John Lone as Joey Tai in Year of the Dragon (1985)
Vitals
John Lone as Joey Tai, ambitious Triad gangster
New York City, February 1985
Film: Year of the Dragon
Release Date: August 16, 1985
Director: Michael Cimino
Costume Designer: Marietta Ciriello
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
According to the Chinese zodiac, tomorrow begins the Year of the Dragon, lasting from February 10, 2024 through January 28, 2025. In recognition of this cycle, let’s flashback to the ’80s when Michael Cimino released his first directorial effort following the flop of Heaven’s Gate five years earlier: Year of the Dragon, adapted from ex-NYPD officer Robert Daley’s novel of the same name.
John Lone’s performance as Joey Tai is a highlight of Year of the Dragon, which balanced its five Razzie Award nominations with Lone’s deserved nomination for a Golden Globe.
We first meet Joey as he walks among the mourners at the Chinatown funeral for deceased crime boss Jackie Wong. (Though set on the famous Mott Street in New York City, these sequences were actually filmed on North Carolina—arranged so convincingly that Cimino took pride in the fact that even Stanley Kubrick was fooled.)
Immediately after the funeral, newly appointed precinct captain Stanley White (Mickey Rourke) drops in on the remaining Triad leaders vying for control of the organization. Assuring White that Chinatown is 100% behind him, the aging Harry Yung (Victor Wong) seems to be the most likely contender to take over, though White identifies the young and ambitious Joey Tai as a potential obstacle to the uneasy peace between the police and the gangs.
What’d He Wear?
Consistent with Chinese traditions that associate white with death, Joey Tai and his fellow mourners dress almost identically in off-white suits, white shirt, and black ties as they trek down Mott Street for Jackie Wong’s funeral and the subsequent meeting with Captain White.
Double-breasted suit jackets rigged with notch lapels were briefly fashionable through the ’80s, but Joey Tai remains more timeless in his single-breasted jacket.
All initially worn with black armbands around the left upper sleeve, the mourners’ suits range in different shades of white from a pure bleached to warmer shades like Joey’s cream-colored gabardine suiting. He wears a single-breasted, two-button jacket with notch lapels, setting him apart from many of the other mourners in then-fashionable (but quickly dated) double-breasted jackets rigged with notch lapels.
Joey’s suit jacket also has a welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, four-button cuffs, and likely a single vent. The straight shoulders are gently padded, consistent with the era’s trends but also building a more imposing silhouette that would serve Joey’s ambitions for power.
The single reverse-pleated trousers have a medium rise, where Joey holds them up with a smooth black leather belt. The trousers have side pockets but we can discern little other detail as he never removes his jacket nor do we see any of the suit below the thighs. Thus we never see Joey’s shoes, but we can safely assume he wears black leather lace-ups as we see these worn by his fellow white-suited mourners—likely the same cap-toe derbies he wears with his black three-piece suit during the finale. Black would also fit the funereal context and, from a fashion-minded perspective, would coordinate with his belt leather.
The mourners maintain appropriately simple and somber white shirts and black ties. Joey’s white cotton voile shirt has a stiff point collar, front placket, and button cuffs.
Many of the mourners wear sunglasses, and Joey is no exception in his black square-framed aviator-style shades with brown lenses.
Coincidentally, I was putting the finishing touches on this post on the afternoon of Sunday, February 4. Just about an hour later, I turned on the Grammys and saw that boygenius seemed to be taking a page out of the Joey Tai lookbook in their white silk moire Thom Browne suits and black ties.
Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker in white Thom Browne suits and black ties at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Photo credit: Stewart Cook/CBS via Getty Images.
How to Get the Look
John Lone as Joey Tai in Year of the Dragon (1985)
Joey Tai follows Chineses funeral customs by joining his fellow mourners in white suits and black ties, though the ambitious and forward-thinking Joey opts for smarter and more timeless tailoring than his colleagues in their trendy but quickly dated double-breasted, notch-lapel jackets.
- Cream-colored gabardine suit:
- Single-breasted 2-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, and single vent
- Reverse-pleated trousers with belt loops and side pockets
- White shirt with point collar, front placket, and button cuffs
- Black tie
- Black leather cap-toe derby shoes
- Black square-framed aviator sunglasses with brown lenses
- Gold wedding ring
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the movie.
The Quote
To us, your Good Samaritan was a fool.
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