Minimidimaxi Magazine

POW, standing for ‘Power Of Women’, is both a fitting name and a credo for Andy Thê-Anh’s label. Thê-Anh launches another inimitable testament to women’s style with his spring/summer 2003 collection, on the heels of becoming Canada’s newest fashion ambassador to American markets.

‘The Silk Road’ takes us on an international odyssey of timeless verve, imprinted with the indelible POW stamp.

Turkey is the first stop, with opulently embroidered silk and cotton voile tops in rich tones of sand and coral, draping asymmetrically across the torso and carefully embellished with fringes and glass beads. The studded leather skirts are to die for, while the dressy business suits usher Constantinople into the modern age. Crimson is seized upon as the fuel for the Indian sequence, which in addition to the popping colour, is enlivened with silver sequins and dramatic reconfigurations of the sari. Thê-Anh is not content in letting China be pink and delicate; his fierce white top with slit sleeves and razor-sharp cuts mixes it up. POW keeps up with the Canadian trend of the Byzantine, while using the same busy chinoiserie fabrics that are gracing the European catwalks this season.

The use of diagonal accessories as third party styling is what unifies the collection. Although this strategy seems somewhat formulaic, it works. Remember, Thê-Anh is no stranger to the business of fashion, his design background including stints with the Parasuco and Irving Samuel labels. It is no surprise that POW opened a slew of accounts in the U.S. last April after debuting at the Dallas mega-trade show International Apparel Mart, a major gateway to the West Coast markets. It’s only a matter of time, focus and working with sponsors without succumbing to them, before Thê-Anh will be competing with European chinoiserie for the bragging rights of dressing not only LA’s, but also the world’s finest.

Daniel Cox, Fashion Editor
Marek Wlazlo, Photographer