Now it's green
November 15, 2007
You normally wouldn't think an 80-year-old man would be a fashion-setter, but that certainly seems to be happening here in Thailand. Whatever colour His Majesty the King is seen wearing becomes an instant hit among his people. How long can this last? Well, the vendor in this story is preparing to stock orange shirts in case that is the next colour he wears.vendor – a person who sells things usually outside on the street พ่อค้า
instant – happening immediately; happening right away ทันที
stock – to keep a supply of a particular type of goods to sell กักตุนสินค้า
I'll be back with the rest of the vocabulary shortly.
Now the T-shirt craze is green
ANJIRA ASSAVANONDA
A vendor shows off a green T-shirt bearing His
Majesty the King’s 80th birthday insignia at the Siriraj
Hospital pier. Demand for green shirts shot up after the King was seen
wearing a green jacket when he went to visit his elder sister, Her
Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, at the hospital on Tuesday.
Pink and yellow shirts are also still in high demand. JETJARAS NA RANONGClothing vendors are ready to go green to cater to public demand after His Majesty the King appeared in a green jacket on his return to Siriraj Hospital on Tuesday to visit his elder sister, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana.
Somying Puangjinda, 26, a retailer at Pran Nok pier close to the hospital, said many people were already asking for green polo shirts bearing the royal insignia after they saw His Majesty in a green jacket on television and in newspapers.
‘‘I received at least 30 orders in the morning. By late afternoon, I picked up two sample green shirts from Bo Bae market and wore one as a sales promotion. I sold the other one immediately for 250 baht,’’ said Ms Somying.
The first lot of 50 green polo shirts arrived at her stall by late evening and she managed to sell 10 in just 20 minutes.
But the demand for green shirts might be too sudden for manufacturers as the country had gone pink only last week, she said.
The King wore pink when he was discharged from Siriraj Hospital on Nov 7. People immediately began wearing the summery pink, alternating it with the yellow shirts they have been wearing for the last year.
‘‘The yellow, pink and green trends are all because of people’s loyalty to the King,’’ she said.
‘‘If he wears orange, I will also have to put orange shirts on my stall. That’s a way to express our love of the King.’’
craze – an enthusiastic interest in something that is shared by many people but that usually does not last very long ความคลั่งใคล้
vendor – a person who sells things usually outside on the street พ่อค้า
insignia – the symbol of an organisation; emblem สัญลักษณ์
pier – a long low structure built in a lake, river or the sea and joined to the land at one end, used by boats to allow passengers to get on and off ท่าเรือข้ามฟาก
cater to – to provide the things that customers want จัดมาให้ หาสินค้ามาขาย
retailer – a person or business that sells goods to the public พ่อค้ารายย่อย
bearing – carrying มี (ตราสัญญลักษณ์)
promotion – an activity done in order to increase the sales of a product or service
lot – a number or set of items to be sold จำนวนสินค้าที่นำมาขายในแต่ละครั้ง
stall – a table or small shop that people sell things from, especially at a market แผง
discharge – to give official permission to leave a place, in this case, a hospital ออกจากโรงพยาบาล
summery – typical or or suitable for the summer สรุป
alternating – (of two things) happening or following one after the other regularly ตามมา
trend – a general direction in which a situation is changing or developing ความนิยมในช่วงนั้นๆ
loyalty – the quality of being faithful in your of someone or something ความจงรักภักดี
Sunisa Rungsomsap, 23, another vendor, said she had sold more than 1,000 pink polo shirts since last week.
She bought short-sleeved shirts for 220 baht and sold each for 250 baht.
The long-sleeved ones were a little more expensive at 300 baht.
Ms Sunisa is also offering photos of the King in pink with his camera in his hand as part of the deal for her customers.
The Royal Household Bureau said yesterday that Princess Galyani had a fever but was alert.
The 84-year-old Princess had a small appetite and her blood pressure was normal, it said. She has been in Siriraj since mid-June for treatment for abdominal cancer.
Physicians have been treating her with antibiotics and physiotherapy, and feeding her intravenously.
auspicious – suggesting a positive and successful future; showing signs that something is likely to be successful in the future นิมิตมหายอันดี มหามงคล
caught off guard – to be unprepared for something that happened อย่างไม่ทันเตรียมตัว เตรียมการ
short-sleeved – (of a shirt) having the arms only partially covered, unlike long-sleeved in which the arms are fully covered to the hands (see photo) แขนสั้น
deal – an agreement, especially in business ข้อตกลง
fever – a medical condition in which a person has a body temperature that is higher than normal ไข้
alert – to be able to think quickly or to notice things quickly รู้สึกตัว
appetite – the physical desire for food ความอยากอาหาร
abdominal – relating to the part of the body below the chest that contains the stomach, intestines, etc. ช่องท้อง
antibiotics – substances that can cure infections ยาปฏิชีวนะ