4 D; E" W6 Q& f) o- I w' y; l% P" P) t# T$ N8 g1 q! ~Little black dress lands actress in one big mess( A% ^3 a3 c2 O* S7 V6 Q
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9 H7 z0 \+ ^. FBANGKOK - A young actress' skimpy dress has sparked a national outcry in Thailand, fuelling debate in opinion pages and chat rooms and earning her a public reprimand.; z/ ]" t* I( X; A5 k3 X
9 _# D3 g4 O" y1 Q! pThe black dress in question was long, body-hugging and split from Chotiros Suriyawong's cleavage to her hip by an eight-centimetre wide slit held together by thin strips of fabric.1 w2 B- O- q9 d7 j/ g6 x) T4 O
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Ms. Chotiros, a 22-year-old liberal arts major at Thammasat University, one of the country's most respected academic institutions, wore it at the Feb. 9 Golden Swan awards ceremony, Thailand's equivalent of the Oscars.7 I G( W3 f0 u, L9 r
5 C- J: B0 V" }The dress is said to have been inspired by Elizabeth Hurley's infamous Versace safety-pin dress, which grabbed the spotlight for the British beauty when she wore it to a London film premiere in 1994.- q+ e/ Q! k' V8 {9 n5 t
8 a7 T, W* ]" z Z' jFor Ms. Chotiros, a relative unknown with mainly small roles in low-budget films, the little black dress brought unwelcome attention. 9 C0 `! n3 I/ F, E* O( E; g) N) k1 l7 z # K- @. S" @* |% L2 LShe was reprimanded by her production company and ordered by her university to do community service and make a public apology for her attire.; t$ R/ a; J! m. |$ C! H2 z
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"I feel very guilty about what happened. I want to apologize," said a teary-eyed Ms. Chotiros at a news conference earlier this week. "I didn't know it was going to be such a big deal."