Page 270 - Trang Phục Việt Nam

under the garment was a square of cloth that was diagonally wrapped over the breasts of the
wearer. The neckline of the bra was round - known as the cổ xây bra - or in the shape of V
letter - known as the slit necked or swallow bra. The neck slit could be shallow or deep. The
pointed corner of the V-shaped neck was stitched with three raised bird leg-shaped lines for
ornament and to make the neck stronger. The two laces attached to the two sides were tied at
the back. For some bras, the laces could be two triangles of cloth that covered the back and
fastened at the front. A bra of this type left the arms exposed but covered the chest, the belly
and a part of the back so that it was not necessary to wear an outer garment. The skirt, which
was called mushroom in some North Central region areas, typically fell to the tibia. The
women rolled up the skirt and knotted it at the knees when working in the fields. They often
wound a colored belt, called bao ruột tượng once or twice around the waist and sometimes
used two different colored belts. While working, the wearer inserted one end of the belt into the
waistband. In winter, countrywomen often wore an extra outer áo cánh or short-sleeved shirt
made of coarse fabric. The shirt was held in place with a tie around the belly. The palm-leaf
poncho was used as a raincoat or a cloak that protected the wearer in cold or hot weather.
The four-panel unbuttoned tunic had two front panels of equal length that hang freely. The
two panels could be tied together, or joined with the two back pieces and then tied together
into a knot. Women usually had to wear yếm cổ xây under tunics.

In addition, they used five-panel tunics with the outer, large flap on the left side that is twice
as broad as the inner flap on the right; the belt keeps the flaps from hanging too low. In order
to be more flexible while working, the wearer often rolled up the sleeves and pulled the panels
and tie aside.
The women typically grew their hair long and wore headscarves. In winter, the women in the
North and the North Central region are wore dark colored square headscarves.

The most common hat was one made from the fan palm, very tough to and able to resist
sunny and rainy weather. There were also nhị thôn hats which were short with a flat top and
khua inside. There were also the so-called mangosteen hat for herdsmen, in the shape of a
half mangosteen, also with a khua inside; pan-hollow hats, which were shallower than
mangosteen hats; and elephant leg hats, which were very deep and in the shape of an
elephant’s leg.

Women in the South and South Central region favored black for most of the clothing. The áo
cánh shirt had buttons down the front and had no pockets. The rear panel fell over the
buttocks. They wore short shirts at home. When they went to the market or worked in the field,
they wore five-panel buttoned tunics. The poor wore fabric tunics, often with some patches of
different colors. They wore trousers instead of skirts. They rolled their hair up and wore it in a
bun. Women in the South wore bright colored or checked headscarves to shelter from the sun.
In cold weather, women in the South Central region often wore wide square headscarves.

While the women in the South favored black, the women in the North preferred brown.
Climate and working style of each particular region influenced fashion in terms of color and
style. Women were always concerned with modifying their everyday clothes so that they felt
more comfortable and looked more attractive.