A stitch in time

Written by Suzy Clarkson (nee Aiken)

I recently sat down with Poynton resident, Mo Mathews, to reflect on a lifetime of cutting, crafting, stitching and sewing.

Full disclosure: Mo Mathews and I worked together for several years on the dating show Blind Date. It was 1991; the era of light entertainment TV shows like Sale of the Century, Wheel of Fortune and It’s in the Bag.

Blind Date was televised weeknights at 5.30pm and Mo’s task was to produce a pipeline of fashionably frilly frocks for me (as co-host) to wear, plus produce costumes for any fancy dress episodes.

Over the years she’s created costumes for historic tv drama series Hanlon, made gowns for 1983 Miss Universe Lorraine Downes, dressed the actors in docudrama Erebus: The Aftermath, and stitched skintight Lycra costumes for the Disney movie Power Rangers. That’s just some of the many projects this wardrobe wizard was involved with.

Her career started with a three-year couturier apprenticeship in England. She emigrated to New Zealand in her early twenties and was snapped up by TVNZ to “dress the weather girls.”

The next 50 years were spent working hard behind the scenes in film and television. Her final few decades involved working for international film productions as well as being wardrobe manager on New Zealand television’s iconic show ‘Shortland Street.’ The crew presented her with a Certificate of Honour awarded for being the show’s “Most favourite ‘Keeper of the Frocks’ and minder of good spirits!’

Over the years she’s performed a variety of roles: Continuity Lead, Costume Cutter and Wardrobe Supervisor. When asked what’s kept her passionate about fabric and film for so long, she quickly cites the camaraderie that a crew builds when working together for months on end.

“You become a family. You’re doing long hours, in weird and wonderful locations and regardless of the challenges, you pull together to produce, hopefully, a masterpiece!”

Mo Mathews is a people person and that is what has kept her at the top of her game for many decades. She exudes calm; an essential trait when dealing with highly strung performers. She’s also discreet, not revealing names when asked who the worst behaved stars were.

Mo’s also seen her fair share of famous faces as she’s helped them get ready to perform. She drops a few names: Gary Glitter, Mickey Rooney, Terrance Cooper and closer to home, Prince Tui Teka, Bunny Walters, Angela D’Audney and Miranda Harcourt.

These days she’s still cutting and crimping, albeit now for her fellow village residents at The Poynton, where she does clothing alterations, on request.

Does Mo have any secret tricks she used over the years? “Rescue Remedy, without a doubt! A couple of drops in a glass of water, it works a treat to calm the nerves of any actor or performer. Look – I’ve even got some in my handbag now!”