Westminster, CA – The Institute of Vietnamese Studies (Vien Viet Hoc) presented an evening of Vietnamese Tien Chien music and a fashion show commemorating Lemur Nguyen Cat Tuong’s 100th Birthday, featuring five of Lemur’s modernized version of the Vietnamese dress “ao dai”. The event took place on Saturday, June 9.
In 1934, Hanoi artist Lemur Nguyen Cat Tuong’s modern ao dai made its debut. Unlike the traditional ao dai at the time, Lemur’s designs featured light-colored fabrics, puffy sleeves, and various collar styles. Lemur’s ao dai is also shorter in length and has two panels instead of four. A student of the School of Fine Arts of Indochina, Lemur combined traditional Vietnamese elements with Western tailoring to create the first modernized ao dai.
Nguyen Ngoc Tram, left, teaches Vietnamese at the Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan who helped organize the event are wearing Lemur-style ao dai. Photos by Han Haduong
Xuan Mai wearing a traditional Vietnamese dress is one of the performers in the Tien Chien music program.
Kim Yen wearing one of Lemur-style ao dai
One of the models wearing Lemur-style ao dai
Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Bui Duong introducing the program
The following are Lemur Ao Dai event and archive photos courtesy of Mr. Nguyen Trong Hien, who is Lemur Nguyen Cat Tuong’s son
Models wearing Lemur-style ao dai
Kim Yen
Staff and members of The Institute of Vietnamese Studies
Ngay Nay magazine cover from 1937 featuring Lemur-style ao dai
Nguyen Thi Hau wearing one of Lemur’s designs
One of Lemur fashion drawings
Artist/Designer Lemur Nguyen Cat Tuong
One of Lemur’s fashion magazine article
Models wearing Lemur-style ao dai
Lemur Nguyen Cat Tuong’s wife
