Shopping with Bangkok's highly addictive Diet Pills

Bangkok hipsters are addicted to the Diet Pills. This stylish synth-pop duo is in incredibly high demand these days, making appearances everywhere from runways to nightclubs.

Which is why we had to find out where the pair shops. But more on that in a moment. First a history lesson, as these girls seemingly came out of nowhere.

It all started a year ago, when long-time friends Ploi Horwang and Pompom Poshyanonda teamed up to create a band that fully embraces fashion and their edgy lifestyle. (Before taking off to study fashion design in London, Ploi was actually a much sought after teen idol with tween girl group “Project H.”)

The two girls decided to recruit help from their friends to create their performance-led music group, the Diet Pills. With Tul Waitoonkiat from Thai indie band Apartmentkhunpa firmly behind the wheels, the Diet Pills unleashed the first single “Don’t Underestimate the Power of the Diet Pills” to enthusiastic response from music lovers and eager clubbers earlier this year.

Thanks to the Diet Pills’ brand of cheery electronic pop and sassy attitudes, scenesters wasted no time gobbling them up.  Since then there’s been no stopping the duo, and its first full-length album was released last month.

Noted for their sense of style and close connections to Thailand’s high fashion world, Ploi and Pompom are in a perfect position to give some great fashion advice and shared their favorite shopping spots with us.

Cocue
“I still remember when Cocue first started.  It was just a small select shop, but it has now grown so much, and I’m really happy for them. They have everything you’ll ever need from clothes and bags to shoes and jewelry. They have sharp eyes so everything they’ve chosen is great. They also offer modified items, so you can get a lot of one-off pieces here. You can basically walk in the shop naked and you’ll come out looking like a million bucks. Cocue also, ahem, carries my brand PPP.”

Room 201, Siam Square Soi 1, BTS: Siam. Tel: +66(0)2 658 3894

Kenzai Optic
“As you might have noticed, the Diet Pills adore all kinds of glasses. We wear them all the time. This is the first place I go to when I feel like I need a new pair of glasses. The selection here is amazing, and they carry many brands from Chanel to Retrosuper. They also have a lot of unique glasses as well as stuff that you never think would be sold in Bangkok.”

Siam Square Soi 2, BTS: Siam

Mathematics
“This is a select shop that champions upcoming local designers, so you’ll see a lot of new talents in here. You can also trust their tastes since whatever they put in the shop simply works. I usually go there for jewelry, especially Missiles which is a brand created by top fashion photographer Punsiri Siriwejchapun who also directed our second music video, ‘Yo Yo Effect’ [see video below]. I like Missiles because it’s not too feminine, and can be worn for many occasions.”

3F, Siam Center, BTS: Siam.

Vickteerut, Thonglor Soi 4
“Vick Teerut is one of my best friends, and he’s also an amazing talent who won Elle’s Young Designer Award a few years back upon his return from many years in London. In person Vick might seem a little eccentric, but his designs are minimal and timeless with a lot of intricate details. He’s meticulous when it comes to cutting and pattern making. You really get your money’s worth here if quality is your main concern. Vick has done a lot of costumes and dresses designed specially for us, and we feel really happy about working closely with him.”

122 Thonglor Soi 4, Sukhumvit 55, BTS: Thonglor