This Autumn, Europe and America, where most of the powerful fashion houses are based, are facing up to an economic slowdown. This mood is reflected in the season’s more somber palette spanning deep burgundy to greyish blue.

DVF, price TBA

DVF, B18,500

Tory Burch, B7,400

DVF, B1,950

Valentino, price TBA

Armani Jeans, price TBA

Tory Burch, B10,800

Sergio Rossi, B28,900

Jimmy Choo, price TBA

Jimmy Choo, price TBA

Essentials

DVF. Try 1/F, Siam Paragon, 02-129-4791
Jimmy Choo. Try M/F, Siam Paragon, 02-610-9944
Tony Burch. 1/F, Central Chidlom, 02-793-7777
Sergio Rossi. 1/F, Central Chidlom, 02-793-7777
Armani Jeans. 3/F, Central Chidlom, 02-793-7777
Valentino. M/F, Siam Paragon, 02-610-8000
Note: Products without prices will be available in stores from August.

Design
Portability
Performance
Capability

A year after the global launch, Windows’ official tablet landed in Thailand last month, featuring two versions: the top-notch Surface PRO, which works like a Windows-based, portable touch-screen laptop, and the more affordable Surface RT, which runs a tablet edition of Windows (named Windows RT)—and it’s the latter one we got our hands on. In brief, Surface tablets act like Google’s Nexus phones: they are not the first nor the only tablets that run Windows RT, but they do serve as the benchmark for forthcoming Windows tablets from other brands.

Plugged:

(+) The tablet comes in a solid metal body, while the grid-based RT looks lovely on touchscreen.
(+) The screen displays a clear, richly colored picture, good for watching movies.
(+) With USB2.0 you can easily plug in a USB thumb drive to exchange files or plug in a mouse to navigate around more conveniently.
(+) Need a keyboard? You can buy the Touch Cover and Type Cover (B4,090, B4,490, respectively). The Type Cover, a mini keyboard, works just like a normal keyboard. See below for more on the touch cover version.

Bugged:

(-) It took us a while to get a grip on how to navigate this new-and-beautiful operating system, which is a lot more complicated than Windows on mobile phones. Once you have acclimatized, though, it’s not too difficult to use.
(-) The touch isn’t always accurate in Internet Explorer, sometimes requiring a few attempts.
(-) The screen doesn’t always go to sleep when you close the cover, something we’ve come to expect from iPads.
(-) The Touch Cover feels like you are typing on a piece of polycarbonate—you don’t really get a sense of how much pressure you need to apply. OK for making Facebook comments, not for real work.
(-) For tablets, applications are key, which is where the iPad comes up trumps. Windows just cannot compete. There are very few applications available for download. (There’s not even an official Facebook app.) Some of them tend to crack and close themselves without warning, too.
Verdict: Should you buy it now? No. Wait till the Windows app store gets more apps—unless you really love to be a pioneer. Prices in the US were just dropped, too.

Specs: Windows RT, 10.6-inch 16:9 screen (1,366x768 pixels), USB2.0, Micro SD slot, stereo speakers, 9.3vvvmm thickness, 0.68kg

Price: B16,500 for 32GB, B19,500 for 64GB