Thakoon - a onetime fashion writer turned designer joins the cfda/vogue ranks

Only five seasons into his designing life, this former Harper's Bazaar fashion editor calls Amanda Peet, Rachel Bilson, and Natalie Portman fans. On the eve of a trip to his native Thailand, he pauses for a sit-down with Style.com. how would you describe your clothes? Feminine and pretty, but with a sense of surprise, too.what was your first fashion moment? I was in the third grade in Thailand, and my mom got me a green Adidas soccer outfit—shirt and shorts. I remember thinking it was the coolest outfit ever. I wore it all the time, like a uniform.who is your favorite designer, living or dead? Miuccia Prada is fantastic. Design, for me, is about incorporating all sorts of elements: commerciality, newness, wearability, creativity. She's able to combine them all and put something new on the runway every season.what's the worst fashion faux pas? Clothes that are too tight or too baggy.… Tight is more offensive than loose, though. Bras too tight—no.what was yours? I think when I was in college I wore too-tight T shirts.chanel or elsa schiaparelli? and why? Chanel. She's about lifestyle and chic. Travel clothes, resort clothes, the little black dress—she introduced something that was really aspirational to women.ultimate muse, and why? There's Julie Christie in Don't Look Now, and Françoise Hardy, Mia Farrow, Jane Birkin. Modern-day examples are Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sofia Coppola, Kirsten Dunst. They all have a tomboy's sensibility mixed with femininity—done in a casual, nonchalant way. what would you be if you weren't a designer? A photographer. I almost went to photo school. in what specific areas of business would you invest the $200,000 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award? I would employ technical people: seamstresses, pattern-makers, sample-makers to work in-house. I would have my own in-house laboratory. if you didn't need the money for business, what would you do with it? If $200,000 gets me a beach house on a remote island, I would do that. And art. I would buy art, too. The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund makes annual awards to up-and-coming designers to enable and encourage the recipients to pursue their business plans. Previous winners include Proenza Schouler and Trovata. This year's finalists are 3.1 Phillip Lim, Costello Tagliapietra, Devi Kroell, Doo.Ri, Jovovich-Hawk, Marchesa, Rag & Bone, Rodarte, thakoon Jewelry, and Thakoon. On November 16, the winner will be announced. Watch for Style.com's coverage of the award ceremony.

—Joanna Rodger