This weekend marks the next step in the extraordinary ascent of the Chinese first lady on to the world stage. Accompanying her husband President Xi Jinping, Peng Liyuan, a glamorous former folk singer, has been making her debut visit to the US. The style set are watching.
Since Peng appeared with President Xi on his tour of Russia last spring, the Chinese media and people appear to have been enraptured by her. “Finally, we have a first lady we can be proud of,” said one typical post on Weibo, the Twitter-like microblogging service.
Peng, like many Chinese first ladies before her, has made a patriotic point of wearing Chinese-made outfits, raising hopes that the country’s fashion brands could receive a boost from her support. Most of the clothes she wore on last year’s trip, such as a white silk brocade suit with a Mandarin collar and turquoise scarf, were designed by Ma Ke, a Guangzhou-based designer behind the Exception de Mixmind label, and the Wuyong brand which showed in Paris in 2008. Ma is known for combining Chinese and modern style elements. At one occasion, for example, Peng wore a slim silk brocade coat in blue and green tones made from a fabric with very traditional patterns but a modern cut.