The flowing ao dai inspired by the Huong River - the poetic and renowned river of Hue, and perhaps the most beautiful in Vietnam - have been elegantly showcased by models to the backdrop of music, sometimes serene, sometimes lively, taking the audience through a range of emotions.
"Hue Ao Dai: Stories from the River" narrates the tale of the Huong River through various ao dai designs
The fashion show took place on the southern bank of the Huong River, near Quoc Hoc Stele, opposite Hue Imperial City. Organized by the Hue Festival 2023 Committee, the event occurred on the evening of August 12th, under the theme "Hue Ao Dai: Stories from the River." A diverse crowd of tourists and locals filled the main stage and the adjacent grassy area.
With a deeply sentimental and poetic theme, the program seems to evoke the quintessence of Hue: where the gentle ao dai dresses, synonymous with Hue's women, mingle with the romantic river flowing through the ancient city - the birthplace of poetry, musical compositions in the land of the ancient capital. Interwoven within the program are the products of Hue's traditional craft village, such as kites, conical hats, and Thanh Tien paper flowers.
Set against a romantic outdoor stage in harmonious combination with modern lighting, the evening performance combines the flowing ao dai and shimmering water like an intimate painting, merging gracefully together. One by one, distinctive collections adorned with characteristic Hue patterns, Hue culture, and the sentiments of the Huong River by the designers such as Do Trinh Hoai Nam, Vu Viet Ha, Tran Thien Khanh, Quang Hoa, Xuan Hao, Viet Bao, Minh Minh, Quang Huy... are presented by a multitude of models.
Each performance is accompanied by melodious tunes from talented artists who composed pieces about Hue, including Van Phung, Pham Duy, Hoang Nguyen, Trinh Cong Son, Minh Ky... resonating and bestowing upon the stage and the audience a sense of depth and rich emotions.
With three scenes, the performance to some extent has depicted the story of the river that enters people's hearts through materials crafted by the designers. Patterns, colors, flowers and leaves, along with the traces of time about a river from ancient to modern times, have come together to honor the Hue ao dai, to honor the Huong River - a River considered the silk ao dai of the land of Hue.
The images of the performance captured by Thua Thien Hue Online:
An outdoor romantic stage harmoniously combined with modern lighting, the performance intertwines flowing ao dai dresses and shimmering water like an intimate painting
One of the ao dai collections drew inspiration from Zeng weaving
The flowing, gentle, and feminine white ao dai
Each performance is closely linked to a melodious tune written about Hue
With three scenes, the performance to some extent has depicted the story of the river that enters people's hearts
Hue kites on the stage of the ao dai performance night
With a deeply sentimental and poetic theme, the program seems to evoke the quintessence of Hue, where there are gentle ao dai and a poetic river
The ao dai performance took place right on the southern bank of the Huong River, near the Quoc Hoc Stele, opposite Hue Imperial City
Many tourists and locals sat on the grassy area next to the stage to watch the performance
By N.Minh