4/13/15: Cat Walk at Thai New Year Fair 2015

It was a fun weekend last Sunday 4/5/15, when the Thai community in Thai Town on Hollywood Boulevard celebrated by having a street fair.  In previous years, I traditionally helped at my church’s health screening booth as one of the health information intake officers.   Thai New Year Fair usually would have culture and arts shows, food booths for all kinds of culinary tastes of Thailand, Thai kickboxing or Muay Thai, and Fashion Show as part of Miss Thai New Year contest.  During breaks, I would stroll, stop by food booth and grab some B-b-q chicken, papaya salad, and mango and sticky rice.  Beside food and music stages, my favorite stage to visit had been the Miss Thai New Year contest, and Thai fashion show.  So it was my great pleasure, when Ms. Aksarapak Bondu, aka Ya Ya asked me to join her and her daughter, Pearl Ruktawan Yuthawongs, for their annual Thai Costumes fashion show 2015.

Last year the theme for the fashion show had been hill-tribes style.  Ms. Ya Ya used her designing ability to showcase both traditional hill tribe and artistic styles of the northern hill-country.  I was so impressed and was wondering how would she top herself this year over her 2014 show.  At the time that she asked me late last year to join her for 2015 fashion show, she said I would be one of the four models to showcase the costumes of the four provincial sections of the country: Northern, Northeastern, Central, and Southern Thai provinces.  In my mind, I could either fit Northern or Central profile, since my late mother-in-law was from the North and my paternal grandmother was from Ayudhya, the Ancient Capital City of Thailand before Bangkok.  Then finally, a week before the event, Ms Ya Ya informed me that I would represent Central provinces.  As you can see, the four provincial costumes are represented here, from second left to right: North (sorry I did not get her name), Central (yours truly in pink), Northeastern provinces represented by Mrs. Thai New Year 2013, Lek Pollard), and Southern provinces, by Kate Rattakul from San Francisco.

More pictures of the fashion show are presented here including one of Ms. Ya Ya with one of the imaginary fighter from a Thai classical drama.

           Ya Ya, Entrepreneur and Designer, and One of Her Beautiful Designs

          Cat Walk for Central and Northeastern following Northern Style

The dress I was wearing looked more contemporary and western than other outfits, so I did a little research in addition to my previous knowledge about this costume.  The costume was popular during the reign of King Rama V, who adopted a lot of western clothing styles.  It was an era of colonial powers trying to expand their territories during the reign of King Rama IV, who encouraged adoption of western knowledge, such as science and astronomy.  The strategy to ward off colonial occupation by western countries such as Britain, France, and Holland was to adopt some of the western cultures and tradition including clothing.  To appear “civilized”, the people in this country of hot weather started to wear jackets and blouses.  During the early Ratanakosin in Chakri dynasty, Thailand just went through war with neighboring country; so Thai women at the time in Central region would wear outfit that functioned like pants.  Thai Central women could move around, joined the men to fight or fled the neighboring enemies in these “pants” called “Jongkrabane”.  These outfits were also good to wear in the rice field for work as well.  When I last saw my paternal grandmother, she was still wearing the “Jongkrabane” pants.  Even today, you might see elderly in the central provinces still wearing them.

However, the outfit that I was assigned by Ms. Ya Ya had a special top that looked western together with pearl strands and gems.  Indeed it was England’s Queen Victoria style by design.  I did a little research in the photo archives, and saw that most of the royal women in the pictures wore this kind of Victorian inspired blouses.  However, they wore their hair short, which was unlike the hair and hat that Ms. Ya Ya had me wear.  Also, I remember playing in a Thai classical drama in highschool, I wore short hair playing and elderly palace lady; but that was another story to be told at another time.  Finally, I found a likeness of my costume and hairstyle in this website. There I saw a picture of Princess Dara-Rassamee.  She was a princess from the northern province of Chiangmai, and wore her hair longer than other ladies in Bangkok at the time.  Except for the hat, my hair style was not too far from her style.

http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/chulalongkorn_and_princess_dara_rassamee.html

 

It was an enjoyable experience. Thanks to Ms Ya Ya, I had an opportunity to meet younger Thai people that live in Los Angeles.  Thanks to her, These youg people had a chance to learn about Thai culture, and artistic ideas that were linked to the past in the history and literature of Thailand.  There were in addition to the provincial costumes, costume designs from imagination of Ms. Ya Ya, who was awarded Designer of the Year in 2014 by Miss Asia USA Pageant.  The characters from Thai Classical dramas and literature came into life on stage in Thaitown USA!

Today is April 13, amd it is the actual Thai New Year!  If you are in Thailand at this time, be aware that when you go out, especially in the northern province of Chiangmai, it is very likely that you will be splashed with water, since Songkran is also called Water Festival.  If you love fun and water, by all means, go out and have fun in the hot summer weather of Thailand!!  May you have a year full of blessings and enjoy life!!!