As the Vietnamese people, a population rather than a political mass, were beginning to associate with each other as a people apart and distinct from the Chinese, through the course of the Indochina Wars but also decades earlier throughout the worldwide turmoils of World War I and its aftermath, the "áo bà ba" grew in increased prominence through sheer ubiquity and economic necessity. Usually consisting of a solid color top and bottom, though not necessarily in the same color, the simplicity and versatility of the "áo bà ba" outlasted many other traditional garments. It is the garment of the countryside, of the working people, of the lower class and the common people. As with denim jeans in the West, the áo bà ba's no-frills design worn by the simple folk outlasted many other trends and is considered a classic.