| Áo giao lĩnh | |
 Áo giao lĩnh robes as depicted in a section of a 14th-century scroll,Trần dynasty | |
| Vietnamese | Áo giao lĩnh |
|---|---|
| Chữ Nôm | 襖交領 |
| Literal meaning | Shirt intersecting collar |
Theáo giao lĩnh (襖交領;lit. 'cross-collar robe') (referred to as thegiao lãnh y (交領衣) inLiterary Chinese texts), often known asáo tràng vạt (襖長祓) oráo tràng xiên, or simplyáo tràng, was a traditionalrobe worn byVietnamese before the 19th century. It was influenced fromHan Chinese clothing[1] and was typically worn by the royalty, the aristocracy, the nobility, and the commoners.[2] During theNguyễn dynasty, theáo ngũ thân was commonly worn and the áo giao lĩnh was only worn in formal occasions.[3][4]
Theáo giao lĩnh was influenced fromHan Chinese clothing.[1] It is a robe with a wrap collar closing on the right side. The wrap collar closing on the right side is known asjiaoling youren (Chinese:交領右衽;lit. 'intersecting collar right lapel') in China; garments with this form of wrap collar originated in China and started to be worn at least since theShang dynasty (c. 1600 BC–c. 1045 BC)[5][6] before spreading to other countries.[7] Although the design of theáo giao lĩnh was heavily influenced byChina, it was less constrained in style compared to its Chinese counterpart; and thus, facilitated ease of movements to its wearer.[2]
In the 17th and 18th century, theáo giao lĩnh worn by men was an ankle-level gown which could be used as part of a formal attire; it was composed of four-panel of fabric and was loose-fitting and featured ajiaoling youren collar, loose sleeves, and side slits.[8]: 72 It was typically not decorated and black in colour.[8]: 72 The women'sáo giao lĩnh were also a non-decorated, four panel of fabric, loose fitting gown, similar to those worn by men.[8]: 72 Women usually tied a sash around their waist when wearing theáo giao lĩnh; theáo giao lĩnh came in blue, black, brown colours while the sash was either white in colour or found in the same colour as theáo giao lĩnh.[8]: 72
Prior to the 18th century, nobles wore theáo giao lĩnh, which was adopted fromHan Chinese clothing.[1] During theLê dynasty (1428–1789 AD), aristocrats wore theáo giao lĩnh.[9]
In the 18th century, theáo ngũ thân (the precursor of theáo dài) replaced theáo giao lĩnh in order to meet the clothing requirement decreed by theNguyen dynasty court during the rule of LordNguyễn Phúc Khoát in 1744 in order to distinguish the clothing worn between the people under his rule from the people ruled by theTrinh Lords.[1][9][10] The precursor of the áo dài then became the official clothing for both men and women in the South of Vietnam.[11]
In the 19th century, under the rule ofEmperor Minh Mang (r. 1820–1841), the clothing in Vietnam was finally standardized throughout the entire country when Emperor Minh Mang decreed that theáo ngũ thân had to become the national dress for all the regions in 1830.[12][13] The áo dài thus became the daily clothing of the Vietnamese.[13]
In the 21st century,áo giao lĩnh worn in the 15th century was depicted in a book titledWeaving a Realm published by theVietnam Centre (a non-profit organization which aims to promote the culture and image of Vietnam).[14][15][16] The authors of the book mostly consisted of dress makers, artists, stylists, photographers, proof readers and editors (but lacked the presence of historians and archeologists) attempted to reconstruct the ancient clothing worn by Vietnamese through extensive historical research.[17] However, due to the lack of funds, the reconstructed clothing were not made with original materials or techniques.[17]
