Ha Noi to put on birthday suit (2)

Chung is decorating the dress with a treasure chest of gemstones, pearls, diamonds and rubies. To give the finishing touches to the ao dai’s regal glamour he and his assistants are weaving in gilded thread, silver lame and synthetic materials.

Over 20 tailors have been employed to embroider separate sections of the dress, mostly at the designer’s studio. Smaller-scale jobs are allotted to working-teams but Chung will be making the final touches.

Although Chung started making the dress last year, the seeds for the project were sown as early as 2001.

"When I studied fashion in Italy between 2001-02, I attended the debut ceremony of a record-breaking evening dress with a 100m-long train. It was then I first thought about making my ao dai."

"I plan to display the ao dai at the Viet Nam Culture Week in France. The trip will be sponsored by HCM Department of Culture and Information," the designer says.
Chung is no stranger to records. Last year he became the first Vietnamese designer to be invited on France’s TV programme French Fashion. — VNS