LookAtVietnam – Troupes invested considerable sums on designing costumes for actors which often didn’t meet the high quality expected by critics.

Costume drama: The tuong (classical drama) artists play Tran Quoc Tuan in Ha Noi.

Costumes used in Oan Khuat Mot Thoi (Once Injustice) cost VND300 million (nearly US$17,200) but were criticised by art critics.

A dress for the queen from the Le dynasty (15th century) was designed like a modern evening dress with the back exposed. During feudal reign, women in general and the queen in particular obeyed customs which frowned on scanty and low-necked dresses.

During each reign in Viet Nam’s long history, emperors established different customs. Kings always wore royal mantles but the embroidered dragons were altered during each reign.

Hao said costumes used in historical plays should respect history and not necessarily look nice. Theatres needed professional costume designers but sometimes, due to limited time and capital, assigned costume design to stage designers.

Nguyen Thu Ha, a costume designer and lecturer at the academy, said the significance of costumes in historical plays was important and should be handled by professional designers.

When designers are trained and employed specifically, they work professionally and take responsibility for their products, Ha said.

Costume designers faced many difficulties when seeking material to reflect traditional clothing and designs. They often consulted documents, books and newspapers but often lacked knowledge which led to design errors.

Designer Si Hoang sketches costumes and consults different documents and scriptwriters. “Costumes must be true to history and appropriate for the roles.”

When he was given six weeks to design samples for 500 dresses for a cai luong (reformed opera), Hoang worked diligently on the items but the play’s producer rejected many sophisticated details and patterns.

Several dresses were simplified because there wasn’t a tailor who could handle the order in the limited time available. Such restraints forced designers to work hard on less professional garments, said Hoang.

The scriptwriter, director and designer of a play sketch costume details but when actors don’t think they are beautiful, they want changes in line with their ideas.

When original models are changed discrepancies creep in, Hoang said.

Ha said professional designers asked to make costumes for a play must be allowed to create their ideas.

Ha said authorities should introduce firm rules about the role and responsibility of costume designers. “They should be paid what they are worth for their efforts and their rights should be ensured.”

During visits to China, Hao learned specialists and scholars of traditional clothing sketched standard models from different dynasties.

The models were collated and published in books, Hao said. Designers based their creations on the standard.

Hao said it was a good way to ensure costumes for historical plays were designed appropriately. Moves to have standards applied to Viet Nam’s stages and theatres are being evaluated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News