Quentin Tarantino knows how to write a badass and the costume designers that collaborate with him know how to dress a badass. Each strong female character he has created, from Alabama in True Romance to Broomhilda in Django Unchained, is majestic-looking, simultaneously belonging to the world the film is set in – the LA of the 1990s, Germany during World War II, or a pre-American Civil War deep south – and the world of Quentin Tarantino. His heroines are tough beauties, each with their own distinct aesthetic, distinct from each other and distinct from pretty much any other film characters. Kitsch yet modern, Tarantino's badasses are some of the best-dressed women on screen. 

The film: True Romance, 1993 (directed by Tony Scott but written by Quentin Tarantino).
The badass: Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) is tough beneath her penchant for rainbow brights and her sweet syrupy Southern voice (see the scene where she battles with the late James Gandolfini). She's also loving and loyal (see 'You're so cool, you're so cool, you're so cool').
The look: Skin, cleavage, off-the-shoulder tops, bras worn as outerwear, turquoise, bright pink, leopard-print. 
The legacy: A certain type of super-bright underwear will always be reminiscent of Alabama. 

The film: Pulp Fiction, 1994.
The badass: Mia Wallace (played by Uma Thurman) , failed actress, survivor and very good dancer.
The look: Neat blunt black bob, a monochrome palette, red nails and lips.
The legacy: Halloween wouldn't be Halloween without spotting at least one woman dressed up as Mia Wallace... 

The film: Jackie Brown, 1997.
The badass: Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) is a realist, a grafter, she's cunning and clever.
The look: Business-like (suits, blowdries) with hints of badass (guns, manicures).
The legacy: You'll never look at air hostesses in quite the same way. 

The film: Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2, 2003 and 2004.
The badass: Beatrix Kiddo AKA The Bride (Uma Thurman), a former member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, is possibly the baddass-iest of all of Tarantino's heroines, a perfect concoction of steely strength, emotional vulnerability and killing prowess.
The look: The yellow tracksuit and trainers are exactly what you need when you are a martial arts master.
The legacy: The Bride made yellow Asics Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 trainers cool again, after almost 30 years in the fashion wilderness.  

The film: Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2, 2003 and 2004.
The badass: Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), is a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, bad through and through with no reedeming features (except for the fact that she looks pretty damn good).
The look: Great hair, great tailoring, great eye patch.
The legacy: Eye patches: you see them differently now, don't you?

The film: Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2, 2003 and 2004.
The badass: O-Ren Ishii (played by Lucy Liu) is a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad: her violence stems from her traumatic childhood; her look derives from her Chinese-Japanese-American heritage.  
The look: A perfectly made-up face, immaculately coiffed hair, atop traditional black or white kimonos.
The legacy: Kimonos, not just for bedtime, also useful for showdowns. 

The film: Death Proof, 2007.
The badass(es): Lee (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Abernathy (Rosario Dawson), stuntwoman Zoë Bell as herself and Kim (Tracie Thomas) – from left to right, below – triumph over the psychopathic Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), putting an end to his reign of murder. 
The look: The girls carry out their he-had-it-coming-style revenge while wearing a uniform of Noughties favourites: low-slung belts, cowboy boots, bootcut jeans and, oh yeah, a cheerleader's outfit. 
The legacy: 'Can you wear cowboy boots with cropped jersey trousers?' you might have wondered at some point... (or possibly never...). And now you know the answer: yes, if you're Rosario Dawson.

The film: Inglourious Basterds, 2009.
The badass: Shoshanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) is a film buff driven to violence through a demand for vengeance, ie she is a quintessential Tarantino protagonist. 
The look: On down days, she is charmingly low-key but when it comes to the hour of her magnificent retribution, she is composed and elegant, applying lipstick, mascara and warpaint carefully. 
The legacy: Netting on a hat will always make the wearer look good. It's like a real-life Instagram filter or something, a lesson ably demonstrated by Shoshanna. 

The film: Django Unchained, 2012.
The badass: Broomhilda von Shaft (Kerry Washington) is one of the most timid, kindest and sweetest of Tarantino's women, but the sheer act of surviving the tortures of slavery marks her out as a badass.  
The look: It's 1850s style infused with a Spaghetti Western feel, drawing on authentic historical elements and the showmanship of Hollywood. Costume designer Sharen Davis says she picked up the belt for this famous final scene at  the American store Peruvian Connection. 
The legacy: Quentin Tarantino can ignite (or reignite) a career with ease and in granting Kerry Washington a lead role, he paved the way for her ascent up the A-list. Barely off the red carpet since the film's release, the actress consistently delivers slightly kooky (she's a big Miu Miu fan) event style.