VietNamNet Bridge – Nostalgia and memories of the past were the biggest inspirations for designer Trinh Bich Thuy in her latest collection of padded jackets, presented yesterday in Hanoi.

Elegant: For Thuy, each padded jacket is a symbol of Hanoi’s culture and elegance. — Photo courtesy of Trinh Fashion

Thuy co-operated with painter Le Thiet Cuong to create the new collection. The fashionable jackets use patterns and details adopted from Cuong’s paintings.

Thuy has been known for years for her efforts to bring padded jackets back to the modern time, making them contemporary and well-designed.

This year she introduced a new collection with images of old roofs, lotuses, “bird of paradise” flowers and daisies.

In the previous century, Hanoians donned their padded jackets at the start of each winter. Rich people wore expensive coats made from velvet, silk and brocade, while the poor often used the same worn jacket year after. Everyone, man or woman, young or old, owned a padded jacket.

When Thuy was young, she realised that though the padded jackets are monotonous, people still wear them when winter comes. She hoped to redesign the jacket to make it look more eye-catching.

For the designer, the jackets are more than fashion statements.

“Padded jackets remind many people of the past,” she said. “I still remember my mother and grandmother wearing them.”

Designer Thuy used these jackets as inspiration to create stylish cotton outerwear on which she painted one-of-a-kind designs and embroidered patterns.

Thuy doesn’t stop renovating padded jackets. Every year she releases a new collection of them.

"More than an outer layer to keep warm in winter, each padded jacket is a symbol of Hanoi’s culture and elegance," she said.

The exhibition of Thuy’s padded jackets will run until December 31 at the Ha Noi Old Quarter Culture Exchange Centre, 50 Dao Duy Tu Street, Hanoi. 

Dark green: A design in the new collection with a lotus pattern. — Photo courtesy of Trinh Fashion Memories: A model wears a new padded jacket design by Trinh Bich Thuy during a fashion show on Monday. — Photo courtesy of Trinh Fashion

Source: VNS