"A little to the left!" "Chin up!" "Smile more!" The air around me is filled with a cacophony of clicking smartphones, beeping cameras and photographers hissing directions at their models. Young women in frilly tank tops sip on iced lattes, trying hard to look as effortless as possible. Behind me, a girl scolds her camera-toting boyfriend for what I can only assume is an unflattering picture.
One would think I'm in a photo studio, but I am actually enjoying a coffee at one of Bangkok's newest cafes. Patina, which takes its name from the time-worn walls of its 200-year-old home, opened in January in the heart of the city's Old Town. They make a mean cappuccino, but that's not the reason the place is swarming with photographers every weekend. Search its location on the Instagram app, and you'll find hundreds of smartly dressed young Thais nonchalantly leaning over its vintage furniture or posing coquettishly under the crystal chandeliers.
.jpg?width=178&fit=cover&gravity=faces&dpr=2&quality=medium&source=nar-cms&format=auto&height=100)
