| The ao dai is a Vietnamese national costume primarily | | | | 1960 to 1975.[12] A brightly colored hippy was |
| for women. In its current form, it is a tight-fitting silk | | | | introduced in 1968.[13] The mini, a version designed for |
| dress worn over pantaloons. is pronounced (ow yai) in | | | | practical use and convenience, had slits that extended |
| the South, and (ow zai) in the North. is derived from a | | | | above the waist and panels that reached only to the |
| Middle Chinese word meaning "padded coat" .In | | | | knee. |
| modern Vietnamese, o refers to an item of clothing | | | | The ao dai has always been more common in the |
| that covers from the neck down. Di means "long." | | | | South than in the North. The communists, who gained |
| Batik T-ShirtIn Vietnamese, the word i was applied to | | | | power in the North in 1954 and in the South in the 1975, |
| various garments historically, including the o ngu th?n, a | | | | had conflicted feelings about the ao dai. They praised it |
| 19th century aristocratic gown influenced by Manchu | | | | as a national costume and one was worn to the Paris |
| Chinese fashions. Inspired by Paris fashions, Hanoi artist | | | | Peace Conference (1968-73) by Vietcong |
| Nguy?n Ct Tu?ng redesigned the o ngu th?n as a | | | | negotiator.[14] Yet Westernized versions of the dress |
| dress in 1930.[2] In the 1950s, Saigon designers | | | | and those associated with "decadent" Saigon of the |
| tightened the fit to produce the version worn by | | | | 1960s and early 1970s were condemned.[15] Economic |
| Vietnamese women today.[2] The dress was | | | | crisis, famine, and war with Cambodia combined to |
| extremely popular in South Vietnam in the 1960s and | | | | make the 1980s a fashion low point.[8] The ao dai was |
| early 1970s. The communists, who have ruled Vietnam | | | | rarely worn except at weddings and other formal |
| since 1975, disapproved of the dress and favored | | | | occasions, with the older, looser-fitting style |
| frugal, androgynous styles.[3] In the 1990s, the ao dai | | | | preferred.[15] Overseas Vietnamese, meanwhile, kept |
| regained popularity.[3] The equivalent garment for men, | | | | tradition alive with "Miss Ao Dai" pageants , the most |
| called an ("brocade robe"), is also worn on occasion, | | | | notable one held annually in Long Beach, California. |
| such as during Tet, at weddings or death anniversaries. | | | | The ao dai experienced a revival beginning in late |
| Today however, the m is most frequently worn by old | | | | 1980s, when state enterprise and schools began |
| men. | | | | adopting the dress as a uniform again.In 1989, 16,000 |
| Academic commentary on the ao dai emphasizes the | | | | Vietnamese attended a Miss Ao Dai Beauty Contest |
| way the dress ties feminine beauty to Vietnamese | | | | held in Hochiminh City (formerly Saigon).[16] When the |
| nationalism, especially in the form of "Miss Ao Dai" | | | | Miss International Pageant in Tokyo gave its "Best |
| pageants, popular both among overseas Vietnamese | | | | National Costume" award to an ao dai-clad Tru?ng |
| and in Vietnam itself.[4] "Ao dai" is one of the few | | | | Qu?nh Mai in 1995, Th?i Trang Tr? (New Fashion |
| Vietnamese words that appear in English-language | | | | Magazine) gushed that Vietnam's "national soul" was |
| dictionaries. | | | | "once again honored."[17] An "ao dai craze" followed |
| Peasant women typically wore a skirt and halter top | | | | that that lasted for several years and led to wider use |
| .[6] Influenced by the fashions of China's imperial court, | | | | of the dress as a school uniform. |
| aristocrats favored less revealing clothes.[7] In 1744, | | | | No longer controversial politically, ao dai fashion design |
| Lord decreed that both men and women at his court | | | | is supported by the Vietnamese government.[8] |
| wear trousers and a gown with buttons down the | | | | Designer Le Si Hoang is a celebrity in Vietnam and his |
| front.[2] The members of the southern court were | | | | shop in Hochiminh City is the place to visit for those |
| thus distinguished from the courtiers of the Tr?nh | | | | who admire the dress. In Hanoi, tourists get fitted for |
| Lords in Hanoi, who wore a split-sided jacket and a | | | | ao dai on Luong Van Can Street. The elegant city of |
| long skirt.[8]a traditional four-paneled gown, evolved into | | | | Hu? in the central region is known for its ao dai, (leaf |
| the five-paneled ngu th in the early 19th century.[8] Ngu | | | | hats), and well-dressed women. |
| is Sino-Vietnamese for "five." It refers not only to the | | | | The ao dai is now standard for weddings, for |
| number of panels, but also to the five elements in | | | | celebrating T?t and for other formal occasions. A plain |
| oriental cosmology. The had a loose fit and sometimes | | | | white ao dai is a common high school school uniform in |
| had wide sleeves. Wearers could display their | | | | the South. Companies often require their female staff |
| prosperity by putting on multiple layers of fabric, which | | | | to wear uniforms that include the ao dai, so flight |
| at that time was costly. Despite Vietnam's tropical | | | | attendants, receptionists, restaurant staff, and hotel |
| climate, aristocrats were known to wear three to five | | | | workers in Vietnam may be seen wearing it. |
| layers. | | | | The most popular style of ao dai fits tightly around the |
| The had two flaps sewn together in the back, two | | | | wearer's upper torso, emphasizing her bust and |
| flaps sewn together in the front, and a "baby flap" | | | | curves. Although the dress covers the entire body, it is |
| hidden underneath the main front flap. The gown | | | | thought to be provocative, especially when it is made |
| appeared to have two-flaps with slits on both sides, | | | | of thin fabric. "The ao dai covers everything, but hides |
| features preserved in the later ao dai. Compared to a | | | | nothing," according to one saying.The dress must be |
| modern ao dai, the front and back flaps were much | | | | individually fitted and usually requires several weeks for |
| broader and the fit looser. It had a high collar and was | | | | a tailor to complete. An ao dai costs about $200 in the |
| buttoned in the same fashion as a modern ao dai. | | | | U.S. and about $40 in Vietnam.Tourists are often |
| Women could wear the dress with the top few | | | | charged double. |
| buttons undone, revealing a glimpse of their y?m | | | | "Symbolically, the ao dai invokes nostalgia and |
| underneath. | | | | timelessness associated with a gendered image of the |
| In 1930, Hanoi artist also known as Le Mur, designed a | | | | homeland for which many Vietnamese people |
| dress inspired by the and by Paris fashions. It reached | | | | throughout the diaspora yearn," wrote Nhi T. Lieu, an |
| to the floor and fit the curves of the body by using | | | | assistant professor at the University of Texas at |
| darts and a nipped-in waist.[9] When fabric became | | | | Austin.The difficulties of working while wearing an ao |
| inexpensive, the rationale multiple layers and thick flaps | | | | dai links the dress to frailty and innocence, she |
| disappeared. Modern texile manufacture allowed for | | | | wrote.[4] Vietnamese writers who favor the use of |
| wider panels, eliminating the need to sew narrow | | | | the ao dai as a school uniform cite the inconvenience |
| panels together. The Le Mur, or "trendy" ao dai, | | | | of wearing it as an advantage, a way of teaching |
| created a sensation when model Nguy?n Th? H?u | | | | students feminine behavior such as modesty, caution, |
| wore it for a feature published by the newspaper | | | | and a refined manner. |
| Today in January 1935.[10] The style was promoted by | | | | The ao dai appears in many movies with |
| the artists of T? L?c van ("Self-Reliant Literary Group") | | | | Vietnam-related themes. In Good Morning Vietnam |
| as a national costume for the modern era.[11] The | | | | (1987), Robin Williams's character is wowed by ao |
| painter introduced several popular styles of ao dai | | | | dai-clad women when he first arrives in Saigon. The |
| beginning in 1934. Such Westernized garments | | | | 1992 films Indochine and The Lover inspired several |
| temporarily disappeared during World War II (1939-45). | | | | international fashion houses to design ao dai collections. |
| In the 1950s, Saigon designers tightened the fit of the | | | | In the Vietnamese film The White Silk Dress (2007), an |
| ao dai to create the version commonly seen today.[2] | | | | ao dai is the sole legacy that the mother of a |
| Tr?n Kim of Thi?t L?p Tailors and Dung of Dung | | | | poverty-stricken family has to pass on to her |
| Tailors created a dress with raglan sleeves and a | | | | daughters.The Hanoi City Complex, a 65-story building |
| diagonal seam that runs from the collar to the | | | | now under construction, will have an ao dai-inspired |
| underarm.[2] The infamous Madame Nhu, first lady of | | | | design. Vietnamese designers created ao dai for the |
| South Vietnam, popularized a collarless version | | | | contestants in the Miss Universe beauty contest, which |
| beginning in 1958. The ao dai was most popular from | | | | was held July 2008 in Nha Trang, Vietnam. |