Ao tu than
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The Áo Tứ Thân or “4-part dress” is one out of several traditional Vietnamese costumes.
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[edit] History
Ao tu than can be considered one of the oldest enduring Vietnamese cultural relics, having been worn widely by women from as early as the 12th Century on to the early 20th century.
As Vietnam expanded southward and slightly different cultures began to emerge between the regions, the ao tu than gradually became associated specifically with northern women.
[edit] The Dress
Ao Tu Than was the dress of commoner women, which explained why it was often made with plainer fabric and in darker colors, with the exception of special occasions such as festivals or weddings. While most modern Ao Tu Than are extremely colorful, ancient Vietnamese apparently preferred more muted colors.[1].
Regardless of its many different forms, the basic ao tu than consists of:
- A flowing outer tunic, reaching almost to the floor. It is open at the front, like a jacket. At the waist the tunic splits into two flaps: a full flap in the back (made up of two flaps sewn together) and the two flaps in the front which are not sewn together but can be tied together or left dangling
- A long skirt, worn under the tunic
- Ao Yem, an ancient bodice worn as an undergarment by women. It comes in many shapes and colors, worn here under the skirt and outer tunic
- A silk sash which is tied at the waist as a belt
The dress as it is most typically worn today (almost exclusively in northern-related festivals) tends to be extremely colorful, using different hues throughout the dress, from the tunic to the bodice and the skirt.
[edit] The Ao Tu Than and its place in modern-day Vietnam
The dress is now obsolete in terms of its daily use in Vietnam, but it can be seen often in traditional occasions such as festivals, especially in North Vietnam.
In South Vietnam, the simpler silk pajamas costume Ao Ba Ba is preferred for day to day use.
