The wave of Ao Dai innovation
The Tet Ao Dai market heats up every year, it is not difficult to see the proliferation of modernized Ao Dai designs. In 2020, there was a trend of wearing short-sleeved Ao Dai with flared skirts that many women loved. In recent years, many outfits called Ao Dai with sleeveless designs, yem designs, slits at the waist and shoulders have been continuously launched, bringing many choices to customers. However, the story of Ao Dai and Ao Dai innovation still receives many mixed opinions.
Talking to Lao Dong reporter, painter and art critic Nguyen Duc Binh - Chairman of the Vietnamese Village Communal House Club - said that not only in Vietnam but also in other countries, changing trends in fashion are always evolving and are inevitable.
Experts point out that many innovative designs of the ao dai have very wide sleeves, many layers of the ao dai, and the shape does not hug the wearer’s body. These changes do not preserve the beauty of the traditional ao dai.
“When choosing an ao dai, the wearer needs to have certain knowledge, how to express personality but also ensure suitability. When talking about ao dai, we talk about cultural identity, with criteria that cannot be changed. First, the important feature of ao dai is modesty. Second is modesty, simplicity, and sophistication. The innovation of ao dai is a very broad issue. Ao dai cannot be tailored arbitrarily, and when innovating ao dai, it is even more important to be careful and sophisticated,” Mr. Nguyen Duc Binh emphasized.
Nowadays, women not only wear Ao Dai to go out during Tet, but also choose it as a costume for taking photos during Tet. Therefore, the demand for renting Ao Dai has also increased dramatically. At photo spots, Ao Dai rental shops with many designs and styles are also difficult to ensure accuracy, and the tailoring technique is still rudimentary to maximize profits.
Preserve the original beauty of the ao dai
Every Tet season, more and more people wear Ao Dai to go out in the spring, creating a beautiful image. However, experts affirm that people also need to pay attention to tailoring and choosing standard Ao Dai designs, not straying from the original beauty of Ao Dai.
According to artist Nguyen Duc Binh, the full original name of the ao dai is ao ngu than, with split sleeves, a standing collar, and buttons. “When designing ao dai, brands must maintain that spirit and value. You cannot make an ao dai with a zipper in the back, wide sleeves, or no collar and call it a modernized ao dai. Or many ao dai sets use fabrics with flashy drawings and patterns, which is also inappropriate. However, changes in fashion are difficult to judge right or wrong.
Because there is no standard set of rules for the ao dai, people still wear it freely. However, it is not always possible to wear the ao dai, but only on formal occasions.
People are still easygoing when wearing ao dai, sometimes just randomly renting a set at a tourist spot or buying one ready-made. Few people pay attention to sewing techniques, such as sewing the hem or standing collar. Many establishments mass-produce to sell everywhere, sometimes for only a few hundred thousand VND per set of ao dai" - commented artist Nguyen Duc Binh.
In recent years, facing the trend of innovating and transforming the Ao Dai, many designers and cultural experts have said that establishing specific criteria for traditional Ao Dai, ceremonial Ao Dai and modernized Ao Dai is a necessary task for management agencies. At the same time, it is necessary to promote education and propaganda among young people about the cultural value of traditional costumes.
The traditional ao dai with its elegant and discreet lines has contributed to shaping the beauty of Vietnamese women through many generations.
