The photoshoot with Naphaporn Bodiratnangkura, our first cover star of the year, takes place in the beautiful grounds of her family’s Nai Lert Park on Witthayu Road. Comprising 20 rai, the spectacular location used to be the home of a hotel and now comprises several projects including an art gallery, the Glass House event space, several restaurants and the famed heritage home where matriarch Thanpuying Lursakdi Sampatisiri used to live. Peaceful and private, it offers numerous interesting nooks and backdrops against which to pose the photogenic hospitality executive.
Naphaporn, or Lek, was the recipient of Tatler Thailand’s Most Stylish Woman award in 2013 and is clearly a natural in front of the camera. Confident and quick on the up-take, she strikes poses with ease wearing garments from collections by Gucci, Saint Laurent, Asava and others paired with pieces from her younger sister Patcharavipa’s eponymous jewellery brand.
The first images of the morning are captured in front of the Samantao Heritage Coffee bar, a quaint little outlet used by the Tatler team as a base—and where they are treated to shots of traditional Thai coffee during breaks. The caffeine helps to fuel a productive day that ends with a private tour of the property and a candid interview with our cover star, who gives us insights into her care-free youth, the influence of her late and beloved grandmother, her plans for the business and her latest project, the Aman Nai Lert Bangkok.
Watch the behind-the-scenes video of Lek’s cover shoot:
