Food & Drink
8 Best Specialty Hot Tea Spots in Bangkok for Slow Sipping
Tired of matcha? Here are 8 specialty tea rooms in Bangkok for ...
Ready to get bedazzled? Discover how Bangkok is turning everyday fashion, food and accessories into sparkle.
Trend alert: Bangkok is about to get bedazzled. A little extra sparkle is taking over fashion, and the trend is moving fast. If your wardrobe has been feeling a little too sensible lately, this is your sign to add some shine.
Whimsy hasn’t fully graduated yet, but its sparkly daughter is coming in strong. Enter: bedazzled. Bangkok’s next fashion wave is all crystals, rhinestones and main-character sparkle. Consider this your bejewelled era – because, as Taylor Swift would say, you can still “make the whole place shimmer.”
The good news? You don’t need a head-to-toe glitter moment. A little sparkle in the right place can do the work. Here’s how to get the look without going full disco ball.
First things first: what exactly is bedazzled?
Bedazzled is exactly what it sounds like: take something ordinary, cover it in rhinestones, crystals or studs, and suddenly it has main-character energy. It is less about subtle sparkle and more about refusing to leave anything plain.
The look is nothing new. Dolly Parton has worn rhinestone glamour since the 1960s, long before bedazzling became a Y2K obsession. Her crystal-covered stage costumes became a signature of her style and a lesson in the power of unapologetic sparkle. With Parton’s recent passing, that unmistakable glamour has also returned to the fashion conversation.
By the early 2000s, Paris Hilton took that same love of sparkle into peak Y2K territory. Her pink, bedazzled flip phone became one of the era’s most recognisable accessories.
Courtesy of Kylie Jenner
Now, bedazzling is having another moment. Kylie Jenner has embraced the rhinestone look, while Sabrina Carpenter has made sequins, crystals and glitter a regular part of her stage wardrobe. What once belonged to country icons and Y2K It girls now feels right at home in the current pop culture cycle.
So, yes, bedazzling is back. But it also fits neatly into the rise of whimsy. After years of quiet luxury, clean lines and beige everything, fashion has started to crave things that feel playful, tactile and deliberately excessive. Whimsy says fashion can be silly. Bedazzling takes that one step further: if you are going to be silly, you might as well sparkle.
It is a small rebellion against a world that takes itself far too seriously. And honestly, why leave anything plain?
How to Get the Bedazzled Look
First rule: don’t rush to the stationery aisle at the mall. It is the easy option, but the price can add up fast. Head to Phahurat Road or Sampeng Market instead, where you can find rhinestones, gems, stickers and other sparkly bits at much friendlier prices. The best part? You can buy a lot, mix different shapes and colours, and go for the more-the-merrier approach without spending a fortune.
Then comes the fun part: decide what gets the sparkle treatment. The internet has already made it clear that almost anything can become a bedazzled accessory. Add gems to your phone case, car keyring, water bottle or makeup compact. If you want to take it further, put a few crystals on your mask or add rhinestone details to your makeup for a look that says bejeweled without the full pop-star production.
The 2026 version also feels less maximalist than its 2000s predecessor. You do not need a fully bedazzled outfit or enough crystals to blind the person across the room. A few gems on your bag, nails, sunglasses or even your phone can do the job. The rule is simple: make it as extra or as subtle as you want.
Rhinestones Are Coming for Your Coffee and Cake
But what if you want the bedazzled look without spending money on a bag of rhinestones? Easy. Let someone else do the work – and make it edible.
Cake shops have caught onto the trend, with jewel-like decorations that turn a simple cake into a full bedazzled moment. It is the easiest way to get the look without committing your wardrobe to a lifetime of rhinestones.
Café culture has joined in too. Some cafés now let customers decorate their own cups with stickers, charms and other little details, so your morning coffee gets its own sparkle treatment. No glue gun, no DIY disaster, just a drink with a little more personality.
And it does not stop at coffee. Wine bottle workshops have also caught the bedazzled bug, with cafés and bars adding their own take on the trend. It shows just how quickly the F&B industry can react to a visual movement. A trend that starts on fashion feeds can move from clothes to cups, cakes and bottles almost overnight.
There is also a clear social-media logic behind it. Bedazzled food and drinks turn an everyday purchase into something personal and photogenic, which gives customers another reason to post, share and talk about it. In 2026, the experience can be as important as the product itself, and a little sparkle certainly helps it stand out.
The Easiest Way to Go Bedazzled
Not ready to cover your phone, bag or face in rhinestones? There is an easier way to join the trend: find a photobooth.
Thailand’s photobooth craze is still going strong, and plenty of booths already have the sparkle built in. Think rhinestone frames, glittery borders and decorative stickers that do the work for you. Step inside, pick your favourite frame and suddenly you have your own bejewelled moment. No glue, no commitment and no rhinestones stuck to your outfit.
It also fits the way bedazzling works in 2026. Sometimes, all you need is the right frame, a good photo and a little sparkle on the internet. The photobooth gives you the look without making you buy into the whole thing.
The Sparkle Comes with a Catch
Of course, every trend has its downside. Bedazzling may look harmless, but a pile of plastic gems can turn into a lot of waste, especially when they land on single-use cups, bottles or accessories that have a short life.
That does not mean you have to skip the trend altogether. The smarter approach is to bedazzle things you already own, reuse the gems where possible and choose pieces that can stay in your wardrobe or daily life for longer. A few well-placed crystals can have just as much impact as covering everything in rhinestones.
After all, the whole point of the trend is to have fun with what you already have. Be extra, be silly, but know what happens to the sparkle after the photo.
