Ao Dai – Wikipedia

North Vietnamese woman in the Áo Ngũ Thân, 19th century

The Ao Dai (German long top ) is the national costume in Vietnam. It is spoken in the north of the country ‘Ao Sai’ and in the south, about Huế, ‘Ao Yai’. It consists of a knee or ankle past, on both sides up to the hip flashed silk dress, under which long, mostly wide-cut white silk pants are worn.

after-content-x4

The Ao Dai is considered the traditional female garment of Vietnam. In the middle and south of the country you can also see it as a school uniform, in the north it is worn on festive occasions. It can also be worn by men, which today only happens at certain ceremonial festivities in order to emphasize the protection of the state tradition. This can still be observed in the province of Bắc Ninh. The male version of the Buddhist monks and for bourgeois carriers consists of cotton and is becoming Shirt called, the historical silk variant for noble circles Brocade .

The preform of the Ao Dai became Four-Shirt named and described since the beginning of the 12th century. Ms. only wore one at hot temperature Four-Shirt If it was cool, 3 dresses were worn on top of each other. This combination was Tricky shirt ( Triple dress ) called. In winter they carried 6 or 7 of these thin clothes on top of each other – Seven . The combination of the translucent colors of these arrangements testified to the taste and style of the wearer.

Early versions of the Ao Dai , Pentagon called, go back to the early 18th century and were based on the traditional Chinese women’s robe Cheongsam. Today’s form of the Ao Dai However, in the 1930s by the Vietnamese designer Lucky designed and first Modern shirt ( modern dress ) called. In the mid -1980s, this was achieved Ao Dai After years of forgetting the renewed breakthrough in the fashion world of Vietnam, when it surprisingly appeared in a cosmetic competition in 1982 with a candidate – who also won with some votes.

The Ba Ba’s shirt Or Seidenpyjama is a traditional female clothing and is mostly worn in southern Vietnam, especially in rural areas. It consists of broad silk pants and a long -sleeved, buttoned silk blouse or tunic without collar. This is cut a little longer and mostly slotted on the side, and it is often occupied with two pockets at the front. The variant of the north is the somewhat shorter and less waisted cut and also briefly worn in summer Blouse that used to be combined with a skirt. This is a form suitable for daily work A T-shirt (Shirt) made of gross fabrics.

Another typical garment is that Camisole , formerly only called Yếm, a back -free top held by a neck band, which was mostly worn by women of all classes. It is inspired by the Chinese Dù Dōu (肚兜) and there were numerous variations of the basic form.

after-content-x4

The graphic shows the Vietnamese names of the parts of an Áo dài

Pastel colors are preferred, at most with an inconspicuous pattern. Currently, in addition to the primary material, silk are often processed and other materials. The fabrics can be colored, painted or elaborately embroidered. The pants are usually made from shiny fed -out silk and are cut about the waist (height of the slots). White is the preferred color, but especially with colored Ao Dai Frequently popular combinations bought (red/gold, blue/black, same color – different brightness).

The Ao Dai In many high schools is school uniform in many high schools, but is often only worn on two or three days a week, as well as on special occasions. A shield of the school with the name of the wearer and her class level is often attached to breast height. On the other days, the school uniform consists of dark blue, long pants and a white blouse, which also wears such a shield. In addition to the white or pastel -colored clothes of the students, there are often stronger colors in people in representative positions or on special occasions. Dark colors are worn more often by older women. At weddings are often red Ao Dai Worn with rich golden ornament and the traditional ring -shaped headdress.

The price for a Ao Dai Depending on the material and scope of the decorations, is between 20 and several hundred euros. It is possible to Ao Dai To buy from the bar, but it is preferred to a tailor. Both the dress and pants are designed in such a way that they can later be adapted by a few centimeters in width in almost all places and the investment in this figure -enhancing garment is more permanent.

At the final photo for the 18th APEC summit on November 19, 2006 in Hanoi, the participating heads of state traditionally wore the typical robe, in this case the áo dài.

The war drama published in Vietnam in 2007 Ha Dong silk shirt (for example “the white silk dress”) addresses the cultural meaning of the Ao Dai As a symbol of the spirit and attitude of Vietnamese women.