For exotic looks, ethnic fashions are wonderful alternativesfor the plus size woman. For instance the the ao dai (pronounced ow zai in North Vietnam and, ow yai in South Vietnam), Vietnam's national dress, has a styling that looksfabulous on almost anyone. It consists of two elements: a long tunic with aclose-fitting bodice, mandarin collar, raglan sleeves, and side slits thatcreate front and back panels from the waist down; and wide-legged pants, oftencut on the bias.
While in the distant past both men and women wore the ao dai, in thetwenty-first century it is almost exclusively a womens garment. While the aodai is now seen as symbolizing traditional Vietnamese identity and femininity,it in fact has a relatively brief history marked by foreign influence. The aodai provides a outstanding example of how the Vietnamese have responded to bothChinese and French colonization by adopting elements of foreign cultures andmodifying them to be uniquely Vietnamese. Prior to the fifteenth century, Vietnamesewomen typically wore a skirt and halter top. These were some times covered byan open-necked tunic (ao tu than) with four long panels, the front two tied orbelted at the waist. Womens garments were brown or black, accented by brightlycolored tops or belts on special occasions.
From 1407 to 1428, Chinas Ming Dynasty occupied Vietnam and forced women towear Chinese-style pants. After regaining independence, Vietnams Le Dynasty (14281788) likewise criticized womens clothing for violating Confucianstandards of decorum. Since the policies were haphazardly enforced, and skirtsand halter tops remained the norm.
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Vietnam was divided into tworegions, with the Nguyen family ruling the south. To distinguish their subjectsfrom northerners, Nguyen lords ordered southern men and women to wearChinese-style trousers and long, front-buttoning tunics. After the Nguyenfamily gained control over the entire country in 1802, the conservativeConfucian Emperor Minh Mang banned womens skirts on aesthetic and moralgrounds.
Over the next century, precursors to the modern ao dai became popular incities, at the royal court in Hue, and for holidays and festivals in thecountryside. The outfit basically consisted of pants and a loose-fitting shirtwith a stand-up collar and a diagonal closure that ran along the right sidefrom the neck to the armpit, with some regional variations. These features ofthe ao dao were copied from Chinese and Manchu garments. The upper classesoften layered several ao dai of different colors, with the neck left open todisplay the layers. Among peasants and laborers, however, the skirt (va) andhalter top (yem) remained popular for daily wear.
During the 1930s Hanoi artist Nguyen Cat Tuong, also known as Lemur, presentedao dai styles inspired by French fashion. He designed them with light-colored,close-fitting tunics featured longer panels, puffy sleeves; asymmetrical lacecollars, buttoned cuffs, scalloped hems, and darts at the waist and chest.Lemurs Europeanized flared pants were white with snugly tailored hips.Criticized by conservatives, Lemurs designs nonetheless marked thematerialization of contemporary ao dai blending traditional Vietnamese elementswith Western tailoring and bodily aesthetics.
French colonialism ended in 1954 with the division of Vietnam into North and South. In North Vietnam, Communist leaders criticized the ao dai asbourgeois, colonial, and impractical for manual labor, although women continuedto wear it for special occasions.
When the ao dai fell into disfavor in socialist Vietnam, Vietnamese who hadimmigrated to the United States, Canada, Australia, or France preserved it as a symbol of their ethnic heritage. Ao dai were seen at fashionshows, Tet (Lunar New Year) celebrations, weddings, and musical performancesthroughout the Vietnamese communities of the world, which numberedapproximately 2.6 million in 2006.
Meanwhile, in capitalist South Vietnam, modifications of the garment continued.Madame Nhu the sister-in-law of President Ngo Dinh Diem, became notorious inthe 1950s and 1960s for the very plunging necklines of her ao dai.
In 1975, the Vietnam War ended with the reunification of North and South under communist rule. Leaders derided the southern ao dai as decadent and promoted simpler, practical clothing styles. But austerity proved short-lived. By the 1990s, economic reforms and improved standards of living led to a revival of the ao dai within Vietnam and to growing international awareness of it as a symbol of Vietnamese identity. In 1989, the Womens Newspaper in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) hosted the first Miss Ao Dai contest. Six years later, Miss Vietnams blue brocade ao dai won the prize for best national costume at Tokyos Miss International Pageant. Simple white ao dai have been reinstated in many cities and towns as uniforms for female high school students, while Vietnam Airlines flight attendants wear red ao dai.
The ao dai has also inspired non-Asian designers. Following the 1992 films
"Indochine" and "The Lover", both set in the French
colonial period, Ralph Lauren, Richard Tyler, Claude Montana, and Giorgio
Armani presented ao daiinspired collections. While Indo-Chic fashions can be
Orientalist in their celebration of a demure and exotic Vietnamese femininity,
they are typically welcomed in Vietnam as evidence that the ao dai has entered
the canon of international fashion.
Some current designers employ novel fabrics, abstract motifs, and ethnic
minority patterns, while others alter the tunic by opening necklines, removing
sleeves, or replacing the long panels with fringe. The once scandalous white
pants now seem outmoded, and women instead favor pants the same color as the
tunic.
So the ao dia has an interesting history. But with the selections of materials
and cuts, the ao dai allows the fashion-conscious plus size woman to be
simultaneously trendy and fabulous throughout the year and on special
occasions.
About the author:
For more tips and information on plus size fashion with an ethnic flair visit www.fabulous-plus-sizes.com a trendy plus size fashion website that provides tips, advice and resources to include plus size bras,jewelry plus size dresses, plus size evening dresses, and plus size wedding wear.
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