6 fashion trends set to sweep Bangkok and 4 that need to die
Bangkok International Fashion Week 2018 has come and gone (Mar 22-25), and here's what's in store for spring/summer season.
6 years ago
Oversized Shirts
You’ve seen it on many a hipster—that oversized button-up, like a boyfriend’s shirt. British brand palmer//harding does it best, designers Levi Palmer and Matthew Harding exhibiting unpredictably layered button-ups and coats in blue banker stripes paired with navy asymmetric skirts and flowing pleated pants. Aland Androgynous went the Seoul street style route, while Rotsaniyom White Label added Thai touches to their clean-cut shirts.
Our favorite piece: Literally everything from palmer//harding.
Bold Prints
This year’s BIFW was all about channeling Bangkok’s eccentricity in flashy and sometimes funny prints. Issue went with playful and overcharged East Asian-inspired patterns set against vibrant silk suits and kimono robes. Meanwhile, Nadyn Jadyn and Ultimate Showcase by Bangkok University students spiced up their collections with wild jungle prints and tribal motifs galore.
Our favorite piece: Hands-down the '70s bohemian red silk suit with kooky prints from Issue.
Color-Blocking
Sure, color-blocking in a spring/summer collection isn’t groundbreaking, but the trend remains strong. DA+PP’s flashy and quirky sportswear collection paired a lemon cotton jersey shirt with high-waist cobalt-blue pants, and matched a color-block knit dress with a cockeyed-pattern wetsuit. For a more put-together take, Asava gave his classical evening dresses a summery, spring palette, like the one-shouldered monochromatic Parisian blue maxi dress. Maya Wong turned evening wear up a notch with a high cut, black-vertical-striped jumpsuit set against millennial pink.
Our favorite piece: Maya Wong’s sexy, high-cut jumpsuit for when you feel like making a statement.
Oriental Glam
Fashion’s tired exotification continues, with brands like Issue, Nagara, and Tube Gallery in the vanguard with themes of spiritual, bohemian voyages. Bold, “oriental” patterns and auspicious colors like jade green, fuschia and metallic gold were pervasive, while silk and linen was widely employed in Issue’s dresses and blazers, Tube Gallery’s evening gowns or Nagara’s abstract embroidered maxi dresses.
Our favorite piece: The flowy, pleated, mandarin-collar gowns from Nagara.
Fancy Fringe
It was impossible to be at BIFW and not notice all the sassy, flirty and seriously swaggering fringes. We saw the fringe in long, luxurious strands off Vatanika’s series of mini dresses that paid homage to glitzy ‘20s flapper fashion. We saw it trimming woven dresses as little tassels in the F.O.S collection. And we saw it in Valentier’s elegant, statement earrings of black and pastel blue.
Our favorite piece: The beige mesh midi dress from Vatanika.
Lace
A quintessential feature of womenswear, lace dominated BIFW2018. We noticed many designers giving the timeless style a modern twist, as highlighted in the incredibly diverse dresses and shirt silhouettes by Rotsaniyom White Label, Vatanika’s sexy bodysuits and mini dresses, and Kanapot Aunsorn’s fairy-fashion evening gowns.
Our favorite piece: The uber-chic, lace high-neck jumpsuit worn underneath a long blazer from Rotsaniyom White Label.
Trends we're waving goodbye to this spring/summer
Corset belts
No, you’re not one of the Kardashians, so just leave this so called “trend” to them.
Alternatives: If you want to show off that hourglass shape, go for an elegant wrapdress a la Diane von Furstenberg.
Festive Fringe
Yes, we mentioned that the fringe is one of the hottest trends this season, but not those boho, suede varieties we’ve seen since forever at music festivals.
Alternatives: Vibrant, tropical patterns and prints.
Plaid Print
With bold, new prints emerging this season, we feel that it’s time to retire those plaid pieces deep into your closet.
Alternatives: Check prints, which look smart on everyone.
Millennial Pink
Pink for spring and summer? How groundbreaking.
Alternatives: Haven’t you heard that 2018’s color is lavender?
Essentials
Aland. 2/F, Siam Center, Rama 1 Rd., 02-251-9750. BTS Siam
ASAVA. 1/F, Siam Paragon, Rama 1 Rd., 080-049-1335. BTS Siam
DA+PP. 3/F, Siam Center, Rama 1 Rd., 02-658-1706. BTS Siam
Palmer//Harding. G/F, Siam Discovery, Rama 1 Rd., 02-658-1000. BTS Siam
Issue. Siam Square Soi 3, Rama 1 Rd., 02-656-4416. BTS Siam
Rotsaniyom. 3/F, Siam Center, Rama 1 Rd., 02-658-1000. BTS Siam
Tube Gallery. 3/F, Siam Center, Rama 1 Rd., 02-658-1108. BTS Siam
Valentier. 2/F, Zen, Central World, Rama 1 Rd., 097-095-0917. BTS Chidlom
Vatanika. 1/F, Siam Paragon, Rama 1 Rd., 02-663-7258. BTS Siam
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