Thai Nguyen, Mai's Áo Dài

About the Book

Celebrity fashion designer Thai Nguyen from Netflix’s Say I Do collaborates with bestselling author Monique Truong and illustrator Dung Ho to create this irresistibly charming picture book. is about embracing your heritage and the traditions that tie generations together—centered around Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

It’s the morning of Tet, and Mai can’t wait to celebrate at her beloved grandmother’s home. With the perfect dress: a poofy, sparkly Cinderella dress that makes Mai look like the movie star she dreams of being! But when Mai’s father suggests that she wears an áo dài, a traditional Vietnamese outfit, to her Ba Noi’s party, Mai is disappointed. Stars don’t wear áo dài, she thinks. Then Ba tells her the story of a true star, her very own Ba Noi, who sewed beautiful, highly sought-after áo dài in Vietnam and brought her magic with her when she immigrated to the United States.

So maybe stars wear áo dài after all! But how can Ba Noi know what Mai’s wearing when Ba Noi is losing her eyesight? Ba tells her every áo dài is sewn with love, and the beauty of love is that you don’t need to see it to know it’s here.

About the Author

Thai Nguyen (pronounced Tie-Win), born in My Tho, learned to sew at the age of nine sitting in on classes at his parents’ sewing school in Saigon, Vietnam. In 1993, the family immigrated to the United States, where Thai is now a fashion designer, based in Orange County, California. His designs, for clients such as Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, Kelly Marie Tran, Ali Wong, Katherine McPhee, and Cindy Crawford, have been featured in top publications and have graced the red carpets of the Met Gala, the Oscars, the Grammys, and film and television premieres. Thai’s love of the áo dài, this iconic symbol of Vietnam, has been and will continue to be the wellspring for all his creations. Mai’s Áo Dài is his debut picture book.

Purchase your copy of Mai's Áo Dài here.

Host or Publisher Elliott Bay Book Company