The Old Siam Shopping Plaza, Bangkok’s center of silk, ornaments, clothes and Thai desserts, reiterates its status as a center of Thai silks from all regions of Thailand right in the city center, by joining hands with its notable retail outlets to organize “12 August 12 Dresses of the Queen of Thai Silk” featuring fashion shows unveiling spectacular Thai silk collections as well as other interesting activities.
In honor of the birth anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol (Rama IX), the Old Siam Shopping Plaza organized a celebratory event titled “12 August 12 Dresses of the Queen of Thai Silk” in gratitude for Her Majesty the Queen’s gracious support of the Thai textile sector. The event took place on August 12 at the Ming Muang Plaza of the Old Siam Shopping Plaza. The real highlight of the event was a range of fashion shows introducing the latest collections by famed local silk labels and design houses based at the shopping mall.
Thai textiles are recognized the world over as part of Thailand’s folk wisdom. The local textiles constitute a large body of knowledge that’s been passed down from generation to generation in all regions of Thailand. It’s one of the traditional handicrafts associated with the constant development of creativity. The intricacy of hand-woven patterns that provide each textile with its own distinct identity, is a much-prized quality as these designs reflect the origins and progress of a textile culture over a period of time. To preserve the local textiles as the wisdom as well as pride and joy of Thailand, the Old Siam Shopping Plaza offered members of the public an opportunity to appreciate the value of Thai textiles through a string of fashion shows by Den Dara, one of Thailand’s most famous Thai silk labels.
The fashion shows were divided into three segments. The first segment, called “10 Angels”, presented a Thai silk collection using Sangwian, a silk textile that’s part of a folk heritage handed down through the generations. It’s a variety of brocaded hand-woven Thai silk from Lamphun province that was once popular among the ruling elite of northern Thailand and reserved for special occasions only. A piece of this fabric can cost up to Bt350,000. In this segment, 10 models strutted confidently on the runway showing a collection of elegant Thai silk dresses in 10 shades. The dresses were “Thai Chakraphat” in style (one of the eight styles of traditional Thai costumes generally known as “Thai Ratchaniyom” as recreated by Her Majesty the Queen).
The second segment was a fashion show highlighting a collection of everyday silk outfits ideal for night functions. The last segment saw a fashion show by the Kham Khoon fashion house showcasing a Thai silk collection on the theme of “12 August: 12 Dresses of Praewa Silk, the Queen of Thai Silk”. Pretty ladies did twirls on the runway modeling dresses made from elegant, hand-woven Praewa silk from Kalasin province, which is considered the queen of Thai silk and the most favorite of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.
Besides the fashion shows, there was a range of interesting activities designed for customers of the Old Siam Shopping Plaza who made purchases totaling Bt1,000 at the following retail spaces: Fueng Nakorn Plaza, Ming Muang Plaza, Thai Silk Alley and Thai Silk Carts across the three floors of the shopping mall. These customers were treated to several interesting activities including a hand-made lace folding fan workshop, a photo op at a Mother’s Day photo booth and a vintage photo booth complete with traditional Thai dresses in vogue from the Fifth to the Seventh Reign with professional lensmen on hand to take nice snaps. There was also a Mother’s Day concert by singers from Kitakan Music at the Activity Plaza (near the Ranee exit). All activities went down well with customers and attracted a huge turnout. The organizers hoped that the celebratory event called “12 August 12 Dresses, Queen of Thai Silk” would play a role in encouraging Thai people to realize the importance of, and appreciate, Thai textiles even more.
