Thakoon’s quirky luxe

Thakoon Panchicgul moved his show from a gritty warehouse to the gilded environs of the Plaza Hotel’s Grand Ballroom – gold chairs and all. And while his silhouettes were flamboyant, grand even, the designer got his inspiration from African tribes – mixing up the elaborate silhouettes with humble prints and fabrics and vice versa.

A powerful red and blue plaid was paired with a brazen red puffer jacket --taffeta by the way -- the quilted jackets appearing repeatedly throughout the show – homeboy and haute. His startling dresses in yellow floral batik – one called rococo, conjured African Marie Antoinette (weird, but true), with big skirts that ran short in front, long in back. The prints were all graphic – an African paisley fabulous – and mixed and matched in a slightly crazy way.

So, the question is, who will wear this imaginative but definitely eccentric collection? A lot of ladies with bucks. The kind who expect to get escorted to their seats almost an hour after the show was supposed to start. And do.