"Love, contradiction and fashion" the Princess's collection, at TCDC

The exhibition is open to the public at Thailand Creative and Design Centre (TCDC), from today through January 20.

"In 'Presence of the Past: Love, Contradiction and Fashion', the Princess displays her talent for combining the cultural inheritance of the past with modern design principles to form a unique contemporary fashion design," says TCDC deputy director, MR Pandis Diskul.

"Inspired by traditional Thai court fashions, the collection was warmly received at the Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2008. We should take its remarkable success as an example of how to build the skills and competitiveness of Thai products on the global stage in the future."

In the title, "love" represents the Princess's abiding interest in art, while "contradiction" suggests the clash between the social and aesthetic ideas in her life, such as court customs and world culture, past and present, the Princess's status with her life of a free thinking young woman, and the representation of herself through the symbolism of the peacock, whose exquisite elegance conceals strength and determination.

"Fashion" is expressed by blending the different qualities of Thai court dressmaking and Western haute couture to form a uniquely contemporary costume.

Visitors to the exhibition will see that the gallery is divided into two areas linked by a foyer between the two eras, traditional Thai culture and the modern world, the palace and the city, Thai court norms and contemporary society. With the 39 stunning outfits displayed in main central section, the gallery incorporates atmospheric visual and structural elements to make one lose the sense of time.

"The Princess has been greatly inspired by her royal grandmother, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, who initiated the fusion of Siamese court dress and European fashion cultures into contemporary dress for everyday use," says MR Pandis.

"Pierre Balmain, the celebrated French couturier, was chosen to recreate the Queen's dress with genuine Thai silks, which significantly added to his international reputation. The exhibition, therefore, contains a special section specially dedicated to Her Majesty.

"In addition to the complete Spring/Summer 2008 collection, there are heritage objects showing the evolution of Siamese fashion during the reigns of King Rama IV, King Rama V and King Rama VI. Antique textiles, mid-Ratanakosin court costumes, embroidered wrap cloths of Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana when she was a nine-year-old child and old photographs are among the sources that inspired the collection."

In addition to the Siamese heritage, more personal inspirations, such as the Princess's own sketches, drawings and oil paintings can be seen in the exhibition. From the world of Siamese court fashion to the world of the Princess's imagination and the work of her design team, the visitor can trace the creative steps that the Princess took during her research, the making of the fashion collection, the chaos that always ensues behind the runway at the Paris Opera, and the final, triumphal show.

TCDC is on the sixth floor of the Emporium Shopping Complex. The exhibition is open every day except Monday from 10.30am to 9pm. Admission is free.