ao dai i

7/23/2019 Ao dai I

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“Ao dai I”

By Abby Mercado

I had a brief moment to relish its feathery feel on my skin before the

image on the full-length mirror smiled back at me. Even with its next-to-skin

contours, I managed to move with ease around the tiny dressing room,

crammed with endless yards of fabrics waiting to be transformed. I took her

oer to wear the pair of red high-heeled shoes, on standby, to complete the

look. And I obeyed her summon to do an impromptu fashion show for my

ietnamese era !ang.

"otorbikes have replaced the vintage bicycles roving the di##ying

lanes of ietnam in an imitated manner. $ut many women of %anoi are still

buttoned up with their traditional dresses reaching far below their ankles,

even when speeding away with the new king of the road. I have imagined

myself in one of those &attering ietnamese out'ts of silk tunic and loose

trousers, way before I even knew the name for it. !elcomed by sights of

women in ao dai on Vespa around %anoi, I felt my fantasy within reach.

As reality would have it, my chosen dress did not 't me exactly as it

did in my dream role as an Asian starlet(at least, not straight away. )here is

that long winding road to stardom to be had. !hile ietnamese women have

a tiny frame like many *ilipinas, most of the dresses have been tailored to 't

the !estern tourists. "y knight in shining armor turned out to be a

ietnamese lady of my age, armed with pins and a measure tape.

+ome back tomorrow same time its perfect./ 0he assured me in

her high-pitched, rapid yet delicately spoken English.

"y 'rst-owned ietnamese dress was in tomato red with green

bamboo piping and white lotus buds embroidery.

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+%ow high you want1/ "y lady couturier asked me about the slit on

one side of the dress.

0he looked disappointed as I motioned 2ust above my knees. I

explained that I am going to wear the dress in the 3hilippines. After the 'naltouches the following day, I could almost hear the directors +4eady for

take5/ as I stepped into my new dress, and out of the shop with a reali#ed

fantasy.

"y desire to wear this becoming attire has been so persistent 6nothing

like my &eeting movie star fantasy7, that when I had the opportunity to

volunteer overseas, I indicated ietnam as my 'rst option for assignment.

+I would like to wear an ao dai at work, every day./ I expounded on my

answer without attempting to hide my real agenda.

I ended up volunteering in 8amibia 6where the prevailing traditional

out't in my area is an African imitation of the ictorian dress, worn with a

petticoat and a head accessory resembling a cows horns7, with a weak

motivation for volunteering, and a lesson learned on honesty.

)o say that my ao dai obsession might have been triggered by seeing

too many reruns of +9ood "orning ietnam/ on late night ) when I was still

in high school, would not be accurate. I was too caught up catching up with

4obin !illiams rocking it from the :elta to the :";.

I remember "iss 0aigon though, a $roadway hit made even more

popular in "anila with its overwhelming cast of *ilipino performers in lead

roles. It was my 'rst live encounter about our neighbor ietnam as I watched

the play in the front row, my lips in sync with all of <ims solos. "y

recollection of the show, however, does not include women wearing the

ietnamese dress. )hey were mostly bar girls in skimpy bikinis. !hether it

was the idea of *ilipinas being the main stars of the show, or that our

supposedly reserved Pinays were performing in undergarment-looking

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costumes that gained the play astounding media mileage, topped my

boundless teenage dilemmas. "ost especially since my childhood idol and

the plays <im, =ea 0alonga, 'nally had to show some skin and do kissing

scenes for world-class fame. I was heartbroken. )oday at >> and having

lived, loved 6and heartbroken for real7, traveled to =ondon and experienced

more !est End musicals, I had only admiration for the *ilipinas and *ilipinos

of "iss 0aigon. I am more ba?ed now about the rumor then on the trouble

that the costume designers had to go through with the &imsy dress. It was

meant to make =ea feel more covered in her evident two-piece underwear

number. I thought the white see-through dress 2ust made her look even more

provocative. And that, to me, is the only explanation I could think of to

rationali#e my fantasi#ed starlet role in ao dai.

As I arrived in imperial %u@ from immortal %anoi, and was met by the

hotel receptionist-- a gracious, soft-spoken young ietnamese lady in her

traditional dress-- I noticed that hers was styled dierently from all the

ietnamese dresses I have drooled over in the street markets of Pho Hang

Trong and Pho Nha Tho. )he mandarin collar was missing and its fabric had

more sheerness to it. I uickly deposited my passport at the counter after a

uick scan of my room, and immediately planned on my exploration of what

seemed to be an entire industry of this much-celebrated dress.

)he peculiarities between the two capitals only start with the

wardrobe, I soon discovered, as I ordered my 'rst meal in %u@. )he more

humid atmosphere, even in an open restaurant, no longer whis of boiling

poultry meat and entrails in huge casseroles, which is uite the usual in

many eateries in %anoi. 9one are the rice noodles for pho bo with the

vermicelli &oating in my orangey beef broth, as opposed to %anois clear yet

extra tasty soup with its regular dash of "09. %u@s most fastidious Emperor

)u :uc, who demanded BC dishes by BC cooks and served by BC servants

each meal, is often credited for its ma2estic tasting cuisine. 4einvigorated by

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%u@s healthy cooking with a &avor that can only be traced to its regal

heritage, I was ready to embark on my mission.

I did not have to search far. 0everal travelers shops line the alleys

along with the more touristy dining places. "y ao dai examining eye uicklyspotted the uniueness in the designs of the national dress as exhibited by

the manneuins of each store, and in varying types of silk, too. Dust like its

food, %ues fashion has that aristocratic air about its patterns and styles. )he

normally tightly-buttoned hinese collar is now parted into a low neckline

and extended upward before a sudden bend 2ust along the nape. $eing more

of a wash-and-wear 4)! consumer, I am completely clueless on the textile

department. $ut I could tell that the ao dais of %u@ were made fromdierent types of silk, maybe even a dierent fabric altogether. )he

ietnamese dresses in %u@ appeared to be more &ashy with their glittery

material. )hey also appeared to be trendier and thus less selective of

occasions where they can be worn.

+I designed these. )he others, they copy me./

"y 3aris-trained local couturier was uick to add she is married to a

*rench man after instructing her daughter in the nasal language.

nderstandably, I had to have another ao dai. )his time, one with %u@s &air

for noble elegance matched with 3arisian vogue.

Inspired by the goddess-like out'ts of young women roaming around

the city, my next ao dai is an all-white ensemble with lotus buds embellished

in black on each side of the top. =ater on, I found out that the girls in white

long dresses are actually high school students in their uniform. Each time I

saw them rushing in the streets, I thought they were o to some religious

activity. )hat was what we in the 3hilippines had to do when our teachers tell

us to wear the white gala in high school, and always with the sheer white veil

covering the full-length of the face during mass. 0till unlike the ietnamese,

we would not have dared be seen riding a bicycle in our white dress, or in

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any out't, for that matter. *or some really old-fashioned *ilipinos, riding a

bike is considered to be misconduct by a proper lady. )his is probably why

some of us still frown on the very few *ilipinas hitting the road on motorbikes

to this day. I am, however, in awe each time I see the ladies moving their

way around the hyperactive streets of ietnam in tight-'tting lengthy attires,

neatly styled hair and stilettos tipped on their trendy Italian motorbikes.

As I wandered around the town center in the city of the ancient itadel

with more parcels at hand 6a natural by-product of my ao dai store hopping7,

I began to long for %anois peaceful park. Hoan Kiem =ake oers the perfect

spot for some solitude from walking tours and pasalubong shopping, allowing

me to relax my worn out legs and abused bargaining skills. :espite the busylife around %anoi that seems to even uicken by the day, the lake seems

unaected and stays calm. 0itting on the benches around Hoan Kiem =ake

would automatically put one in a meditative mode. )he cold stone seats are

warmed by either young daters or more senior locals resting from their tai

chi sessions. )hanks to its ca phe culture, coee shops are in every corner

and even right next to the lake(where a seat and a ca phe sua da is always

ready to cool down a thirsty, sweaty traveler. !ith their slender lithe bodies,

I used to wonder where the ietnamese get their energy for their fast-

forward movements. I found out the hard way. I couldnt have enough of the

iced coee on my 'rst day, I had palpitations by evening time and I did not

have to wake up for breakfast the following morning.

"y nostalgia over %anois Hoan Kiem =ake was instantly replaced with

veneration as soon as I came face to face with %u@s Perfume River , as if

asking me to give it a chance and beckoning me to lose myself in the depth

of its mysterious beauty. It did not have to ask twice. Fne evening, I took a

stroll along the riverbanks to ga#e at the bridges adorned with gaudy lights,

and ate every street food shoved into my hands 6and mouth7 by the most

persevering vendors.

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!hen I recovered from my trance state over the Perfume River 6and

slight indigestion from the grilled corn cobs, sweet pineapples and gallons of

sugarcane 2uice7, I reali#ed that the park next to the enigmatic river is home

to public sculptures by local and international artists, including some of our

very own *ilipino sculptors. )he %u@ ultural *estival was kicking o at the

time and 8oel +El *aroll/ has been representing the 3hilippines in

international symposia of sculptors in ietnam for several years now. I was

invited to the opening ceremony and I oered a salute to our &ag raised up

high with those of other GG participating countries. 0urrounded by sculptors

from dierent parts of the world, I thought it best to simply watch the

impassioned faces of the artists as they talked about their masterpieces. I

found myself resorting to the familiar +8o speak English/ whenever I am

asked about how my rock is shaping up.

It was also during this event when I felt singled out in my black knee-

length dress with spaghetti straps and 'ne white stitches of 3hilippine &ora,

in a place swarming with at least BC female high school students. )hey were

dressed in their uniform of blinding white ao dai’ s with long sleeves and

pantaloons, covering every inch of their skin 6and yet leaving everything to

the imagination7. !e bowed our heads to one another and slyly smiled our

amusement at the distinction, as we did.

$y the time I reached %o hi "inh ity and 'nally witnessed "iss

0aigon ostage, the in'nite rows of poorly-lit bars, tourist-packed caf@s and

thematically-arranged shops reminded me that I was soon going back to

"anila. )he women of 0aigon are a walking replica of the "anila girls in their

smart attires as both women brave the smoky road to work on week days,

and spot the trendiest hangout places on weekends. I still saw a few cyclos

around, half the si#e as those in %anoi. )he motorbikes seemed to have

doubled, though, both in uantity and in speed. Het, it was dicult to spot a

ietnamese woman walking around in ao dai. It wasnt until I visited %o hi

"inh itys *rench-styled "ain 3ost Fce that I saw some lady attendants in

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their traditional dress, mainly to add color and character to the showcases of

souvenirs. It was hard not to buy from the post oce shops, even with their

non-negotiable prices, with the commanding presence of %o hi "inh

emanating from his huge portrait hanging on the main wall.

Futside the hypnotic ga#e of ncle %o, I was 2erked back to my

committed task. I proceeded to Ben Thanh Maret , a true haven for shoppers

who are highly skilled in haggling and making their way in the crowded stalls,

ranging from glassware and porcelain tea cups to fresh herbs and addictive

ietnamese coee beans. I inched my way to the textile section and tried to

make out the uniueness of the customary dresses on display.

*rom the few dresses that I took time to examine closely, I saw a

mixture of the designs and styles also evident in the ao dais of %anoi and

%u@. Het to me, there was one thing unusual about the dresses that was not

visible to the naked eye. It was more of an impression they were trying to

impart. After days of encounters with heaps of this iconic ietnamese out't

ruling the stalls of %anoi and %u@! I sensed it. ould they feel the fading

glory of their prominence in the cosmopolitan ietnamese capital as I did1

ould they sense their nearing natural death, revived only everyIndependence :ay to breathe out of the closet1

:esigner shoes, denims and tops with international labels, and silk

transformed into everyday fashion instead of the traditional dress, are now

&aunting the window displays of the shops in %o hi "inh ity. I did not feel

inclined to add another to my growing collection of ietnamese dresses when

I was there. %o hi "inh ity, however, had other mementos to oer its

foreign guests.

I visited ietnam in "ay GCCJ, 2ust before )he "iss niverse

candidates had the license to parade their K>L-GM->L silhouettes in ao dai" I

made a fearless forecast of another fashion comeback, similar to the one

revived by the "iss #o $ai $eauty ontest in NOJO and the $est 8ational

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ostume Awardee in the "iss International 3ageant in NOOB. Already, I could

see the modern shops in %o hi "inh ity dolling up their main window

manneuins with ietnams traditional costume once again.

)o this long-time ao dai a'cionado, beauty pageants are not necessaryto accord a special place in my closet for my newly-acuired treasures. After

all, the ao dai is the most essential prop I would need to play <im, singing

The Movie in My Mind.

-x-

ao dai i

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