Tu Tontawan on Repping Thailand in Fashion, How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies , and Her Best Style Tip
Courtesy of GMMTV.
It’s a late June afternoon when Thai actor Tu Tontawan hops on a Zoom call from Bangkok. The actress is all candid smiles, adorably dressed in a puffy-sleeve look, sequined headband and rosy lip gloss. Hair accessories, as she explains, are must-have items in her closet. “Any kind of hair accessory. It can be a hat, headband or anything associated with my hair. I think I have to have one to complete the look”
The feminine and preppy outfit, however, only showcases one of the many sides of Tu’s all-embracing wardrobe and persona. Over the years, the actor has continously experimented with fashion, though admittedly, she shares, there are still fashion territories she’d like to explore. Sporting the designs of Shanghai-based brand Shushu/Tong at an event, for example, is still on her bucket list.
If you ask the social media savvy, they will attest to Tu’s chameleonic displays of style. In a recent Instagram post, Tu poses in head-to-toe Dior, anticipating the brand’s couture show — in September 2023, she became an ambassador of the French maison and has since become a fixture at brand events. In a different upload, she embraces throwback styles and channels the dress-over-jeans trend that was all the rage in the 2000s. An older post shows Tu putting a neon green twist on the Canadian tuxedo to attend an NCT Dream concert.
Since she first rose to fame in the popular TV series F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers, a live-action remake of the Japanese manga, Tu has shaped a distinctive style identity. Whether she’s attending award ceremonies, sitting front row at coveted fashion shows or simply out and about in the city, her wardrobe choices never fail to garner attention. Given her style credentials, it isn’t any wonder she has emerged as one of the names leading a new wave of Thai stars representing luxury fashion brands and taking on international Fashion Weeks.
“I have to [give] credit to all the Thai senior actors who have paved the way as fashion brand ambassadors or [attending] events. I never thought of doing this myself, but one day, I got an opportunity to be there, and I'm very grateful,” Tu says.
Recalling her Paris Fashion Week attendances, she says, “It kind of changed my world. I met many celebrities and artists who are very famous. I always saw them in magazines or on television, so I was very excited and it was my honor to be there. I was determined to do my best and make sure I can go back [to Fashion Week] to represent my own style and my country.”
Unpretentious, feminine and balanced, Tu’s style falls at the intersection of innately trendy and well-informed. Finding inspiration in her preferred music genre and international stars, Tu dons nearly any item — from coveted luxury handbags to the it-sneakers dominating streetwear — with the same effortless charm and Gen Z panache.
“I’m really into K-pop so I [used to] admire K-pop styling before,” Tu explains. She has the portfolio to back up this statement. The actress is not just a master of K-pop concert fashion, but she has also taken her interests to the professional front. Last year, she starred in girl group (G)I-DLE’s music video for “I DO: A Love Story in Bangkok,” alongside F4: Thailand co-star Dew Jirawat — another fashion star on the rise.
As of recently, however, Tu has found a new source of inspiration in a universally loved style icon. “Lately, I like Zendaya. I’ve watched a lot of her fashion work and I really admire her. She is very talented and she is brave [when it comes to] trying new styles,” Tu notes.
Tu herself is not afraid of taking on new sartorial horizons and expanding her style book. The actress admits her favorite fashion moments involve looks she wouldn’t wear off-duty. “I love the moment when I'm attending any event so I can wear that fancy dress that I don't wear in my everyday life. When I'm attending an award ceremony, I can wear those styles I normally don’t.”
Corseted gowns, A-line dresses à la Christian Dior's New Look and flattering beauty statements are part of Tu’s style repertoire for these grand occasions. Just to paint a picture, back in May, Tu sported a chic backless dress layered underneath a cropped jacket to attend the prestigious Nataraja Awards — an event organized by the Thai Radio Television Broadcasting Professional Confederation to recognize the achievements in television and radio broadcasting. The ultimate touch of experimentation arrived courtesy of a fresh calla lily adorning her ponytail.
Selecting new looks to add to her style file is a team effort, Tu shares. “I normally let my stylist know what kind of dress or what kind of brand I prefer. Every time I go to any celebration or event, my stylist will estimate how big or serious of an event it is. She will then provide the clothes [but] I also have my own opinion on what I want to wear. That’s how our team decides the dress or outfit I will put on.”
Onscreen, experimenting with looks that depart from her personal style is not much different. Though Tu points out that she has only played “normal girls with normal style” in previous roles, there’s still a sort of science behind the styling. “In How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, I got a chance to talk with the stylist about the closet of the characters. We had to look into the scene and the color that matched the location and other characters in the same scene. I think it's a one-of-a-kind art,” the actor shares about her latest project.
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, in case you missed it, is the latest Thai box office success. The film tells the story of M (Billkin), a young man who becomes his dying grandmother’s caretaker after watching his cousin Mui (Tu) inherit her late grandfather’s properties. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, which arrived in United States theaters as part of the New York Asian Film Festival on July 12, has enjoyed worldwide acclaim and TikTok virality since its Thailand release in April. (If you’re in for an emotional rollercoaster, a quick Google search will suffice to understand the hype.)
Delving into topics like personal losses, family and the inevitability of death, the film marks Tu’s big-screen debut. “I'm not one of the main characters but it was my honor to be part of the project,” she says. “I'm very excited and very happy that the feedback was very good in Thailand and the other countries where [the movie] already launched.”
In addition to her fashion and acting careers, Tu splits her time between public commitments and her responsibilities as a student. As seen on social media, for the role, she trades her favored fashion items for medical gowns and headgear. “I'm still studying,” she shares. “I’m in dental school right now, so I am a bit busy finishing my final year, which will end in early 2025.”
Amid the consequent packed schedules, Tu doesn’t neglect mental health and wellness. “I have a family and friends, who are always beside me, and my fans. So [they] help me a lot to get [through] hard times. I also do a lot of activities, like my studies,” she explains, letting out a cheerful laugh. “My hobbies are drawing, sewing, knitting and crochet[ing] and that helped me a lot to focus on myself. For wellness, I do pilates which I'm trying to continue [because] it's very good for my physical health and body.”
Candidly, Tu shares the realest piece of fashion advice for her fans. “I think our body, our choice. So it's our choice to wear anything that we like and we love,” Tu says. “Don’t care what other people want you to be. Just be yourself — be whatever [makes you] happy. If you want to do something that follows the standard just do it because you want, not because other people told you what you have to do. Just try many things so you find yourself. Actually, I'm still finding my own style. We have plenty of time to find ourselves.”
Tu wraps up the interview anticipating her upcoming project — a Thai remake of the Chinese novel Scarlet Heart expected to reunite a star-studded cast that includes equally fashion savvy names such as Win Metawin, Fourth and Phuwin.
Ah! And in case you were wondering, Tu Tontawan is just like us. She has Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” in heavy rotation in her getting-ready playlist.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
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