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Looking for an image with the perfect fit

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The search for Hong Kong's identity has been the subject of much debate since the handover. But the need for a 'national' costume has not featured prominently in these discussions - until now.

Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping lamented in this newspaper on Tuesday the lack of a definitive Hong Kong style of dress. He admitted to being stumped when invited to social functions at which national dress is to be worn.

Where is our equivalent of the Indonesian batik shirt or the Mexican poncho?

As Dr Ho points out, we could always opt for traditional Chinese attire. But that would not mark us out as being Hongkongers. It would not reflect our special status as a 'different' part of China.

But how are we to find a mode of dress that accurately portrays the image of Hong Kong? The obvious examples too easily apply to other parts of the world.

Dr Ho fondly remembers the days when women dressed in the cheongsam and men wore traditional jackets with mandarin collars, frog buttons and long sleeves. But those days have gone.

They have been replaced by the era of the business suit and the designer label, or as Dr Ho describes it 'international blandness and uniformity'. Flashy, trendy and popular - but not a form of attire that marks us out as different. It does not even begin to conform with the conventions of national dress.

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