Right away, I was intrigued by the brand Endless Summer. I found the brand name poetic. Who wouldn’t want an endless summer? I am sure my European and American readers would agree with me. I instantly thought of Olaf. Having a young daughter means I have watched the Disney production Frozen, both I and II, no fewer than a hundred times. I thought ‘Olaf would love this.” I love my new endless summer life, me perpetual fun in Thailand. There are much fewer colds and flus to deal with. And most of all, the amount of laundry has dramatically reduced, so was the money to spend on both children’s ever-growing wardrobe. Realistically, living in cold weather that requires layers of clothing as seasons change, means cost would multiply as many layers needed to stay warm by the number of children. To me, personally, I can wear colourful outfits that cheer me up, literally, all the time.
Soon I realised several problems with my numerous existing summer dresses. The colours were too sober. When you live in a tropical paradise, you want to be as colourful as your habitat. Once I began to learn Thai, I found out each day of the week in Thai culture was represented by a colour. Monday is yellow, Tuesday pink, Wednesday green, Thursday orange, Friday light blue while the weekend is purple and red respectively. When I started buying clothes in Thailand, I made the decision to pick the colour of outfit according to the day of week, to pay tribute to the new country and culture that I call home now.
Which, of course, has given me a very good excuse to refresh my summer wardrobe. In a way, it is also necessary, because in Thailand dresses are designed for the wearer to keep cool. The material of my summer dresses that arrived in cardboard boxes were simply too thick for the tropical weather here. In addition, they are either too smart or too casual. Soon I realised for the day-to-day life here, there is a very blur line between business and pleasure. Business or semi formal meetings often take place at resort restaurant or at beach clubs. Dressing too formally gives out a “I-am-too-serious” vibe. In short, I learnt that I need pieces that could allow me to easily flow between business and beaches, meanwhile, cool enough that I would not constantly be embarrassed by the sweat under my armpits.
Made In Thailand Dresses That Are Truly “Biz to Beach”
The very first such dress I purchased was the Meyla dress from Endless Summer by Mona. Its cutting was simple but elegant. Coupled with a contrasting-coloured Pom-Poms on both sides, it allowed me to either tighten up for more formal meetings or loosen up to walk on the beach. Unlike many clothes from Thailand, the material is made of 100% sustainable, ethically sourced cotton from Northern Thailand. The dress is light, soft, comfortable and grease free, making it possible to wear it all day to keep cool, and not having to worried about how tired it would look at the end of the day. I like it so much that, in a true shopaholic fashion, I bought a Meyla dress in every colour that existed. However, it turned out to be of very good value by how often I wear it. It is, indeed, super versatile. By putting on accessories and Mon shoes, beautifully handmade shoes by the same brand, I can go to a business meeting or a more formal party. After that, I can loosen the ties on the Pom Pom on my waist, slip a pair of flippy floppy on, I easily blend in the crowd on the beach.
The Meyla Dress
Who is Mona?
Mona is the soul behind Endless Summer. Mona fell in love with the story, colour and quality of textiles where she grew up in Northern Thailand. The hill tribes of Hmong and Karen’s fascinate me and continues to inspire me for my day-to-day designs, which are being interpreted in Endless Summer collections of unique Thailand women’s clothing. Not only does Mona design gorgeous dresses, she is also an important volunteer at Seeds of Change, an organization that teaches and empowers many ladies with language and practical skills that come in handy when they seek employment.
Endless Summer by Mona’s product range includes dresses, ensembles and shoes. The most expensive product is their signature Mon Shoes retailing between 1,500 and 2,500 baht. The fluctuation is due to the seasonal changes where the tribe will produce various colours and designs based on such, the ancient art of embroidery and handcraft which has now become rare, and all to support this forgotten culture which truly represents Northern Thailand. Yes, Mona is also all about fair trade. Despite being the more expensive models, Mon Shoes are Endless Summer’s bestsellers, since they are the perfect companions for a promenade either in the city or on a tropical resort.
On the other hand, the least expensive fashion piece is her Aolani dress, which is a breezy short cotton summer dress, retailing at 1,200 baht. (At time of writing, USD is trading at 1USD=34.67 THB)
You can follow the brand on their Facebook page Endless Summer by Mona and IG endlesssummer_mona. If you are searching for a particular model and cannot find it at the shop, you can reach out to the team on Line @Beachgirl86.
If you’re a visitor clothes shopping in Thailand or live here full time, you can check out Endless Summer by Mona at the following retail locations:
Banyan Tree Phuket
Como Point Yamu
Keemala Phuket
Novotel Avista Kata
Island Magic at Bluetree
