Trendspotting at Elle Fashion Week

BANGKOK — There never seems to be a lack of exciting new things here, be it street food, chic restaurants, specialty stores, young designer labels, and even grocery items. I find thousands of reasons to frequent Bangkok and even call it my second home, but there is one event I simply cannot miss: Elle Fashion Week, every third week October.

I’ve been observing the Thai fashion scene for three years now, and can’t help compare it to our own fashion week.

Unlike Philippine Fashion Week where over 100 designers are featured, Elle Fashion Week doesn’t hold more than 20 shows, and have separate time slots for every label. This gives designers total control over their models’ look, hair, makeup, and runway choreography. Unlike Philippine Fashion Week where it’s a circus backstage, designers have to give in to a common look or fight for their lineup’s own hair and makeup.

Elle Fashion week creates less clutter and more organized, effective shows. They don’t scrimp on production value. Each show emanates a completely different feel. The one-hour gaps between shows allow organizers to build spectacular stages and transform the venue according to each label’s specifications.

Major sponsors like Bobbi Brown, Samsung and Hermès have spacious booths outside where guests can check out merchandise while waiting for the next show. I enjoyed the Hermès space the most. They let me choose a scarf tied to match my outfit; then they took my photo using Polaroid. Mounted on an Hermès stationery paper frame, it was the perfect souvenir.

Coverage was well planned, with photographers, videographers and press given priority access to benches located in front of the runway.

This year highlights the comeback show of one of my favorite Thai brands, Sretsis (read my next article for the collection’s full coverage). Also, Kai celebrated its 40th anniversary in the business using famous Thai actresses and the designer’s favorite models and muses on the catwalk.

Kloset’s collection was fun with fresh styling. And as expected, Zenithorial was packed to the rafters with people wanting to get a glimpse of half-naked male models on the runway.

This year, however, many local brands did not participate. Headquarter, the Young Designers Show, Greyhound, Issue and Theatre have always been hot tickets. But Alchemists designer Seksarit Thanaprasittikul told me it’s because the local fashion industry is greatly affected by the recession.

Though they know that Fashion Week is an excellent marketing tool for media mileage and potential international buyers, they would rather think of more cost-effective ways to boost their sales.

Since cameras are not allowed during the show, I took photos of stylish people outside the tent. People-watching is my favorite pasttime while waiting for next show. Good thing, Thais and Filipinos are very much alike; they love to have their picture taken.