Dazzling the diplomats

THE AMBASSADORS of 19 countries visited the dual royal exhibitions at the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles in the Ratsadakorn-bhibhathana Building at the Grand Palace recently with their spouses.

“Fit for a Queen: Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s Creations by Balmain” and “Dressing Gods and Demons: Costume for Khon” commemorate His Majesty the King’s 70 years on the throne and the Queen’s seventh-cycle birthday.

“Fit for a Queen” is about the 22-year working relationship between Her Majesty and French couturier Pierre Balmain. She first commissioned outfits from him in 1960 when Their Majesties embarked on a get-acquainted tour of 15 Western nations. 

Balmain rose to the challenge with characteristic finesse, creating a truly regal wardrobe mainly from Thai silk that earned admiration around the world and established the Queen as an international tastemaker.

More than 30 of the daytime, cocktail and evening dresses are on view in the exhibition, along with accessories and luggage custom-made for Their Majesties by Louis Vuitton. Balmain SA and the House of Lesage in Paris have also loaned design sketches and embroidery swatches. 

The visiting envoys were duly impressed by the shows. 

“The check dress is very nice and elegant and could still be worn today,” Cambodian Ambassador Eat Sophea remarked. “The traditional dresses are marvellous as well. Her Majesty has very good taste!”

Juri Drofenik, spouse of Austria’s ambassador, marvelled at how the Queen revitalised Thai silk and incorporated modern Western design flourishes. 

“Her Majesty wore all these wonderful clothes to present herself as the Thai queen, and they’re a very beautiful mixture of modern, Western, high fashion and tradition. I think she must have been very successful in sending the message that Thailand was forward-looking in partnering with Western countries, yet she represented her own identity as the Thai queen.”

The “Dressing Gods and Demons” exhibition traces the origins of khon, the classical masked dance, and showcases the modern costumes created for its revival under the Queen’s auspices beginning in 2005. Old and new costumes, masks and jewellery are on view. 

Australian Ambassador Paul Robilliard found the exhibition a great way to understand how khon evolved. 

“Khon is, of course, a very important art form for Thailand and Thai people, and this gives you a sense of how khon performances are created and the role Her Majesty played in reviving khon for the people after it had been largely forgotten. 

“She revived it and made it available for not only Thais but everyone around the world,” he said. “The exhibition is a wonderful way of demonstrating her contribution to keeping khon alive and explaining a little bit more about the background of the performance – why the performers dress and move in a certain way.

“I’ve been fortunate to see the Royal Khon Performance twice and I’m looking forward to seeing it again this year. There’s so much movement and colour and music, and the physicality of the dancing, the athleticism – it’s a wonderful spectacle. And this exhibition makes the experience of seeing khon richer and more interesting.”

Philippine Ambassador Mary Jo A Bernardo-Aragon was moved by the Queen’s “sincerity” in reviving Thai cultural heritage. 

“I’m enjoying this a lot, especially after trying on the khon costume in the activity room! 

“The exhibition leaves you with a good feeling, and it’s important that people remember and embrace their heritage because it’s part of their national identity,” she said. “We hope this is something that we can replicate in our country, because it’s a strength when you believe in yourself, your culture and your heritage.”

Bernardo-Aragon said she’d seen a khon show, but not yet a Royal Khon Performance. 

“The demons and other characters are very colourful. I’m only |now realising why it takes the performers so long to get in costume, so from now on, every time I see them dance, I’ll truly appreciate the fact that they have to stay in costume for six hours!

 

“Fit for a Queen: Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s Creations by Balmain” continues through June 2018 in Galleries 1-2 of the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles at the Grand Palace. 

“Dressing Gods and Demons: Costume for Khon” continues until next May in Galleries 3-4. 

The museum is open daily from 9am to 4.30pm, last admission at 3.30.

“The Royal Khon Performance 2016: The Episode of ‘The Allegiance of Phiphek’” takes place from November 5 to December 5 at the Thailand Cultural Centre. 

Seats are available from Thai Ticket Major. 

Find out more at www.KhonPerformance.com.