Bangkok Street Style 2

By Amanda Mookjai | Bangkok Correspondent

Street style in Asia varies by country. In Thailand, street style is commonly influenced by Korean pop singers, Japanese anime cartoons, and American movies. During the last decade, Bangkok has seen an influx of cultures shape the standards for both street style and high fashion. During a recent trip to Siam Square, a trendy hub for the young and nouveau-chic, PdM found some interesting characters going about their day.

Pat, a fashion design student at a local institution, was feeling blue - literally. We asked him what his inspiration for today's look consisted of, and he simply smiled and told us: "It's not about thinking, it's about what's easily available. I like to mix comfort with hues of blue, my favorite color."

Aside from adoring himself with all blue, he carried on him the infamous murse, or male purse, which is quite common throughout Asia. Additionally, his sandals - purchased at Suan Maha Wong - came from a local market and were purchased for only 350 baht, or approximately $13 US. "I am a very poor fashion student," Pat mentioned jokingly. "But I still want to look good."

Next, we spotted a cute young man strutting himself into a nearby mall. His name is Note, and he just returned from a work-study program in Vancouver. Note, a senior university student, adored Canada but missed his native country. "I love the people, the food, and the way of thinking of foreigners," Note mentioned. "It's so open compared to Thai people."

As PdM and Note developed a conversation on life in Asia compared to a Western lifestyle, he couldn't help but bring up the murse issue. "While I admit I really like living in a foreign country, I missed using my hand-bag," he blushed as he gave it a tug. "Thailand is very open-minded to men's fashion and style. In Vancouver, no guy uses a bag like mine, and if you do maybe someone will try to beat you up." Note's words of wisdom resonate, particularly as fashion trends are ever-changing and perceptions of masculinity and femininity are becoming more fluid.

During our day out, we couldn't help but take notice of this adorable child. Her name is Mae, and she is just a toddler. Seemingly comfortable in front of the camera, she wore some of the latest fashion in open-air market style. Her mother stated that they buy all of Mae's clothing at their local market in Chonburi province, located approximately 45 minutes outside the city centre. "She is cute and very young," Mae's mother mentioned. "But she knows what she likes, and she often pics her own clothes."

Give young Mae a few years and she will become a good candidate for PdM's Global Model Series. In the meantime, there are plenty of lookers with a keen eye for style in Southeast Asia's City of Angels.