Don't miss Minh Ta's exhibition in April. Photo / NZME
Don't miss Minh Ta's exhibition in April. Photo / NZME
If you grew up in Hawke’s Bay, or just have a love for Aotearoa New Zealand Fashion, Vietnamese dress designer Minh Ta will be of interest to you.
Driving across the train tracks in Hastings 40 years ago, you would have seen her fashion boutique, once home to Minh Ta Designs, situated on the corner of Russell and Eastbourne streets.
To celebrate local fashion history, MTG Hawke’s Bay is hosting an exhibition of some of her most eye-catching and award-winning pieces.
In the last few weeks, along with other volunteers, I have been lucky enough to help the collections team mount Minh Ta’s garments on mannequins to prepare for the upcoming exhibition of her designs.
Seeing the pieces immediately brought back nostalgia for the fashion aesthetic of the 80s and 90s. Bright colours, polyester-blend fabrics, giant bows, shoulder pads and puff sleeves are associated with these eras and Minh Ta definitely embraced the style. Her use of colour, fabric, signature double collars and top-stitching make her pieces instantly recognisable.
Jackie Chapman engrossed in fitting Minh Ta’s pink fuchsia gown on a mannequin. Photo / Supplied
Lily Ta, her daughter, also has pieces in the exhibition, having inherited her mother’s love of design, colour, over-stitching and fabric.
One gown stands out from the rest for me: Minh Ta’s bright fuchsia silk dupioni gown. It has an asymmetrical neckline, one puff sleeve, a detachable hip puff, a low back, diagonal pleated seams, and a side train. The silk dupioni is completely lined and paired with a pencil shape to accentuate the hips of the model.
Together this makes the gown look as though Minh Ta has taken a piece of fabric and draped it over her model in the simplest of ways. But sometimes the simplest things can be the most complex, especially when mounting pieces for exhibitions.
Minh Ta was well-known for her bespoke design style which makes fitting each garment to commercial-grade mannequins a challenge for the collections team. Let’s use Minh’s stand-out garment as an example of how we work through those challenges:
Firstly we look at the fabric and how the dress is put together; does it have a zip or hook and eye closure - is it lined - are the seams stretched out and in need of extra care?
Next up, the weight of the garment is a factor in how we hold and interact with the piece even before it goes on the mannequin. Do we need to handle it a certain way so as to not rip or tear the fabric - do we need more than one person to place it on the mannequin - does it need an understructure to keep it from slipping down?
Which leads us to fit. The fuschia gown was made for a human being so finding a mannequin that fits the piece is almost impossible. The bust and hips are slightly too big for the mannequin but putting it on the next size up would stretch the fabric too much.
This is where padding comes in. As we cannot adjust, pin, or disrupt the fabric in any way, padding is the only safe solution. Adding to the mannequin instead of taking in the garment keeps the fabric from being disfigured or damaged.
Length is also a factor to be considered; did the fabric lightly brush the ground or did it hit the ankle, as was the style at the time?
Lastly, we look at the history of the piece. We take into account the style of the era it originated from and make sure that all our planning, padding and preparation has the gown looking like it came straight from that period.
Of course, all of this is done while wearing gloves to protect the fabric.
It is a lot to think about before we can say that the gown is ready to be placed in a six-month-long exhibition. Beginning the preparation months in advance gives us the opportunity to appropriately plan and take care of the garment.
Minh Ta’s outfits are still in amazingly great shape, which is a testament to her skill as a designer and seamstress. This leads me to hope that there are still some of her outfits being stored, worn, or kept for the future out here in Hawke’s Bay.
