Wednesday 16 January 2013

Bonjour Bangkok: Wila’s quirky and whimsical prints

I have had a love affair with prints for longer than I can remember! So much so that if you open my closet, the majority of the pieces I own and cherish are those with unique prints. I just find it amusing what inspires a designer to develop a certain print and how the outcome relates to the initial concept.

While London is arguably THE capital for quirky prints– whether from established designers like Paul Smith, Alexander McQueen and Matthew Williamson to more recent upcoming labels like Basso and Brooke, Mary Katrantzou and Antoni and Alison – Bangkok on the other hand could as well be Asia’s prints capital.

The first label to ever catch my eye from the Thai capital is ISSUE – a label I absolutely adore for their unusual tribal-inspired prints. But as I visited lately, more and more designers seem to have followed in the footsteps of ISSUE and are coming up with cool designs which may as well look at home in London.

One such label is Wila, whose boutique I stumbled upon last summer while looking around Terminal21, the latest hip fashion destination in the city.

Owls and Alpaca! Cute and original prints are something BKK-based
Wila does to perfection!

From the window display featuring scarves, dresses and skirts with quirky details from their SS12 collection Enigmatica to the interior setting which transports you to a fantasy wonderland inhabited by Alpaca, leopards, owls, sheep and some random figures.

Wila’s designs are whimsical and while many designers who do prints tend to focus on that aspect and do minimal work on the garment cuts, Wila’s demonstration of interesting yet not overwhelming shapes is a breath of fresh air.

Love the details in the prints and garment cuts...

Cute decor to match the clothes!


From flirty silk and chiffon summer dresses adorned by the cutest prints to the more casual cotton numbers, Wila's pieces here are extremely wearable and comfy yet maintain a sense of fantasy. The colour combinations are also well thought of – while many pieces are in beige, black and white base, some purple and pink pastels and occasional details in brighter colours balance the look and make it more interesting.

I especially loved the printed beige shift dress with 2 owls in the front especially when teamed with an adorable Alpaca head purse.  It looks o cute that I felt guilty for eating an Alpaca steak while in Peru a while ago :-(

Other pieces like the feather sleeved white top works really well with the stunning lavender midi skirt and Miu Miu look-a-like printed Mary Janes. Whatever pieces I picked to try while trawling the shop seemed to just work in building a unique overall look – one  which is feminine and cute at the same time.

How adorable is this chiffon printed dress with Alpaca purse?

More cute looks from Wila's Enigmatica collection


Love the look from head to toe!!!




Their most recent winter cruise collection entitled LA Rose de Barocco is just stunning! I love the prints which interpret the extravaganza of Baroque and Roccoco style in a fresh way and incorporates a breezy colour scheme rather than the usual dark one.

Wila's latest collection 'LA Rose de Barocco'

I want that skirt!!!!

While high end designer prints seem to be copied by so many of those who seek commercial success on the expense of originality, Wila definitely stands out  in trying to do something more unique which I can see go along way ahead.

Wila is located in Terminal 21,M floor,M022 rooms and you can also shop their collections on their online shop.