CELEBRATING “The Glorious Beauty of Textiles” last Friday as part of national observations for Her Majesty the Queen’s 84th birthday tomorrow, designers from 10 fashion houses put together a glamorous runway show inspired by her enduring efforts to preserve and promote traditional textiles and weaving skills.
The outfits modelled in the show will remain on display at Central Embassy through next Wednesday alongside seven gorgeous gowns worn by the Queen and stunning examples of embroidered fabrics.
Meanwhile people can send their best wishes to Her Majesty by adding stitches in gold thread to a seven-metre-long bolt of silk, forming the words “Long Live the Queen”. That’s in the Event Hall at Central Chidlom until Wednesday and on Level G at Central Embassy until August 21.
The exhibition “The Glorious Beauty of Textiles: Her Majesty the Queen’s 84th Birthday Celebration” is a combined undertaking by the two malls, the Support
Foundation (formally the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques), the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles and Siam Commercial Bank.
Its opening last Friday saw models present 18 outfits created by Tirapan Wannarat of Tirapan, Pichitra Boonyarataphan of Pichitra, Nagara Sambandaraksa of Nagara, Anchalee Vikasitnakakul of Anchavika, Polpat Asavaprapha of Asava, Apisada Nimitvanich of Calista, Karatphet Issara of Kemissara, Mollika Ruangkritya of Kloset, Patinya Kyokong of Patinya and Teerut Wongwatanasin of Vickteerut.
Drawing admiring gasps from the crowd, the clothes comprised a beautiful tribute to the Queen’s dedication to preserving an important part of Thai heritage, including centuries-old skills that might have otherwise disappeared with the passage of time.
The outfits will go on sale following the exhibition, with all earnings pledged to the Support Foundation.
“The glamour of Thai textiles is all about hand-crafting and the fact that no two patterns are alike,” said Tirapan, whose eponymous brand has risen to the peak of Thai fashion over the course of 39 years. The individual care and attention that goes into each fabric is clear in every stage, from the dyeing to the weaving, he said.
“This is what turns a simple hand-made cloth into a canvas that reflects its makers’ identity and sentiment. For my costume I used Mudmee silk ikat from the foundation as the base and then crafted up an artificial butterfly, lacework and beading as decoration.”
Pichitra has 37 years’ experience handling traditional fabrics and has worked with Her Majesty on several occasions.
“The fabric and embroidery selected for these costumes are of the highest quality and very valuable,” she said. “The refined piece I designed is very elegant, in keeping with the quality of the hand-woven fabric. Every step in the production process is very delicate, dif
ficult and time-consuming, so every costume becomes haute couture by default – one-and-only creations available nowhere else in the world.”
Nagara has been in the business for 34 years and is renowned for his “contemporary Thai” silk gowns that are as simple as they are breathtaking, perfectly blending Thai and Western sensibilities. His brand has long been a mainstay on catwalks around the globe, and last Friday offered further evidence why that’s so, with an outfit in patterns richly painted by hand and delicately embroidered.
Anchalee presented two costumes, “Diamond” and “Rose Gold”, which she said recalled her fond memories of seeing the Queen wearing wonderfully updated traditional clothing and accessories.
Polpat, who is president of the Bangkok Fashion Society as well as creative director at Asava, said Her Majesty’s beauty, talents, gentle character and diligent attention to people’s needs provided all the inspiration he needed. To these he added his brand’s signature feminine tenderness and masculine strength.
Apisada took her cue from the many overseas trips Their Majesties the King and Queen made in their younger days. “The costumes the Queen wore while travelling were created by both Thai and foreign designers. I studied their shapes, concepts and detailing to find my inspiration,” she said.
The seven royal gowns on display in the exhibition were made by the great Pierre Balmain and superbly embroidered in silk thread by the House of Lesage in Paris. This is the first time the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles has granted permission for their public display.
The exhibition has eight parts, beginning with an outline of how the show was conceived as a demonstration of gratitude for the Queen’s devotion to the people and her stated belief that everyone is an artist at heart.
On a jigsaw-puzzle map of Thailand, each region is represented by one piece of the puzzle, made of the fabric for which it’s best known. It’s a remarkable aid in learning how the Queen went about promoting the various textiles to bolster local pride and income and preserve age-old skills – all the while enhancing Thailand’s international stature.
The section titled “Royal Khon Embroidery” recounts Her Majesty’s initiative in having fresh costumes made for the classical masked dance while resurrecting near-forgotten stitching techniques and giving them a contemporary application.
In the “Embroidery” segment, marvellous samples are on view along with the equipment used and Support Foundation photos of the actual process. And if the perseverance required isn’t evident enough in the pictures, there are also live demonstrations.
The exhibits in “Thai Hill Tribes” cover six different groups – the Karen, Lisu, Mien, Akha, Lahu and Hmong. Each produces its own unique fabric, but here samples from all six are also combined in a collage effect. You can see the satchels they all make too, again widely varying in aesthetic elements.
Her Majesty’s stunning outfits made overseas are presented in “The Royal Gowns”, all marvellous in the way they’re cut, stitched and embroidered.
“The Support Foundation” section pays tribute to the organisation. Other royal agencies have collaborated in depicting the Queen’s various duties and her efforts to improve people’s lives.
Finally there is the “DIY” zone, where anyone can try their hand at embroidering bags and T-shirts, using ready-made fabrics or creating their own with prepared patterns. Naturally, you get to take your creations home with you.
This source first appeared on The Nation Life.