Vietnamese celebs go nostalgic in retro outfits

By Y Ly December 6, 2020 | 08:49 pm PT

Vietnamese actresses and models show off a collection of traditional garments inspired by outfits worn in Saigon in the 1960s and 1970s.

At the Vietnam International Fashion Week in Saigon, Vietnamese designer Bao Bao creates a nostalgic vibe for his show Celebrities on December 5, 2020. Bao’s models become public figures of the 60s and 70s in Saigon, wearing ao dai as their daily outfits and earning a lot of attention.

At the Vietnam International Fashion Week in Saigon on December 5, 2020, designer Bao Bao creates nostalgia with his show called Celebrities in which his models resemble Saigon celebrities of the 60s and 70s, for many of whom the ao dai was the daily outfit.

Model Giang My opens the show with ao dai decorated with stones and patterns from Vietnam’s Dong Son bronze drums, a sacred symbol of the Vietnamese.

Model Giang My opens the show in an ao dai decorated with stones and patterns found on the Dong Son bronze drums, a sacred symbol of the Vietnamese.

Model Ngoc Trinh wears relaxed pants and a long-sleeve shirt with a puff hairstyle, an iconic style of the Saigon woman in the past.

Model Ngoc Trinh wears relaxed pants and a long-sleeve shirt with a puff hairstyle, popular among Saigon women in the past.

Terraced fields in Vietnams northern mountains appear on the model Vo Hoang Yen’s ao dai, which is decorated with stones. In the 60s, ao dai was paired best with the trendy short wavy hairstyle that was in vogue at the time, or sometimes simply with long natural hair.

Terraced fields from Vietnam's northern mountains appear on model Vo Hoang Yen’s ao dai, which is also decorated with stones. In the 60s, the ao dai was often paired with a short wavy hairstyle.

Crystals and feathers give the white ao dai worn by model Quynh Anh elegance.

Model Hoang Dung walks the runway in an ao dai with patterns from the map of Vietnam.

Model Hoang Dung in an ao dai with a map of Vietnam.

Actors Hai Trieu (L) and BB Trans wear ao dai and ao ba ba. The latter, including a pair of silk pants and a collarless, long-sleeved shirt, is a traditional shirt that has become a symbol of southern women.

Actors Hai Trieu (L) and BB Trans wear an ao dai and an ao ba ba. The latter, which includes a pair of silk pants and a collarless, long-sleeved shirt, is a traditional costume that has become a symbol of southern women.

Lace ao dai with black pants. The pants were popular items in the 60s and 70s.

A lace ao dai with black pants. The pants were popular in the 60s and 70s.

Bao also introduces silk cloaks for women.

Bao’s collection also features silk cloaks for women...

Bao also designs bags for his models in Celebrities. I love creativity and challenging myself in diverse areas. I was a makeup artist, then I became a director, an ao dai designers, and now, a bag maker, the designer said.

... And handbags. "I love creativity and challenging myself in diverse areas," the designer explains. "I was a makeup artist, then I became a director, an ao dai designer and now a bag maker."

Bao (third from left) at his muses at the show.

Bao with his muses at the show.

Photos by Team Kieng Can