Designer Tommy Nguyen: When fashion becomes a "weapon" of beauty

Designer Tommy Nguyen not only creates sparkling outfits or sexy shapes with bold cuts, but also contributes to making each beauty queen's coronation moment more radiant and brilliant.

“I have never considered fashion as just clothes. For me, it is a weapon of beauty and a language without borders. Every stitch must tell a story; every crystal must reflect the wearer’s own light. I don’t follow trends, I create them. And as long as there are women who want to shine, I will be here to make them queens on the stage...”

Designer Tommy Nguyen, who has helped make the coronation moments of many Vietnamese beauties splendid and memorable, shares his views on his career.

Beautiful to touch the emotions…

In recent years, the fashion map of Miss Vietnam has witnessed a clear shift from heavily decorative designs to personalized “haute couture” styles. And amidst that wave of change, Tommy Nguyen has managed to “position himself” with impressive outfits.

For Tommy Nguyen, fashion does not stop at “beautiful to wear” but “beautiful to touch emotions and engrave memories.” The creative journey of each evening gown design is the result of dozens of hours of shaping on a mannequin, processing each layer of material from the base layer to the layer of crystal, bead or sequin embellishments.

In the industry, Tommy Nguyen is famous for his corsetry technique (waist tightening and upper body structure to maximize curves), while also processing the skirt with the drape and flare calculated to the millimeter so that when walking, the wearer seems to "float" on stage. The invisible seams (hidden seams) combined with hand-sewn embellishments allow each crystal to catch the light precisely at the point of movement, creating an explosive visual effect in front of the lens and lights.

Evening gown designs bearing Tommy Nguyen's signature. (Photo: Contributor/Vietnam+)

With his “haute couture” tailoring techniques, creative thinking and ability to “read” every curve, he has contributed to shaping the appearance of many Vietnamese beauties while affirming the position of the country’s fashion with international friends.

So what makes this designer different and unique? Tommy Nguyen shares: “I often combine ' unconventional silhouettes' with ' mixed media' materials such as Italian satin silk combined with French Chantilly lace, organza combined with Swarovski crystals to bring a new visual effect but still maintain high applicability for the stage and runway.”

“The 3D shaping technique ( moulage ) helps the dress hug the body but not be too tight, creating comfort for the wearer when performing. This is a vital factor in beauty contests, where every step and turn can determine the position of the crown.”

If many years ago, evening gowns in Vietnamese beauty pageants tended to be embellished all over the surface to create a gorgeous but heavy look, in recent years, many designers, including Tommy Nguyen, have pioneered a game-changer with “strategic highlight” embellishments - focusing on the areas that catch the most light when the contestants move. This method not only makes the dress lighter and easier to move in, but also creates a stronger visual effect under the stage lights, helping the contestants leave their mark in the final performance.

“I applied 3D modeling techniques on mannequins and hidden corset frames to evening gowns specifically for each contestant. Thanks to that, each design fits every centimeter of the body, highlighting the strengths and cleverly hiding the flaws so that the contestants can confidently catwalk on the final stage,” said designer Tommy Nguyen.

Designs that tell stories

Since 2020, the trend of “story-telling” evening gowns - each detail associated with a message or cultural inspiration - has become the new “standard” of Vietnamese beauty pageant fashion. And Tommy Nguyen is one of the few designers who always requires the design to have a clear idea, from the source of inspiration (nature, architecture, culture) to the hidden meaning behind each material, color scheme and embellishment. This makes each dress not just an outfit but also a storytelling work, showing high personalization.

Also because of that strict thinking, Tommy Nguyen's innovative ao dai designs, evening gowns with minimal details but complex structures... have been chosen by contestants of competitions such as Miss Business World, Miss Vietnamese Businesswoman, Miss Peace Businesswoman.

He contributed to redefining the fashion standards of Vietnamese beauty queens: minimalist - standard form - rich in story. This influence is not only limited to beauty contests, but also spreads to entertainment stages, high fashion... - where couture techniques and personalization are becoming the new standards.

Ao dai bearing the traditional cultural mark of Tommy Nguyen. (Photo: Contributor/Vietnam+)

Tommy Nguyen said that from now until the end of the year, he will return to the beauty pageant fashion race with the launch of a new ao dai collection, and at the same time design evening gowns for the contests: Miss Vietnam Businesswoman 2025, Miss Business World 2025 in California, Miss Asian 2025, Miss Vietnam Brand 2025, Miss Vietnam Tourism 2026.

Each stage is a story, each design is a statement of personality. From culturally rich national costumes to unconventional evening gowns, Tommy Nguyen promises that everything will bear his mark with sharp shapes, dense embellishment techniques but still move gently and maintain a graceful beauty./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nha-thiet-ke-tommy-nguyen-khi-thoi-trang-hoa-thanh-vu-khi-cua-nhan-sac-post1055145.vnp