Standing in his studio, Thakoon Panichgul characterized his pre-fall collection as "soft still, but cleaner." The hook-and-eye details from Spring were back, and there were some lovely white pieces—notably, a gorgeous, double-slit, sheer-paneled gown shown with contrasting cherry red cutout booties. Sheer's not a new story, but with his geometric, almost de Stijl blocks of translucent and opaque, Panichgul pushed it forward. He also offset its smoothness with nubby bouclé vests and paper bag skirts.
Cycling through the trends that have defined recent seasons, the designer made his mark on each. He didn't do leopard, exactly—his poppy, blotchy version riffed on, in his words, "tiger, snow, and dots." The military parka became a short jacket with picked shoulders and a blossoming back panel—"half a trench," he said. And if it's the seventies you're after, a three-piece printed pantsuit with flares should more than suffice.
It may be hard to pinpoint just what Panichgul's persona is at this point—dress man, print-meister, minimalist, maximalist—but he's proven that he's talented enough to add polish and grace to the various styles he takes on. The clothes he showed for his Addition collection—slightly, though not much, cheaper than his main line—had more of what his fans are accustomed to: the eye-popping, almost psychedelic prints; swingy little dresses including a great pleated baby doll; and strong outerwear, the best of the bunch an army drab jacket in fuzzy, felted wool, with twill overlays and flyaway interior pockets.
