Fashion

Fashion in Vietnam. It runs the gamut. For dressy occasions, many women wear outfits that would be called "trashy" in the west. The skirts are very short, and the necklines are very deep. Asian women are petite, and the dresses cling to their every curve, but too often they expose too much.

Casual wear for men and women is similar to what you would see in the west. Jeans and hoodies and t-shirts are common, but there's one big difference: it seems that graffiti on the clothing is desirable. It doesn't matter if it makes sense or not, as long as there is writing. I have seen t-shirts that have the word "preety" across the front. Misspellings are common. One hoodie I recently saw  said "5" an one line, and "love" on the next line. Huh? What could that possibly mean? But I think I've discovered what happens to the t-shirts and hoodies from the west that have mistakes printed on them: they ship them over here. Sports team names on clothing are popular too. Every I look I see someone wear ing clothing saying Manchester United.

Older folks, male and female, sometimes wear outfits that look like pyjamas. These are worn on the street, and the gaudier the print, the more popular the clothes. Older people especially don't seem to care about wearing stripes with prints, or colours that some might not wear together. And Asian men are not scared to wear pink shirts.

Brides usually wear western wear, white dressed with big billowy skirts. It's common for the bridal couple to get dressed up in all their wedding finery and have professional photos taken before the big day, and then the photos are displayed at the wedding reception. I haven't been to a wedding ceremony here, but  I did go to a reception. Both the bride and groom changed their clothes during the event, which is common.

Work wear depends on where one works. Dress can go from what I consider inappropriate, "trashy" clothing, to casual to business suits. Most workers wear clothing similar to what would be worn in the west. Many businesses have uniforms for their employees to wear.

Of course I couldn't talk about fashion without mentioning shoes. Flip flops and sandals are de rigeur for most people, old ,young, male, and female. They are called slippers, and many people have a pair that are called their "house slippers". Apparently Chinese superstition dictates that people wear slippers inside, otherwise bad spirits will sneak into your body through your feet. Everywhere on the streets one can see sandals and flip flops that have fallen off when the owner was on a motorbike. Many people wear socks with their sandals, and the socks are made with a split between the first two toes, much the same way that a mitten has a separate spot for the thumb. 

One custom that makes me laugh cynically is the way that women dress for outdoors. This is a tropical country, with hot sun almost every day. The women wear gloves that go to their shoulders, if they happen to be wearing a t-shirt, or a hoodie or sweater and short gloves. Hoods and hats are used to keep the sun off their faces. Some wear shorts or a skirt with thigh length stockings, and I don't mean panty hose weight. Every effort is made to stay out of the sun, and sadly, skin whitening cosmetics are common. It has nothing to do with avoiding skin cancer, and everything to do with no having brown skin. It's a holdover from times when peasants and poor people who laboured outside became tanned. The whiter the skin, the more beautiful a woman was thought to be. It made me very sad a few weeks ago when I complimented one of my colleagues on her beautiful complexion. Her response? Her skin wasn't white enough. White enough for what? Why can we never be happy with who we are?