemed [to stem] from a purely Thai perspective," she noted.

Besides her grandmother, her designs were influenced also by the elegance of the Grand Palace architecture, the beauty of traditional Thai royal fashion and the immaculate techniques of the royal artisans.

"The collection is the result of one full year of hard work involving a lot of research, conceptualisation, production planning, fashion show organisation and other related activities. I dedicated myself to thoroughly study international styles and tastes so as to create a Thai-inspired couture approach that will appeal to individuals of varied backgrounds."

The princess' Women's Spring/Summer collection 2008 embodies modern femininity with an implicit, yet subtle masculine touch. The look includes casual ready-to-wear outfits and short cocktail dresses presenting a sleek chic mix of modernity and Thai elegance.

The distinct features of the collection lie in the silhouette, structure and volume, as well as the presence of superlative royal embroidery supplied by the Women's College in the Court.

The season key colours are beige, brown, cream, red and gold, plus a touch of yellow mustard and light green.

"Personally, I prefer the red collection because when I think of Thailand I think of the red colour. It presents strength and distinctive value to culture," she said.

One of the two outfits at yesterday's event was an adaptation of "Chong Kra Ben", the Thai traditional long-hip wrapper. The princess turned it into a modernised outfit that offers comfort with a graceful look.

The accessories were also designed in the same direction as she gave a funky touch and contemporary designs to the jewellery and leather accessories that are done with traditional techniques.

She said the overall show would be straightforward but with a twist.

"My ultimate goal is to show the world of fashion that Thailand has so many talented designers, unique craftsmanship and lots of great materials," she said.

"I hope there will be other Thai designers to show [their work] on such fashion stages and create business."

Kupluthai Pungkanon

 The Nation