Thakoon Panichgul is still in the ethnic state of mind he inhabited when he showed his fall collection rife with Masai checks, but his approach for resort felt lighter, with intricate prints on clothes that were stripped down and sophisticated.
He described the look as “gypsy, but more graphic.” That sounds like imprecise fashion speak, but it’s a combination of aesthetics that he ably achieved. The tops and dresses were bohemian in that they were covered in patterns like a delicate red-and-white design based on traditional Croatian embroidery, or black and brown chevron stripes that were blurred, as if they belonged to a very fast-moving zebra.
The silhouettes were spare of any tricks: Capped-sleeve peasant blouses were boxy but still fitted, dresses were body-conscious and cleanly cut out at the shoulders and back, skirts were very full and very short (the kicky mini is already gaining steam as the skirt shape for 2012).
Panichgul’s yellow story was particularly strong. His combination of plain white fabric mixed with panels of cadmium ribbon woven into cotton voile felt youthful, but could be worn by grown-ups—see it rendered in a sleeveless dress that hits below the knee.
Overall, the collection provides just the right amount of exoticism that a city woman wants in her wardrobe, which is to say, enough to remind her of a less harried lifestyle but not so much that she looks disoriented in the urban jungle.