BANGKOK : CHIC, BOUTIQUE & TRENDY

With its exotic culture symbolised by glittering temples, benign Buddha images and saffron-robed monks pacing through rice fields, Thailand has for decades embodied the mystery of the Orient.

The Thais have always been able to absorb outside influences while maintaining their own cultural identity in art, design and fashion. Thai artisans respond to outside influences by turning them into something new that becomes Thai with a foreign twist.

But while Thailand has kept its cultural heritage intact, a new Thai identity has emerged and has propelled the Kingdom into centre of all things boutique, chic and trendy.

Most of the energy that makes Thailand a regional hub of the chic, boutique and trendy emanates from Bangkok, a city with no rivals when it comes to charisma, style, energy, food, fashion and adventure, all fused together by the famous Thai joie de vivre.

Look around this cosmopolitan city on the move and you’ll see the word used to describe everything from hotels to shopping centres, restaurants and spas, bowling alleys to condominiums, and even an airline and a bank. Twenty years ago, the word “boutique” referred only to small shops selling fashionables, part of the “small is beautiful” trend. At that time, people wearing boutique clothes were seen as being on the cutting edge of fashion.

The phrase “boutique hotel” originated in London and marked the first expansion of the boutique idea to other businesses which were not aiming to get too big and had developed a distinct contemporary personality. Shopping malls and posh restaurants were quick to follow the trend, and world of recreation was next.

Last year Bangkok’s Major Bowl launched its latest boutique bowling alley at J Avenue, the boutique mall on Thong Lo. The interior of the boutique bowling alleys had changed to emphasise entertainment instead of the sport itself: there are glow-in-thedark marking units and playful furniture; the design of the bowling shoes is more fashionable and the food is fusion; the music is current hits and the service is of hotel quality.

The concept is not limited only to small-scale enterprises, but has also grown to include multi-billion-baht businesses such as financial institutes and airlines. These companies use it to signal a service that goes beyond the expected. A small, local airline, Bangkok Airways, registered its boutique status after being in business for more than three decades. It emphasised the individual quality of the decor of its aircraft, its destinations and its personalised service: distinctive components that have come to be regarded as “boutique.”

KTC, one of the country’s biggest consumer finance providers launched its boutique branch concept in 2003 to fit with Bangkok’s cosmopolitan lifestyle. With credit cards now almost a fashion accessory, banking and financial transactions can be done in style. KTC staff wear fashionable tops and sleek jeans and the premises can serve as a meeting point outside of financial activities. They have LCD screens, wireless internet, a coffee corner and DJ booths plus Phillip Starck-style colourful free-form furniture.

The “chic boutique” spotlight has been turned on an ever-growing mix of new hotels and spas, bars, eateries and leisure attractions throughout the country, from opulent hideaways in the South to luxurious heritage resorts in the North. The Thai travel scene now benefits from boutique hotels and spas concerned to deliver style, whether contemporary Thai or the latest international designer’s trends.

In tourist destinations around the country, old-world ethnic charm rubs shoulders with hip hotels with clean lines, geometric furniture and cool decor. But one important message is that “chic boutique” is not necessarily synonymous with “big bucks” — Thailand abounds with hotels, resorts, guesthouses, spas and restaurants that are inexpensive yet effortlessly fashionable.

BANGKOK
The city has innumerable “chic boutique” places to go to and be seen in. Bangkok hotels such as the Ibrik with just three bedrooms, can prove that even smaller can be beautiful. Other candidates include The Metropolitan, famous for its contemporary design; the Baan Thai Wellness Retreat, and Reflections with its 28 artist-designed rooms.