"I wanted to boil it down," Thakoon Panichgul said in his new, larger west Soho studio. "Clean up the palette, really focus on the crisp white pieces." It'd be too easy to jump from "new space" to "new start," and this wasn't that, really. With their gauzy layers and panels of sheer, his Resort collection for his main label had a clear line of descent from his Fall '13 collection. And with its deconstructing layers and tunic-style dickeys, it made eyes at the Resort collection for little-sister line Thakoon Addition, too. But the profusion of cool white pieces did bring fresh air and lightness to the collection.
Panichgul said that his challenge to himself was to "elevate the white shirt." He took a casual version of it, the Cuban guayabera, but inserted point d'esprit lace and sheer panels. What looked, from afar, like floaty tiers of shirts actually broke down into collared crop tops hovering over sheer tanks. Throughout, the designer spoke of playing natural and unnatural fabrics against one another, like the pigment-printed raffia that was woven into skirts and sleeveless vests—the finished product had the look of feathers and the feel of grocery bags. As daywear shaded into night, there were jumpsuits in black and a cocoon coat with a bejeweled neckline. And Thakoon being Thakoon, there were a few graphic prints—"Off-kilter," he described them, "not balanced at all." He may be cleaning up, but he's still a far cry from tidy.
Read Jane Bishop's review of Thakoon's Resort 2014 fashion show.