Elements of style

Elements of style

Elle Fashion Week promises the thrill of both veteran and new designers

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE

It's that time of year again when local fashion people and style die-hards are kept busy with "actual" local fashion happenings since those sleep-deprived nights of catching up with runway events in New York, London, Milan and Paris are now over.

Playhound

As soon as Paris packs up, local style enthusiasts have to start running around venues to catch up with what Thai talent has to offer _ the recently finished Siam Paragon International Couture Fashion Week, the Fashion Field Trip coming this Saturday and also the new excitement that is the Siam Paragon International Kids Fashion Week this weekend.

But again, the rising number of fashion ballyhoos doesn't mean Thailand's most celebrated and longest running fashion event _ Elle Fashion Week _ is any less tantalising. Fourteen years on, and it's not likely that those long queues, the immaculately-dressed familiar faces and the thrill of lights going out as the first model enters the catwalk _ in the same old white tent _ will change in the least.

Something Boudoir

Staged under the concept "Get Closer to Fashion", Elle Fashion Week 2012 promises various tie-in events to expand the territory of fashion out of the comfort zone of the privileged few. But for those at the event's core _ the designers _ the event promises a banquet of talent from different generations that are sure to form a clear image of Thai fashion.

Taking place at CentralWorld from Oct 11-14, EFW features favourites like Senada, Theatre and Vatit Itthi in prominent slots. Vatit Itthi and Theatre are packed together into a Friday night line-up which should prove powerful enough to convince the crowd it's worth venturing through the evening traffic for.

Theatre will showcase another special collection by super stylist Araya Indra and it should be one of the most-anticipated shows, considering the immense success of her sublime collection last year. The date also features the arrival of much-loved menswear line Painkiller on the Elle runway.

Talking of the event opener, it seems some Elle veterans still remember the sponsored showcase for Greyhound's 30th anniversary when a Volvo S60 graced the runway in the pre-show presentation a few seasons back.

This time, the Greyhound camp has courted special sponsorship from Chevrolet for the "So Playful So You" show by Playhound, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Although the fans will sorely miss some of the vintage feminine bunch which have provided colour and spectacles at EFW _ Sretsis, Kloset, Disaya and Munchu's _ they can rejoice in the fact parent company A-List Corp will delight those girls with a little quirkiness and eccentricity with Disaya's diversion line Something Boudoir. Well, the world gets old, but fashion is indeed getting younger.

The Contemporarist by OCAC

Something Boudoir isn't the only bright young thing in Elle Fashion Week 2012, which in fact is full of Elle first-timers. But if you ask how these designers are, the best answer lies in the brand closing the event and pioneering the wave of sexy-minimalist looks _ Milin.

While the magnet will be the final show, others stepping into the same sexy-minimalism territory will be Vatanika, Kemissara and Kwankao, although they will have to share two runway slots.

Those who prefer conceptual ready-to-wear to practical wearability will continue to find solace in Curated by Ek Thongprasert, whose show on Saturday slot will be on the same date as another group of fashion rookies _ the winners of The Contemporary Fashion Contest by The Office of Contemporary Art and Culture.

Another EFW first-timer whose front row promises to boast high-voltage A-listers is Tu'i (no pun intended, although designer Tipanan Krairiksh Srifuengfung is surely a close friend of A-List Corp team).

The fun is that it's rare for Elle to stage a show for an accessory brand and Tu'i will be such a good break for all the audience _ a show when they can just divert their attention from tops, bottoms, jackets and more jackets to what Thai girls love the most _ handbags.

Those who cannot make it to the white tent need not worry. Elle Thailand will use www.ellethailand.com to broadcast the show, as well as video walls at CentralWorld as well as CentralPlaza Lardprao, Central Rama 9, Central Bang Na, Central Pin Klao and Central Rama 3. In addition, there will also be a special daily journal Elle Fashion Week Tabloid distributed free at BTS and MRT stations as well as leading office buildings and cafes.

Theatre

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