[fashion] 22 years for the formation of a fashion industry

[AnHai Doan <anhai@cs.washington.edu>]

22 years for the formation of a fashion industry

If someone asks you what area has had the most influence on the
lives of Saigonese during the past 22 years, you can immediately
answer that it is the way they dress. The fashions of the Saigonese
have undergone many ups and downs in response to the changing social
conditions during past years.

In the hard years after the war, in the late 1970s, the most
unforgettable for many people was the image of flared trousers
(which was originally a popular fashion many years before). At that
time, both men and women of different ages had the same fashion: the
wore a long, loose shirt or blouse outside flared trousers, with
leather or rubber sandals. Pupils then did not wear uniforms to
school, and women rarely put on ao dai.

In the early 1980s, bored with flared trousers, young people in many
countries turned to wearing jeans and pullovers. The reason for this
was that it was easier for them to obtain this style of clothing
than any other type of wear. During this time, if you did not want
to become outdated, you would try to afford sports shoes, foam
rubber sandals or sandals with net-like straps made of gold threads
or of different colors imported from Thailand.

Since 1985, the fashion of city dwellers has become more diversified
due to the economic reforms of the country. Many tailor's shops have
re-opened after having been closed for a long time and many new
shops have come into existence.

Between 1989-1990, many beauty contests were organized. There was a
lot of controversy over this activity, but it was undeniable that it
has marked had an effect on the improvement of Saigonese fashion.
Women began to wear ao dai when attending receptions and wedding
ceremonies. Vests and skirts designed on the basis of foreign
catalogs have also grown in popularity from this time. For men, the
fact that they go to work with their shirts tucked inside their
trousers, and wearing shoes has become very common.

Modeling as an occupation has come into being, leading to the
mushrooming of a wide range of fashion shops. Fashion modeling is
taking its first steps to society. Fashion shows take place more
often. Shoes and sandals, and fabrics have become more plentiful,
and come from many different sources. Domestically made fabrics have
improved in quality such as Viseri silk, Viet Thang cotton and Thanh
Cong pullovers.

Economic development is a catalyst for people to wear more beautiful
clothes. It is clear that women cannot wear dresses when riding,
vests in a hot office; and men who dress in an informal or casual
way find it hard to be successful in public relations. It is
evidently that a fashion industry is coming into being.   

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