Yếm

Young woman wearing yếm

A yem or yem dai[1] (Vietnamese: yếm) is a traditional Vietnamese bodice used primarily as an undergarment that was once worn by Vietnamese women across all classes. It is sometimes known as a bib.[1] There exists a modern variant called áo yếm, but the historical garment was simply called a yem. It was most usually worn underneath a blouse or overcoat, for modesty's sake.

It is a simple garment with many variations from its basic form, which is a simple, usually diamond or square-cut piece of cloth draped over a woman's chest with strings to tie at the neck and back.

History

The yem originated from the Chinese dudou, a variant of similar undergarments used in China since antiquity whose use spread under the Ming and Qing dynasties. It became popular in northern Vietnam. Unlike other Vietnamese clothing that helped to segregate the classes, the unseen yem were worn as an undergarment by Vietnamese women of all walks of life, from peasant women toiling in the fields to imperial consorts. It is an integral part of the Áo tứ thân costume, which it is often worn underneath.

The skirt which is worn with the yem is called váy đụp.[2][3][4][5]

The yem and váy đụp were replaced with Chinese clothing which was forced on Vietnamese people by the Nguyen dynasty.[6][7][8][9]

Different types

A yem from the back

While it was worn across classes, the material and colors used to make yems varied widely based upon the person's social status and the occasion. Commoner women usually wore yem in simple blacks and whites for day to day use, whereas during special occasions they could opt for more festive, brighter colors such as red and pink. Indeed, much of Vietnamese poetry has been dedicated to the beauty of women in their vermilion bodices (yếm đào).

While the bottom of the yem are v-shaped, there were different styles for the top of the garment which covered the neck, the most common two variations being the rounded neck or the v-shaped neck style.

Some types of yem have a little pocket within, where women often used to store a little musk or perfume.

In modern Vietnam

As Westernization reached Vietnam, by the 20th century women increasingly abandoned yems for the Western bra.

Fashion designers, in their constant quest to revitalize interest in traditional costumes as well as reinvent the latter have created many new collections of yem. The modernized form of the garment is slightly different and is called áo yếm rather than yems, the latter referring to the historical garment. Áo yếm has proven to be quite popular with young women, perhaps due to its similarity to the Western halter top.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Lewandowski, Elizabeth J., "yem dai", The Complete Costume Dictionary, p. 321.
  2. ↑ Elizabeth J. Lewandowski (24 October 2011). The Complete Costume Dictionary. Scarecrow Press. pp. 308–. ISBN 978-0-8108-7785-6.
  3. ↑ Phan Giuong (14 July 2015). Tuttle Concise Vietnamese Dictionary: Vietnamese-English English-Vietnamese. Tuttle Publishing. pp. 364–. ISBN 978-1-4629-1417-3.
  4. ↑ Franklin E. Huffman; Trọng Hải Trà̂n (1980). Intermediate Spoken Vietnamese. SEAP Publications. pp. 393–. ISBN 978-0-87727-500-8.
  5. ↑ Benjamin Wilkinson; Giuong Van Phan (15 March 2003). Periplus Pocket Vietnamese Dictionary: ペリプラスポケットベトナム語辞典. Tuttle Publishing. pp. 81–. ISBN 978-0-7946-0044-0.
  6. ↑ http://angelasancartier.net/ao-dai-vietnams-national-dress
  7. ↑ http://beyondvictoriana.com/2010/03/14/beyond-victoriana-18-transcultural-tradition-of-the-vietnamese-ao-dai/
  8. ↑ http://fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/clothing-types-styles/ao-dai
  9. ↑ http://www.tor.com/2010/10/20/ao-dai-and-i-steampunk-essay/

External links

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