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10 iconic looks in Asian cinema, from that Bruce Lee jumpsuit to Akira’s biker in a bomber jacket to Faye Wong’s chopped hair in Chungking Express

  • Clothes can make or break a character, and there have been looks worn by actors in Asian movies that have left their mark, and influenced how Hongkongers dress
  • From Andy Lau’s biker jeans and trainers in A Moment of Romance to Choi Min-sik’s suit and old lady sunglasses in Oldboy, we look at some of the most striking

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Faye Wong in a still from Chungking Express (1994). With her chopped hair and effervescent personality, the Cantopop star encapsulated the energy of the 1990s in this movie. We look at some other looks in Asian movies whose looks have been influential.

Clothes maketh the man, as the old saying goes, and nowhere is this more true than on the movie screen.

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An eye-catching costume can prove as crucial to creating a memorable character as casting the right actor or penning a compelling script, and over the years, Asian cinema has delivered a parade of incredible outfits, from lavishly reconstructed historical robes to stylish trendsetting looks.

Consider the sumptuous, richly coloured kimonos in Akira Kurosawa’s late-career masterpiece Ran (1985), which designer Emi Wada laboured over for three years, winning an Academy Award for her efforts; or the suave, understated suits worn by Lee Byung-hun’s wronged enforcer in Kim Jee-woon’s slick 2005 neo-noir A Bittersweet Life, which set the tone for a generation of vengeful Korean hard men.

Here are 10 of our favourite examples of iconic costumes from the wardrobes of Asian cinema that played their part in securing their characters’ place in pop culture history.

Meiko Kaji in a still from Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972).
Meiko Kaji in a still from Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972).

1. Female Prisoner Scorpion series (1972-73)

Over a period of just 16 months, between August 1972 and December 1973, formidable Japanese beauty Meiko Kaji appeared in four Female Prisoner Scorpion films, as ruthless angel of vengeance Nami Matsushima, aka “Sasori” the Scorpion.

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