The Vietnamese Ao Dai (A'o Da`i Vie^.t Nam)
hyt...@my-dejanews.com
Note : Just for online reading, not for redistribution
KSVN
The northern-4-flap dress is Vietnam's first "ao dai", only worn on the
occasion of the Tet festival. The brown dress with the two fore-flaps tied
together and let dangling matches with satin trousers and silk belts. Then
the 4 flap dress has been modified into a 3-flap one: the collar being 2 cm
high, the sleeves wrapping tightly to the wrists, breast and waist of main
flaps, there is also a minor flap reaching down to the fringe. Buttons are
made of plaited cloth and buttoned on the side. The collar is turned up
obliquely to let appear three color ( or 7 colors ) of the dress. The
outermost layer is of brown silk or a kind of black gauze, followed by
light yellow, pink, lemon green, and sky-blue... multicolored ones....,
attractive yet decent, discrete and harmonious...
Following the Europeanization wave in 1935, Lemur Nguyen Cat Tuong's
"modern ao dai" made its apparition. It had puffed out shoulders, cuffed
sleeves, a round collar cut breast-deep and laced, a corrugated fringe made
of joined cloth of different colors and gaudily laced.
During the the 1939-1945 period there was a conflict on a esthetic concept,
resulting in the restoration of the traditional ao dai. Young girls' collar
was from 4 cm to 7 cm high, the roundness of which was ensured by a stipt
starching, the flaps were of a broad width and of a 1958 and the beginning
of 1959, Madam Ngo Dinh Nhu's low-necked, decollete ao dai was launched.
At the beginning of 1971, the raglan-sleeve ao dai renovated by Mrs. Tuyet
Mai overcame the wrinkling short comings at the shoulders and the armpits.
From the early 1970's to 1975 it was the period at mini and hippy ao dai
widely worn with tights and flares until 1989. The first ao dai beauty
contest was restored under the communist regime since 1975 and the
traditional ao dai returned to its suave beauty of old times. All young
ladies were encouraged to wear the white ao dai to school which has been
banned since 1975 after the falling of Sai Gon. All such contests as school
beauty, sports beauty has been organized everywhere in the country, ao dai
is the main category in these contests. Now only the Tien Phong Newspaper
beauty contest is considered the official national contest and who is
crowned from this contest become the national beauty queen and she will
represent the country in all diplomatic occasions. This contest has been
official started in 1992 and repeated every two year sine then ( 1994,
1996). For the 1998, the contest will begin around September or October.
The year 1995 was the crowing year for the national ao dai. Truong Quynh
Mai's ao dai was chosen the most beautiful national apparel in Tokyo... The
1995 renovated ao dai model suits well modern times, and is more beautiful
at it's tightened at the breast, waist and back, its collar evenly circling
round from 4 cm to 7 cm high, the sleeves just tighten the arms.
Velvet ao dai, embroidered, painted and printed with flower pattern have
created even more exquisite beauty features allowing Vietnam's ao dai to
take off ever higher.
-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum