BackArts & Culture » Culture » Institute of Vietnamese Costumes Officially Opened in Saigon With Discussion on Áo Dài Lemur

Historical fashion enthusiasts might find the newly minted institute a choice destination to explore Vietnam’s past clothing trends.

As Thanh Nien reports, on October 14, the Institute of Vietnamese Costumes held an opening ceremony on site at 29/9 DEF Nguyen Binh Khiem Street in District 1 of Saigon. At the launch, the institute presented a new áo dài collection by veteran designer Si Hoang and conducted a seminar on southern Vietnamese fashion during the Nguyen Dynasty (Đàng Trong).

Si Hoang is also the costume institute’s founder and deputy head, with history professor Nguyen Khac Thuan in the role of institute head. According to Hoang, he established the project in hopes of contributing to Vietnamese culture through a range of academic activities: compiling and translating academic documents about the costumes of Kinh Vietnamese and other ethnic minorities, restoring and developing retrofit fashion inspired by past fashion, and offering training and research opportunities to fashion students.

The new collection by Si Hoang is called “Sac Lemur,” which offers a range of new áo dài designs taking inspiration from Lemur-style áo dài, a popular variety of áo dài during the 1930s and 40s. This vintage costume is also the subject of the book Áo dài Lemur và bối cảnh Phong Hóa & Ngày Nay written by Dr. Pham Thao Nguyen, who was present at the launch event to discuss her work.

Nguyen has been working to trace the history of áo dài Lemur, the invention of late artist Nguyen Cat Tuong, who was a fashion visionary known for his trend advice in the now-defunct magazine Phong Hoa & Ngay Nay.

[Photo by An Phuong via Viet Nam News]

Related Articles

in Ton-sur-Ton

Great Vietnam Resurrects Nguyễn-Era Fashion, One Traditional Costume at a Time

In the last four to five years, ancient Vietnamese costumes have gained more visibility, becoming a welcome sight among young locals thanks to the efforts to reproduce and promote historic fashion fro...

in Culture

How Choosing My Own Áo Dài Tết Healed My Trauma Over Áo Dài Uniform

High school can be a frustrating time in virtually every culture, as seen from the myriad of coming-of-age movies depicting the range of clichés, stereotypes and expressions of teenage angst we all go...

Khoi Pham

in Culture

The Art Book That Delves Into the History of Ancient Vietnamese Fashion

Born at the intersection of fashion and history, a new art book by a team of Vietnamese researchers and creatives will take readers on a journey back to the eras of the country’s past royalty.

Khôi Phạm

in Music & Arts

Two Decades of Women's Vintage Fashion in Saigon, as Illustrated by a Young Hanoian

In conversations surrounding Vietnam’s fashion history, it’s impossible not to discuss áo dài and its many iterations across the eras as symbols of Vietnamese femininity, but it would be amiss to leav...

in Culture

[Video] How Has Vietnamese Fashion Changed in a Millennium of History?

The most fascinating factoid about the video project is that black teeth had such enduring appeal across centuries and dynasties.

in Culture

Already Ubiquitous, Face Masks Become the Symbol of Vietnam's 'New Normal'

What image will come to mind when you look back on 2020?

Partner Content