At yesterday's press conference at the Fashion Trend Centre, the Princess was wearing a double-breasted, military style outfit with gold buttons. Her accessories were gold aeroplane earrings and a belt with a red aeroplane in the middle; a fun look that offers a glimpse of what will be in her collection this year.

"I would like everyone to remember the last collection [at the first Bangkok Fashion Week]. It was a great memory with some flaws," said the Princess. This year she is determined to better that collection with simpler details and more comfortable fabrics.

"Last year there was a lot of heavy detailing in the clothes," she said. "This year I wanted to lighten up on the details and make things easier to wear. You can see that the clothes can be mixed and matched for all occasions."

For her new collection, the princess was inspired by Alphonse Mucha, who was famous for his portraits of women with an inborn self-confidence and direct demeanour. Likewise, the Princess' collection will portray traditional women and say femininity with flowers.

In an interesting contrast to Mucha, the Princess was also inspired by the 1920-1930 decade with a propeller aeroplane as a motif printed on Thai silk.

In launching her collection the Princess said she had avoided a Western look and used Thai silk as the main fabric along with a combination of chiffon and cotton. "I'd like young people to start wearing silk more often ... I am not wearing all Thai silk but a mixture with leather patches, beads and a belt," she said.

At the press preview, the model wore a white evening dress with a balloon skirt. While the front looked simple, the back had the Princess's fashion motif of a peacock in detailed patchwork. The men's design was in white silk with a printed propeller aeroplane.

The models were hand-picked by the Princess to be an instant point of attraction, she said.

She has also secretly designed additional accessories and will be displaying bead necklaces as well as jewellery made from antique postcards, though she refused to go into detail. "If I tell it won't be exciting," she said.

She will also have a booth selling her collection. The proceeds will go to Art for All, a project by Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts offering art therapy to the physically and mentally handicapped.

In addition, the Princess will be opening her Sirivannavari store next year on her birthday, March 8, with her peacock logo. 

Lisnaree Vichitsorasatra

The Nation