From malls to new soap series, we've surveyed the reality and the rumours about what's going on in 2013
After recently premiering its ''new look'' boutique at Emporium earlier in 2012, Christian Dior will finally arrive at Siam Paragon.
FASHION
As Oscar Wilde said, "You can never be overdressed or overeducated", and the number of new luxury retail stores to be opened in 2013 prove that Thai people can never have enough apparel choices, whether or not that makes them overdressed.
Prada's sister line has been a fashionista's favourite and from next year, local fans can shop for Miu Miu in its first Thailand store, which will open at Emporium.
In terms of retail space, January will mark the reopening of Siam Centre with a new look. It's the fourth renovation of the 38-year-old home to Thai fashion brands and the shopping mall aims to emerge not just as a retail space, but as a centre of ideas and digital lifestyles. New interiors that incorporate high-tech innovation from LED screens showcasing art and artistic collaborations will feature, as will interactive touch screens from where visitors can browse for hot items and new trends to help facilitate their shopping. Apart from familiar Thai brands such as Theatre, Painkiller, Kloset, Soda, Greyhound and Tango, Siam Centre will also welcome new brands that respond to the urban, fast-moving street culture such as Superdry and Love Moschino.
From the street style of Siam Centre in early 2013, we can also expect key changes and relocations all through the year for the luxury sector. As a long-standing home to fashion powerhouses, Gaysorn will undergo renovations which will see the expansion of some major labels. The duplex Louis Vuitton store may be expanded into a giant triplex empire. Burberry will expand, housing the much-loved Burberry Prorsum line as well as Burberry Kids. Of course, we'll be seeing some departures and certainly one of them will be Celine, which will relocate to Emporium in March.
Emporium will welcome a few more additions, and they are sure to get many fashionistas excited enough to turn their eyes back to this shopping mall. Celine aside, there will be Tory Burch and two of the most desirable footwear brands in the universe _ Christian Louboutin and Roger Vivier.
Surely, those exclusive footwear ranges opening stores here must mean luxury business in Thailand is very much on the rise.
Now, what about Siam Paragon? After a year of shape-shifting that culminated in the opening of Louis Vuitton, Siam Paragon continues to reign supreme as the destination for luxury shoppers and in 2013 it will house even more brands. First, there will be a Valentino store, which will stock tantalising accessories and a ready-to-wear line. We'll also have the long-awaited arrival of Miu Miu, Prada's sister line, as well as an expansion of Chanel's boutique. And even with Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Prada right there, it won't feel complete without the last piece of the luxury jigsaw _ Christian Dior. And yes, Siam Paragon will finally have Christian Dior _ probably in June _ right in the space currently belonging to Versace.
The Parisian couture footwear house Roger Vivier's first boutique in Bangkok at Emporium will surely delight all shoes fetishists.
Also, Siam Paragon will welcome the return of Giorgio Armani, which has been absent for a few seasons. Giorgio Armani will take the space currently occupied by Kenzo and Chloe.
So, where will Kenzo and Versace go? There's no need to worry, not in the least, since we're still expecting another big opening at the end of the year _ Central Embassy! What we can tell you now is that Kenzo, purchased by Central Department Store, might find a new home at Central Embassy alongside other superbrands distributed by Central such as Gucci and Bottega Veneta and those distributed by CMG such as Ralph Lauren, Versace and its sister line Versus, Agnes B and Furla, for example. Apart from high-end luxury houses, Central Embassy will also delight younger shoppers with niche street brands such as Sandro and Mage.
_ Samila Wenin
Central Embassy, which is set to open in December 2013, will be home to luxury stores such as Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Versace and Kenzo.
MOVIES
SEVEN FILMS WE LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2013
The Grandmaster
Directed by Wong Kar-wai. Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Zhang Ziyi and Chang Chen.
Tony Leung inThe Grandmaster .
The long-awaited martial arts picture by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai is the story of Yip Man, Bruce Lee's mentor. The film will open the Berlin International Film Festival in February and arrives in Bangkok soon after. The director is now (or will soon be) in Bangkok to supervise post-production.
The Great Gatsby
Directed by Baz Luhrmann. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan.
DiCaprio is Jay Gatsby, Maguire is Nick Carraway, and Mulligan is Daisy Buchanan _ all in 3D. Talk about the jazz age and excess glamour! The film is likely to open in Bangkok in May.
Stoker
Directed by Park Chan-wook. Starring Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska.
Korean director Park Chan-wook (of the revenge saga Oldboy and the vampire thriller Thirst) makes his English-language film debut in a psycho-horror about a teenage girl and her stepmother (Kidman is the stepmother, of course). It is slated to open in Thailand in June.
Only God Forgives
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. Starring Ryan Goslin, Ratha Pho-ngarm, Kristin Scott Thomas.
Set in Thailand, the film stars Gosling as a faith-deficient gangster who arrives in Bangkok and has a muay thai face-off with a local policeman who believes he's god. Thai star Ratha "Yaya Ying" Pho-ngarm plays a rent woman. The film is likely to open here mid-year.
Snowpiercer
Directed by Bong Joon-ho. Starring Tilda Swinton, Chris Evans and Jamie Bell.
The new Ice Age hits Earth, and the only survivors find themselves in a train hurtling through endless glaciers. This is a sci-fi thriller by the Korean director of The Host starring big names. At the moment, there is no word about its release here.
Man Of Steel
Directed by Zack Snyder. Starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon and Kevin Costner.
This could be also called Superman Begins. Directed by Snyder (300) and produced by Christopher Nolan of The Dark Knight fame, the film goes back to the origin of the man of steel and how he grows up to be the saviour of mankind. Opening here in June.
World War Z
Directed by Marc Forster. Starring Brad Pitt.
Pitt fights a zombie apocalypse. What more do you need? Opening in June.
_ Kong Rithdee
The Great Gatsby
CONCERTS
The guesswork is difficult re which top acts will decide to descend on Bangkok (as usual, the lucrative net of Singapore scoops up most of them). Jennifer Lopez was billed to come here in December and she bailed. For now, in January we'll see The Vaccines, The Rubens, Breakbot, Snoop Dogg (yes!) and Justice. In March it's Santana (again), with special guests being, ahem, the Thai song-for-life band Carabao.
Besides that, these rumours swirl, but are yet to settle: Bon Jovi, Sigur Ros, Delphic and Two Door Cinema Club. We'll keep you posted.
_ Kong Rithdee
TELEVISION
First, a quick round-up of the new season of existing shows. Next year we'll see The Star 9, Academy Fantasia 10, Thailand's Got Talent 3 and The Voice 2. All of them are reality talent shows featuring varying degrees of talent and scripted drama. We'll watch all of them anyway.
As if that's not enough _ no, it's never enough! _ we'll see more reality gigs on Thai TV in 2013. Coming Jan 8 is Dancing With The Stars, a ballroom dancing competition on Channel 7, and on Feb 2 you can catch Dance Your Fat Off on Channel 3.
Later in January, The Comedian is a new talent competition to search for, yes, a new batch of television funnymen. That one will be on Channel 7. As Channel 3 has scored a serious hit with The Voice, soon we'll see its spin-off The Voice Kids.
Another potential hit next year is a Thai version of the US game show Identity, in which contestants guess the identities of strangers based on information about their personalities.
Over to the universe of soaps, where melodrama never ceases. Among the much-expected new series (or remakes) next year are the new Ku Kam from Exact and Channel 5, another version of the classic love story between a Japanese soldier and a Thai woman starring Sukrit "Bie The Star" Wisetkaew and Nuengtida Sopon, and Fa Jarod Sai, a new TV adaptation of a classic novel from Channel 7 starring Teerapat Sajjakul and Kwan Usamanee. From Channel 3 look out for Suphaphburus Juthathep, a period drama about five brothers, and The Sixth Sense 2, the second instalment of the hit series.
_ Kanokporn Chanasongkram
Ku Kam
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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2012/12/31/new-year-sneak-peek/
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