My dad loves superhero movies, and with The Batman coming out, he mentioned an older movie, The Crow, released in 1994. It’s based on a comic books series by James O’Barr in order to cope with the death of his fiance at the hands of a drunk driver. This movie has a diverse cast, and emotional plotline, and is “cursed” due to the death of the leading man, Brandon Lee, which was discussed after a similar accident occurred on the set of Rust with a prop gun. Although I didn’t find the movie very thrilling, I did love the sets in this fictional city. What really caught my eye was the fashion!
90s fashion is on full display throughout this movie, and in this filthy city, leather is a must. Lee’s character wears a shirt with multiple small cutouts, presumably from the fights he’s been in, with his waist wrapped, with skinny leather pants and heavy-duty leather boots. In black from head to toe, with his signature white makeup and lipstick, he cuts an edgy silhouette as he strums a guitar atop the roof or stabs a bad guy.
The best example of grungy 90s fashion comes in the character of Myca, played by Chinese actress, Bai Ling. When we first see her, she is fresh out of the shower in a silky black bathrobe and wet hair, but still with a thick red lip, accentuated by black pencil. Her inner goth is fully channeled as she sprawls out over a huge table. She wears a low cut bra along with tights and platform heels that look strikingly similar to the viral Versace satin platform pumps. Her bottoms are lined with symmetrical cutouts that ends around her upper stomach, and has grommets on either side tied off. With her smoky eye makeup and a darker lip shade, she looks every bit the stunning villain! She accessorizes this look with a golden necklace and a silver ring, along with burgundy nails. Every inch of the look is something fashionistas of today would love!
In her second outfit, which she wears for the majority of the movie, she gives the impression of a Vivienne Westwood model late to the shoot. A little red hood with grommet details frames her bangs and makeup, and she still wears the necklace from earlier scenes. She adds shiny black latex gloves with a heavy bracelet over one and several rings. The masterpiece of her fit comes from the black corset, which looked so modern! The trend has come full circle, and while corsets have had their moment again and seem to be dying back out, she kills it! Urban Outfitters and AliExpress both have corsets that look so similar to Myca’s, proving how current corsets have become in modern fashion.
While the costumers dressed their characters in blues, tans, browns, and lots of black, they chose clothing for the minor characters that was guaranteed to last a long time. For the character who had gang connections, they had more customized pieces, particularly with leather jackets. Some wore suits, looking impeccable as they picked around crime scenes or negotiated with Top Dollar, the main villain. The weather in this city is almost always bad, so having a good leather jacket seems to be a staple in their universe.