Last month, during the second annual Vietnam International Fashion Week, the folks at PNJ Jewelry decided to kick their áo dài game up a notch by debuting the most spangly, shimmering, outrageously expensive rendition of the traditional outfit you could imagine.
Supermodel Thanh Hang closed out the event sporting a stunning VND1.2 billion (US$60,000) black-and-gold áo dài and matching headpiece as she strode down the runway. Kind of like a Vietnamese answer to the jewel-encrusted Victoria's Secret bra, only classier.
Now, according to VietnamNet, that áo dài has made history, thanks to the Vietnam Record Book Center. You would think its record-breaking status might come from the price tag; we're pretty sure it's the most expensive áo dài ever, as the next closest version comes in around VND1 billion.
Barring that, the next logical record-breaking title would come from the manpower required to create the áo dài, as it took 30 artisans over 240 hours to complete its 24-karat gold inlay. But if you guessed either of these were the record awarded to PNJ's uber-expensive garment, you would be wrong.
Instead, this beautiful dress holds the record for the áo dài with the largest gold phoenix decoration on its front. Because competition in this category is staggering.
Have a look at the record-breaking garment, as modeled by Thanh Hang, below:
[Photos via VTC and VnExpress]
