Ao Dai National Costume Vietnam

The Ao D�i is a Vietnamese national costume, now most commonly worn by women but can also be worn by men. In its current form, it is a... more

by Chuck Kuhn

Title

Ao Dai National Costume Vietnam

Artist

Chuck Kuhn

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The Ao D�i is a Vietnamese national costume, now most commonly worn by women but can also be worn by men. In its current form, it is a tight-fitting silk tunic worn over pants. The word is pronounced in the North and in the South. �o classifies as shirt. D�i means "long".
The word "ao dai" was originally applied to the outfit worn at the court of the Nguyễn Lords at Huế in the 18th century. This outfit evolved into the �o ngũ th�n, a five-paneled aristocratic gown worn in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Inspired by Paris fashions, Nguyễn C�t Tường and other artists associated with Hanoi University redesigned the ngũ th�n as a modern dress in the 1920s and 1930s. The updated look was promoted by the artists and magazines of Tự Lực văn đo�n (Self-Reliant Literary Group) as a national costume for the modern era. In the 1950s, Saigon designers tightened the fit to produce the version worn by Vietnamese women today.The dress was extremely popular in South Vietnam in the 1960s and early 1970s. On Tết and other occasions, Vietnamese men may wear an �o gấm (brocade robe), a version of the Ao Dai made of thicker fabric.

Uploaded

November 23rd, 2016