Exhibition of ao dai costume on display in US museum
18 Apr '06
2 min read
The Traditional Vietnamese costume, ao dai, will be put on display at San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles in the US for nearly three months.
The Ao Dai: A Modern Design Coming of Age exhibition, is scheduled to run till July 9.
It will showcase creations of prominent Vietnamese ao dai designer Minh Hanh, young fashion designer Le Minh Khoa, and Si Hoang, an artist and educator turned ao dai designer.
Vietnamese-American designer Le Phuong Thao who combines traditional and modern techniques, Trinh Bach, a collector and restorer of royal ao dai from the 19th and 20th centuries, and collector Ngo Viet Nam Son's work will also be displayed.
The show was organized by museum in partnership with Association for Viet Arts.
It also traces the ups and downs in history of ao dai during past decades.
It looks at past and present combining traditional techniques with new global influences that showcases both functional and artistic designs.
Caroline Kieu Linh Valverde, Assistant Professor of Asian American Studies at the University of California at Davis, will talk about the history of ao dai on May 11 with focus on its revival in 1990s, its value as a national symbol, and its rise as an aesthetic art object.
On June 3 Dr. Susan B. Kaiser will address issues of national identity, gender, ethnicity and class, as well as the social meaning of a national costume.
Monica Tran, owner of Trust Fund Baby Boutique, will address fashion industry and explain how she incorporated the ao dai into her mainstream designs at a lecture on June 4.
The ao dai is a garment of ancient Vietnamese origin acknowledged for its beauty and grace.
Considered a cultural symbol of Vietnam, the ao dai, worn by both women and men, is a close-fitting tunic over long, loose-fitting pants.
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