Discover the fascinating story of the collaboration between French designers and Thai royalty, featuring a selection of gowns, accessories, and embroidered textiles from the late Queen Sirikit of Thailand's wardrobe. This news highlights the enduring relationship between the two nations, starting with Louis XIV's grand audience in 1686 to Sirikit Kitiyakara's marriage and Queen's role in French fashion and Thai silk trade.
A little-known fashion collaboration is coming to light in Paris. Starting tomorrow, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs will showcase a selection of gowns, accessories, and archival embroideries from the wardrobe of the late Queen Sirikit of Thailand.
Officially, La Mode en Majesté: Royal Thai Dress from Tradition to Modernity marks the 170th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation between France and Thailand, but the ties between the two countries date back twice as long, to 1686, when Louis XIV welcomed ambassadors of Phra Narai, King of Siam, to a grand audience in the Hall of Mirrors. Said to be the most spectacular reception the Sun King held during his reign, it sparked a Siamese-inspired fashion moment in the French court.
Centuries later, a love of fashion and all things French was woven into the young queen’s personal narrative. It was in Paris that Sirikit Kitiyakara, the daughter of the Thai ambassador to France, met the future King Bhumibol Adulyadej ; they married in April 1950, one week before his coronation. A queen at 17, Sirikit was a quick study in using fashion as an instrument of diplomacy, and her soft power savvy frequently drew comparisons with Jacqueline Kennedy.
The Queen’s commitment to supporting Thailand’s silk trade and traditional craftsmanship— combined with her love of couture—led to a unique, decades-long friendship with the couturier Pierre Balmain, his successor, Erik Mortensen, and the house of Lesage, unspooling into an enduring cross-pollination between Eastern and Western dress. Billed as a collaborative endeavor between the MAD, the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, and the Sustainable Arts and Crafts Institute of Thailand, the exhibition includes nearly 200 pieces, ranging from Balmain’s translations of Thai silk brocade, ikat, and gold thread embroidery to haute couture works by emerging designers.
It also illustrates the evolution of court dress under the Queen, who developed a style known as “Eight Styles of Thai Dress” that became the standard for modern formal dress. As fate would have it, a love of fashion and cultural exchange also runs in the Thai royal family. The queen’s granddaughter, HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, studied fashion and textiles at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok before enrolling at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in Paris.
Now, not only does she carry the royal mantle as the defender of Thai craftsmanship and emerging talents, but she also designs a self-named brand that, while currently presented in Milan, is eyeing a runway debut in Paris next year. On the eve of the exhibition’s opening and a gala dinner in the presence of her father, King Rama X, later this month, HRH Princess Sirivannavari spoke exclusively with Vogue about fashion as foreign policy, craftsmanship as the future of fashion, and her ongoing conversation with her grandmother, the Queen.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Queen Sirikit is often compared to Jackie Kennedy, the young, beautiful wife of a head of state, who used fashion as a form of diplomacy. What were the most radical things she did for Thai dress? HRH Princess Sirivannavari: I think you can see how she used fashion as a kind of foreign currency for sending hidden messages.
To me, it was a very talented way of showing off our heritage. She would not only appear in beautiful Balmain creations; she also wore national costumes all over the world to show that we had our own style. She loved history and art and researched everything herself—fabrics, jewelry, everything. In the 60s and 70s, Southeast Asia was not what it is now.
Thailand needed its own identity on the global stage, and she created that, standing beside the King—sort of like his PR—to show what he supported, but in her own way. She was fun, and she had her own ideas about how a modern queen should speak to the world. Is there anything she told you that has stayed with you as a designer? She always told me, “Do not forget your homeland and culture.
Keep all the good of Europe and bring it to the Thai, and develop them. And don’t leave the craftspeople behind. ” I also remember sitting next to her one time when she said, after decades of protocol and white gloves and all that, that it was “time to relax and have fun. ” She must have been 70.
I felt like she had paid her dues to convention. The Queen had a remarkable creative relationship with Balmain and Lesage. What made it so singular? There was so much cooperation—Balmain would come and take beautiful photographs, and work with Thai designers to make sketches, then take them to Lesage to create extraordinary embroideries from temple paintings, for example.
My grandmother showed him so many beautiful things, to let him play, but she also had her own style. Together, they created a style that is unique in the world: not 100% Thai and not 100% French, but a true collaboration of two artists. Balmain had to adapt to irregularities of hand-woven cloth, for example, and make it part of his creations. They became great friends, taking real care of each other.
We tried to make that back-and-forth visible in this exhibition. What do you consider your grandmother’s most lasting legacy? My grandmother was iconic, a beloved queen across generations. And her following was not only for her clothes and jewelry; it was for her way of speaking, her manners, her wit, her whole persona.
The big fans remember exactly which jewels she wore for which occasion. She was the whole package. In terms of fashion, she really revived a tradition that continues to inspire a young generation. She took a tradition and changed it just slightly, towards modernism, to create a new standard similar to the Japanese kimono or the Indian sari.
She also championed natural dyes, and wearing Thai textiles not as a costume, but as part of your everyday wardrobe—and she fostered the artisans and rural craftspeople who made it possible, through what became the SUPPORT Foundation. It’s very important work. After all, craftsmanship is one thing AI cannot do. What would you like global readers to understand about Thai fashion and culture now?
There’s a real sense of pride in our identity and history. The new generation is wearing Thai silks, cottons, and fabrics made with national dyes and local production. They’re always interpreting it in many ways, mixing it with high-low brands to create looks. It’s so refreshing and rewarding to see because we’ve put a lot of energy into bringing out our national identity.
It’s important to take pride in what you wear every day, and to understand the craftsmanship, because I believe that is the future of fashion. On Instagram, you have more than 386k followers between your brand and your personal account. Do you consider yourself a fashion muse? I don’t know, but we are working hard , training like athletes to work up to a certain level.
I want to showcase our textiles and the art prints I make using wood carving. I’m working with my team on a special technique of draping, and we’re looking at shoes and bags with a warm, Asian touch. We’re starting to think internationally too— we recently had a film on a billboard in Times Square. It’s just the beginning.
We’re not big, but I feel like we have a lot to say. What do you imagine Queen Sirikit might say to you about this exhibition? I don’t know, but I can feel her. It’s rare that we bring our national treasure out into the world like this.
These garments are both historical and quite private. I was nervous when we started, but Paris is the capital of fashion, art, history, and design, and everything. Here, I knew people would understand. So, I told her: “I am going to Paris.
I am going to do this. I hope you can guide me in a good way. If something is not good, just tell me. ” I often bring her flowers and keep things the way she loved—her make-up table, her perfume—and I set it up and talk to her.
She loved her dresses, shoes, and things a lot. When we brought out her wardrobe, I felt like I heard her saying, “Oh dear, you’ve brought it all out, now what am I going to wear? ” It’s still a conversation to me. She always wanted to see ikat on a full stage in Paris, and now we are doing that.
It’s a world tour of fashion, with kimono cuts in Thai fabric like she once wore. Sometimes I feel she is still composing something for me. And I won’t let her down. I want her to be a beautiful lady in heaven, not worrying about anything.
Fashion Collaboration Thai Silk Haute Couture Phra Narai Louis XIV Queen Sirikit France-Thailand Relations Culture Exchange
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Most Parisian Evening in Washington D.C. at the French Embassy 🇫🇷Welcome to the beautiful life
Read more »
French passenger of hantavirus ship showed symptoms on flight homeA French passenger showed symptoms of hantavirus on a repatriation flight Sunday afternoon, according to Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
Read more »
French passenger shows symptoms during hantavirus evacuation flightInternational authorities evacuate nearly 100 passengers from the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius following three deaths on board.
Read more »
Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra released from prison on paroleThailand's former prime minister walks out of prison after serving eight months of a commuted sentence for abuse of power.
Read more »