Day Dress
The Vietnamese national costume is the ao dai – a long, tight-fitting tunic worn over trousers – today most commonly worn by women. Having one custom-made was at the top of my list of things to do before I left Saigon.
A Capsule History
The ao dai, pronounced ow-yai in the South where I spent most of my time (ow-zye in the North) has had an interesting history since its inception in the 18th century. It began as a simple long, buttoned coat and trousers, but by the 19th century it became more elaborate: it was looser, with several more layers and favoured by aristocrats.
In 1930, inspired by Paris fashions it was redesigned along Art Deco lines and caused a sensation. But it was in the 1950s that Saigon designers tightened the fit to create the familiar modern version. The communists frowned on it during the 1960s and 70s; economic crisis, famine and war combined to make put the ao dao completely out of favour in the 1980s. It was worn only at weddings and other formal occasions.
A 1989 beauty contest began an ‘ao dai craze’ that lasted for several years…
In the late 1980s the ao dai had a renaissance, when schools and state enterprise reinstituted the dress as a uniform again. A 1989 beauty contest began an ‘ao dai craze’ that lasted for several years and lead to wider use of the dress as a school uniform. Today the outfit is no longer politically controversial, and is in fact supported by the government and linked to patriotic feeling. During my visit I saw many women wearing it on the street.
Looking for a Tailor
My guidebook highly recommended a tailor on Pasteur St, and I set off on my motorbike taxi. However, the tailor turned out to be a grand boutique; the fabrics designer – with designer prices. The one I chose was a white silk background with a pattern of huge branches of coral all over it. It was quite graphic and very Roberto Cavalli. But the final cost was calculated at over $100. I did not have enough cash on me to pay a deposit, and since they could not accept a credit card, I regretfully left the store.
I decided on a sleeveless tunic, made from a white silk with a stylised chrysanthemum pattern…
Back in the humbler vicinity of my hotel, I found a little tailor where the fabrics were plainer. For US$25 I could have my ao dai tunic and trousers custom-made from silk fabric. I decided on a sleeveless tunic, made from a white silk with a stylised chrysanthemum pattern in black and a smoky blue. The high-waisted trousers traditionally are black or white, but I chose a flowing silver grey silk satin. The lady helping me seemed quite surprised at first, but then she grew enthusiastic as we looked at the fabrics side by side.
She took my measurements and I subsequently had only one fitting, and the ao dai was finished two days later. I love it and feel so elegant wearing it, and will do exactly as suggested by the lady fitting me: wear it to a wedding this March.