Covering Bangkok's Street Style

I've always enthused over the street-style scene in Bangkok. I've expressed long ago how inspiring it is for me to just sit in a bench in Siam Square on weekend and watch fashionable kids milling around the hip boutiques of the area.

 

More than what people are wearing, being a fan of street-style blogs all over the world, street wear is a good indicator of the prevailing mindset of the current generation. Of course, these people are not representative of the entire population of that country (haler, not everyone can be that stylish, non?).

Still, street-style says a lot about some people's attitudes, their references, their moods, their statements, and their culture in general, especially youth culture.

Unfortunately, until now I still don't know if there's a blog dedicated to capture street-style in BKK. My recourse has been to read Cheeze magazine, which comes out monthly. Fuchsiaboy ITSELF is a Cheeze fan. In fact, I brought to Siem Reap my collection of past issues (about eight months' worth).

I've taken a few sample photos of those old editions (major copyright infringement here!). They are obviously some of my favorite images. Cheeze, however, can give its readers a mix of style approaches, from the trendy to the individualistic. Here, I chose the relatively "quirky" ones, not only of what the persons are wearing, but their overall attitude in the image as well.

As a spectator of the style/fashion scene in BKK, my take is there's an evident consciousness about fashion among BKK denizens in general. Most Bangkokians like to look good. I sometimes think it's a preoccupation. When I first arrived here, I was so blown away by how seemingly impeccable everyone was. I realized they do pay attention to grooming and styling here, with mixed results of course.

Among the young people, there's a huge Japanese and Korean influence in their style, starting with the hair, and then their clothes, and all the way to how their pose in their photos (Asian pose, anyone?). Needless to say, J-Pop and K-Pop are major movers of BKK style, even if they have to wear jackets or cardigans at the height of summer for instance. Jing jing! (Well, there's always the baduy people wherever in the world you go naman.)

Among the really stylish ones, however, I have nothing but admiration for them.They really know how to pull it off. I love how they make their look very them, meaning it's personal and evokes their style ideology.

I love how they mix and match expensive accessories with Chatuchak finds, and actually whipping up amazing looks. There's always a relaxed mood to them, courtesy of some shirts for instance that they must've bought from the night market in the street, with a touch of luxury, say a Balenciaga bag. Zara, Topshop, and Izzue are also staples.

For those who cannot afford a Balenciaga or the international brans, there's always the second-hand shops (akin to ukay-ukay) in Chatuchak or Wang Lang. Or perhaps the non-expensive work of their designer friends who have shops in Siam Square or Suan Lum Night Bazaar.

In fact, many people here wear local designers such as Issue, One Hidden Agenda, Mama Says Zed, It's Happened to be a Closet, Painkiller, Greyhound, etc.

 

Whether they put on low-end or high-end items, the folks in BKK consistenlty excel in styling. In fact, the key to their looks is styling, more than the clothes themselves. They play with volume and proportions lavishly. And of course accessories are indispensable. A hat here, a scarf there, a funky hairstyle, an iPhone, or sunglasses bought from Khao San Road.

I do see many people who are purely following trends, but there are also a good number of kids who have a innate sense of fashion and style, thus, keeping the street-style scene here constantly fascinating and inspiring.

 

I guess the common denominator in BKK street-style is the kids' confidence, on top of a general relaxed mood with a reasonable amount of flair and bravado.There's hardly any restriction in what you can wear here anyway (for example, you can wear super short skirts without being called a pokpok *looks straight at Filipinos*).

So there's really a lot of room for experimentation when you're in BKK. A daring approach to clothing is appreciated, thank you very much.

In the current heat of the summer, the trend I'm seeing a lot skin. Cut-off jeans, with fringes galore, are de rigueur among the girls. Heavy eyeliner, which I've seen for quite some time now, is still the rage. Huge bags are also ubiquitous. Among the boys, skinny jeans refuse to go away, although I'm seeing a fair share of military wear too. Despite the heat, Dr Martens boots are still becoming more and more visible (starting last year actually). Still, there's room enough for diversity and reinterpretation of the trends.

As the seasons change, I'm expecting a bit more layering in the coming months, say, cardigans, light scarves, and some leggings and boots.

Anyway, I'm definitely keeping my eyes peeled for more street-style action in Bangkok. 

Orgasmic DP Tees

We all know that I'm the biggest fan of Fuchsiaboy; well, despite having been dethroned as BFF Number 1. That's life, you know. But I'm still very loyal to Her Royal Highness and he knows very well that my life would be completely meaningless without him. What to do, aber?

In my recent trip to reaffirm my allegiance to the Queen of Siem Reap (and Beyond), I snagged a couple of Don Protasio (DP) t-shirts from his very own boutique, Poetry.

I have been saving every penny just to buy some of his super expensive items. Hermes isdatchyu? Gosh, I haven't been eating for three months now. Fortunately, through the uber benevolent heart of Fuchsiaboy, he gave me "friendly" prices.

I finally have my Bird Tees. God knows I've long been praying to have one of these tees. They're pretty much THE signature DP print, chai mai? The fabric is called micromodal, supposedly a material commonly used for underwear. They're sensuously soft and light, and just perfect for the summer.

The other shirt I got is also made of micromodal. I found this on the women's rack. You know me, I'm not intimidated to wear women's clothes, something that was imbibed by no less than HRH Fuchsiaboy ITSELF. Donita, you cannot accuse me of not learning from you, non?

The shirt drapes beautifully all the way to the thigh. It is also asymmetrical, with a twisted seaming. I fell in love with it the first time I donned it, I practically went berserk inside the dressing room.  

Do you hear the people sing?

As some of you must've heard, there were a number of explosions in the business district of Bangkok last night, killing three and injuring scores of people who were probably just on their way home from work. This is yet another bloody episode in the ongoing political standoff between the red shirt protesters and the government, which has thrown some parts of Bangkok into a virtual war zone.

(Photo credit: Global Post)

At the moment, there's really no end in sight and everyone is just hoping that violence will be kept at a minimum, especially with another crackdown looming this weekend. It is obvious however that even if the reds get their way of a dissolution of the house, or the government finally getting rid of the reds, the political rifts in Thailand will not conveniently end either way.

The Bangkok Post has an insightful column today, written by Suranand Vejjajiva entitled No other option but to a deal to end conflict. The writer argues... 

But for a deal to be made, assumptions of the root causes of the problem must be agreed upon.

First the establishment must not view the red shirts as terrorists, or that they are nothing but former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's lackeys. A majority of them have real concerns and have identified their plight with the existence of injustice and double standards in the system. Democracy and the return of the 1997 constitution are not just political rhetoric. Economic opportunities that come with political freedom are what they yearn for.

The grassroots rural and urban poor who now sit and sleep on the hot concrete intersection surrounded by modern shopping malls and high-rise five-star hotels feel they have been taken advantage of for decades. Resources of the nation combined with their blood, sweat and tears have built tremendous wealth for the capitalists which has barely trickled back down except in the form of meagre wages.

 It's definitely refreshing to read something not anti-red from the English newspapers for once. Anyone reading The Nation for instance can clearly tell that it is flagrantly yellow through and through. In fact, I heard that the Thai media in general, especially during this tight political situation, had hardly been objective, making it difficult for outsiders like myself to find out what the real deal is.

It does not help of course that the government propaganda machine is in full force, such as these lies. This is worsened by the fact that there are just many things that cannot be discussed openly, otherwise the censors would block websites and TV stations.

Observers, including the media, are currently focusing on the Silom/Sala Daeng area, the most obvious clash-point between government forces and the protesters.

(Photo credit: Global Post)

(Photo credit: Thai-Blogs)

I saw the barricade in the Silom intersection a couple of days ago. A pile of tires, supported by bamboo scaffolding, covers the width of a wide avenue in central Bangkok. Men waving red flags sit atop the barricade while loud music blasts from the demonstration site. Across the street are the police in full riot gear. Hanging from their chests are pellets that can be used anytime against the mob.

The barricade looks like it's straight from a theater set. In fact, the first thought that came into my mind as I emerged from the subway to be greeted by such a dramatic sight was: Les Miserables. Not to undermine the cause of the red shirts, and the political standoff in general, the scene in Silom that morning was a sight to behold.

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

Siem Reap Diary (Day 4)

OK, this is my last entry on our Siem Reap trip, which is about our last day in the Kingdom of Wonders (Don't Wonder Why).

Let me just introduce first Miss Betty, whom I mentioned in the previous post. Miss Betty is a Phnom Penh-based Pinoy working in Cambodge's premiere fahion and lifestyle magazine. He's a stylist, artistic director, and writer of F and his blog is called Betty in Me.

The thing is, Betty is my nemesis. He just recently got crowned as Fuchsiaboy's new BFF and, as Betty mentioned in his blog, I'm currently BFF number two. I know, I'm soooo slitting my wrists after I finish this post.

In fairview, I'm happy Fuchsiaboy found a good replacement for me. Afterall, Betty has a 24-inch waistline. I mean, what could be better, aber?

So anyway, on our fourth day in Siem Reap we headed to the the West Barai (tama ba ako, Don?). Barais are man-made reservoirs that served the irrigation needs of ancient Cambodge's rice-growing industry. The West Barai is one humongous engineering achievement. It's pretty much a lake in size but it's ALL man-made. At the center of the reservoir is a small island on which a temple sits.

On our way to the barai, we saw numerous pick-up trucks overflowing with people, mostly kids in colorful outfits. It turned out that they were on their way to the barai as well. You see, the barai now serves as a beach and because it was the Khmer New Year, families were heading to it in hordes.

Indeed, the barai was abuzz with people when we reached it. Barbecues of fish and chicken were roasting all over the place and people were selling all kinds of food, including bugs the size of cockroaches. There were also many huts wherein hammocks are hung for people to relax on while feasting on fruits and barbecue. Big umbrellas were lined up at at the beach and people laid on mats or on hammocks. Kids were splashing in the water, a good respite from the heat.

We took a small boat to the island in the middle of the barai. The water has significantly receded though because of the drought. From the boatlanding the walk to the island is quite long, so we decided instead to not go very far and did some major camwhoring instead.

Give me a rickety boat and I'd werq it! (Photos are courtesy of Miss Betty.)

After the barai excursion, we headed off to Golden Banana, a gay-friendly hotel in Siem Reap. We had cocktails there and exchanged chika. Only Bubbles was tempted by the pool and he did a bit of tempting other guys as well... all for the sake of fun.

Before dinner, we had some cocktails in Nest Angkor. I love their mojitos there!

Finally, I dropped by the store of Fuchsiaboy and Loven. It's called Poetry (West Alley, Siem Reap) and it's definitely the hippest and coolest boutique in Khmerlandia. They sell artwork, accessories, and clothes there. I bought two Don Protasio shirts made of micromodal. Perfect for summer.

I also love these bags designed by Loven. How about these Don Protasio accessories made of tabs from cola cans. Genius, no?

I would like to end this post by saying a huge thank you to Don, Loven, and Faith for being the nicest host in Siem Reap. I truly had an amazing time there! Maraming, maraming, maraming salamat po!

Siem Reap Diary (Day 3)

We woke up early on our third day in Siem Reap. The agenda of the morning was to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. None of us really wanted to see Angkor Wat up close at that time, so we decided to just stay outside the temple itself and see its silhouette as the sun rose behind it.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat is one of the must-dos for tourists. When we arrived there that morning, tourists were quickly trickling in. Indeed, the hype is living up to the stunning spectacle of watching the sun illuminate the sky, framing the main towers of the temple in a backdrop of orange in various hues. This whole scene is reflected on the moat surrounding the temple. It definitely was a perfect start of our day.

After breakfast with Fuchsiaboy, we walked around the empty streets of Siem Reap, dropping by the market and the thrift shop. Finally, we ended up in the river-side, where we found these animal sculptures decorating the riverbank. Give us sculptures honey and we will work them!

America's Next Top Model, anyone? This definitely is the best photo this week and will be displayed at the Top Model house as digital art. Buwahahahaha.

And the requisite jumping shot while pouting mid-air... for my dear publique.

Fuchsiaboy kindly showed us the beautiful Foreign Correspondents Club Angkor. Doesn't the interior (humongous ceiling fans, stuffed chairs and wide windows) instantly remind you of colonial times?

We also dropped by a temple with a crowd of merit-makers as it was the Khmer New Year.

Our next stop was the historic Raffles Grand Hotel D'Angkor for some cocktails.

Later in the afternoon, we had the fantastic privilege of seeing Angkor Wat up close. Loven was scheduled to cover a huge event in Angkor, which involved lighting up the temple in a grand show of lights and laser. Loven was doing an ocular inspection and he was SUPER kind enough to allow us to tag along.

Definitely not a lot of people have seen Angkor Wat lit that way. They have certainly done similar set-ups before but they were rare and watching these shows are usually very expensive. Also, we heard that that was the last time UNESCO is allowing a light and laser show to be held at Angkor Wat (for some reason I'm not completely certain of).

That night we went, the production team was still setting up, so we did not see how the show we would eventually look like (the show is taking place on the 19th). Nonetheless, we had a preview of the stunning effects, albeit partially of course. I'm really grateful to Loven for that rare opportunity.

If you noticed, we started the day watching the sun rise behind Angkor and we saw it later that day during sunset! Nice, no?

In the afternoon, Miss Betty, arrived from Phnom Penh and who also happens to be a blogger (see Betty in Me). Betty is the new BFF of Fuchsiaboy (I'm the former BFF... but you know how things can change, chai mai?). More on the WAR between Betty and Kawadjan in the next post...

Later that evening, Loven had another food-tasting session at ArtDeli and there was a relatively bigger crowd this time. We had mini pizzas, pastas, and Beer Lao (my favorite!). From ArtDeli, we moved to Linga, Siem Reap's prominent gay bar, for some cocktails. Suddenly a power black out enveloped Siem Reap in darkness... but then the drinking continued of course.