In episode four of American Born Chinese, Michelle Yeoh’s supreme goddess Guanyin gracefully descends from an elite realm of heaven to grace the illustrious Banquet of Immortal Peaches. Swathed in a shimmering gold cape-gown with a voluminous collar, the Goddess of Compassion bypasses a line packed with fellow dazzling deities, divine-adjacent guests and two under-dressed—and starstruck—wannabe-divinities, Sun Wukong (Daniel Wu) and Niu Mowang (Leonard Wu).
“We were imagining a heavenly Met Gala,” says series costume designer Joy Cretton, on the stylized re-telling of Chinese trickster god Sun Wukong’s origin story to become The Monkey King, a hero from the 16th Century Chinese novel, Journey to the West. Plus, superstar Yeoh, who’s been known to have an influence on her costumes (see: providing her own massive emerald and diamond ring in Crazy Rich Asians), offered some key suggestions, too.
Inspired by Gene Luen Yang’s 2006 graphic novel of the same name, the new Disney+ series depicts a universal journey of self-discovery and friendship through a fantastical mash-up of genres. (It’s also directed by Lucy Liu and Destin Daniel Cretton, Joy’s brother and collaborator.) In a Bay Area suburb, second generation Chinese American student Jin Wang (Ben Wang) is navigating teen angst, parental discord and soccer tryouts. One day, his principal pairs him with an eager new exchange student Wei-Chen (Jim Liu)—only because they’re both of Chinese heritage—and Jin’s life is drastically altered. Because Wei-Chen is actually the son of the aforementioned The Monkey King.
On his own quest of patriarchal rebellion and independence, Wei-Chen brings along a motley assortment of mythological gods, including Guanyin (Yeoh). As Jin wraps his head around this out-of-this-world concept, viewers also open up their imaginations for the crossover stories and adventures. And, fashion—via a glamorous otherworldly party or approachable athleisure—helps draw…
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