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Published on February 3, 2008

After vintage was last year's trend, the show brought back a modern, fresh look onto the catwalk, reflecting the type of clothes Thai women like to wear.

The theme of yesterday's fashion show was "Sex, Sea and Sand," with embroidered white blouses and oversized pants that Chatbencha Nandhabiwat, brand manager for Wanmani Group, claims will be the next big trend here.

As expected of Chloé's feminine and light image, the look was romantic, but with a retro-cuteness that could be seen on the abstract prints. The highlight was the patchwork dresses inspired by sea winds and sails. This brought smiles to the many Thai fashion lovers who were present at the fashion show.

"Chloé has a nonchalant style to it like the French saying 'je ne sais quoi'," Chatbencha said. "You don't have to try too hard, you can look beautiful naturally."

Today, Kenzo will present his spring-summer collection with the concept of an Amazon jungle.

Organised by The Emporium Shopping Complex, with The Nation as its media partner, the event will wrap up on Tuesday with a runway show by Valentino, which will be the designer's swan song after 45 years in the fashion industry.

Though the interim government put the Bangkok Fashion City project on the shelf, the private sector, including The Emporium, is keen to continue boosting the local fashion industry, with hopes of turning Bangkok into a global fashion hub like Milan or Paris.

The event at The Emporium is divided into four parts - fashion shows at the Thailand Creative and Design Centre from stalwarts like Chanel, Chloé, Kenzo and Valentino; a fashion showcase at the Motion Hall on the ground floor; a fashion party; and a symposium at the TCDC auditorium.

Lisnaree Vichitsorasatra

The Nation