Year of the Cat

Made for a friend just in time for lunar new year.

She tells me this kind of garment was worn (in casual settings) by royalty in the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam, the last dynasty before French occupation. It was made for her by a tailor in California who specializes in pre-colonial Vietnamese clothing. She also told me that for Vietnam it’s the Year of the Cat, not the Rabbit (as I had originally titled this post.)

I wish I had the time for more formal portraits.