When we talk about fashion, the first thing pops up in your head might be all the glamorous looks from Runway, the exclusive designer pieces, or all the limited editions or extremely rare vintage pieces dug out from some hidden flea market in Paris.
However I believe fashion isn't that far away from us, it's anything you wear that conveys a message, expresses an idea, makes you comfortable and it shouldn‘t be framed by any standards that fashion world put out.
I dress up to make myself confident, and to change how people perceive me. And I found it to be really interesting that a movie character's outfits can also contribute to this character's traits and personalities.
Today I want to share some iconic figures from a few Chinese 90s movies, which continue to inspire me.
有话好好说 Keep Cool (1997), a black comedy movie directed by Zhang Yimou
An hong, is the main character Xiao Shuai's ex-girlfriend. The whole storyline is set in modern-day Beijing, starting from how An hong dumped Xiao Shuai for a nightclub owner, and it then moves on to how Xiao Shuai planned for a revenge to get his girl back.
An hong's outfits are mainly in bright colors. The sleek pixie cut and body-hugging dress all conveys a message, she is young, brave, fresh, and might be slightly lack of patience.
Even the director himself had this fresh look while shooting.
粉红女郎 Pink Ladies(2002), a TV series directed by Wu ZongDe.
Wan Ling, a girl who dares to love, dares to resent. She has also shared some inspiring outlook on love throughout the episodes, here are a few.
"Single women are pearls, married women are fish eyeballs. Single people bet on who gets attracted first, married people bet on who gets unattracted first."
"It is rare to see girls like me who can dump a man like garbage, however, it is not rare to see girls who recycle garbage."
堕落天使 Fallen Angel (1995), directed by Wong Kar-wai.
A mysterious woman, acted by Michelle Reis, takes care of a hit man's life and later falls in love with him.
This is another character in the film, acted by Karen Mok. If you look closely, you can see that her dress is actually a cheongsam topped with a mesh shirt.
重庆森林 Chungking Express (1994), directed by Wong Kar-wai.
Yet another pixie cut character.
Chungking Mansions is a high-rise located in Hong Kong. It is an odd and old mansion, packed with all kinds of hotels, restaurants, and shops located throughout the building. Chungking Express, which literally translates into Chungking Jungle, represents a busy urban life.
Faye is a vivid character in this Chungking Jungle. She is natural and refreshing. Faye is naive enough to believe that secretly taking care of one man's life can make him fall in love with her. She is also brave enough to leave and chase for her own California dream one day before the date night.
That's all for today. xoxo