Chinese fashion show amazes Egyptian audience in Cairo

A Chinese costume fashion show captivated on Saturday the Egyptian audience who highly admired the Chinese designs.

The show, dubbed Silk Road Impression China Fashion Show, was held at the open-air theatre of Cairo's renowned Opera House and was attended by dozens of Chinese and Egyptian visitors.

The show, which was organized by the Chinese Cultural Center in Cairo, featured a large collection of colorful dresses and costumes that represent China and its culture.

Dressed in colorful dresses decorated with Chinese embroidery, Chinese and Egyptian models won the applause of the audience who showed admiration for the Chinese costumes.

"The fashion show is really amazing. The dresses are so beautiful and the colors are eye-catching," Mayar Mahmoud, a college student who came with her friends to attend the fashion show, told Xinhua.

Mahmoud said that it was her first time ever to attend a fashion show, noting that she was lucky enough that it was a Chinese fashion show.

"I loved the dresses, their colors and styles. They look very traditional, but at the same time they suit non-Chinese very much and can be dressed in several occasions," the young lady added.

The designs and colors of the costume did not only grab the attention of fashion lover, but also professional fashion designers.

Egyptian world-class fashion designer Hani Beheiri said that the show was a good message to introduce Chinese fashion to Egypt.

"I loved this fashion show because it reflected the spirit of China and it is really amazing to have such events in Egypt," the renowned fashion designer told Xinhua.

Beheiri noted that this show helped Egyptians know what Chinese fashion designs look like, adding that the collection was breathtaking.

"It showed that Chinese women love colorful silk clothes. Although the collection is generally modern, it bears very unique cultural characteristics that took us back in history," Beheiri said.

Famous Chinese fashion designer and the curator of the show Yang Beibei said the costumes on the show are a series that reflect China's 24 solar terms, which is very important in China's traditional culture.

"I designed one set of clothes for each solar term and decorated them with different flowers and plants according to the seasons. This is very representative of Chinese culture, so I want to show it to the Egyptian friends," she said.

The 24 solar terms, based on the sun's position in the zodiac, were created by farmers in ancient China to guide the agricultural affairs and farming activities.

The 24 solar terms reflect the changes in climate, natural phenomena, agricultural production, and other aspects of human life, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

The solar terms play important roles and have greatly influenced people's basic needs in life, and they still have an important function nowadays.

"I invited six Egyptian models and six Chinese models, reflecting the friendship and cultural exchanges between China and Egypt," she said.

"This is my second visit to Egypt. The last time was for an exhibition. I was very happy this time because I came with my designs," the Chinese designer said.

She stressed that Egypt is a country with an ancient civilization, expressing hope that she could integrate the Egyptian culture with the Chinese culture in future designs.

The Best and Most Outrageous Looks of the 2019 Met Gala

With a theme that celebrated the outrageous and over-the top nature of camp as a sensibility, it should come as no surprise that the looks at the 2019 Met Gala were not for the faint of heart, with noted red carpet champs, Lady Gaga, Billy Porter and Celine Dion swanning and showing out at the annual event on Monday night in New York City.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Benefit’s theme, Camp: Notes on Fashion, was inspired by Susan Sontag’s iconic 1964 essay, Notes on “Camp,” which describes the essence of camp as “love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration.” At the Met Gala, this translated to a red carpet filled with over-the-top looks and many a performance art of an entrance. From Lady Gaga, one of the co-hosts of the night, who established her dominion as a camp champ with a flamboyant striptease on the red carpet of four different Brandon Maxwell looks to the inimitable Billy Porter, who showed up in a Sun God-inspired ensemble, carried in on a golden litter by muscled attendants, this Met Gala was one for the books.

Here, we’ve done best dressed people at the 2019 Met Gala — and given awards for each. Read on to see who scored big on this year’s Met Gala red carpet.

When Life Imitates Art: Lady Gaga and Billy Porter

While over-the-top fashion was par for the course at the 2019 Met Gala, for red carpet MVPs Lady Gaga and Billy Porter, Met Gala fashion was also a vehicle for performance art.

Gaga, one of the co-hosts of the night, vamped on the red carpet in not one, not two, not three, but four different looks by Brandon Maxwell, which she alternately shed and donned as part of a playful routine that included a wagon full of champagne, dancers, umbrellas and a flirty striptease.

Meanwhile, Billy Porter confirmed his red carpet reign with a regal, opulent look from the Blonds that appeared to be inspired by a sun deity. The outfit consisted of an embellished catsuit, 10-ft wings and a 24-karat gold headpiece — casual! His royal status was only heightened by the fact that he was carried in on a black velvet and gold litter by six chiseled and shirtless bearers.

Camp All-Stars: Bette Midler, Katy Perry and Joan Collins

For most stars, the camp theme might have been a foreign or daunting concept. Not so for Katy Perry, whose Met Gala looks every year are usually campier than a John Waters movie; Bette Midler, the veritable patron saint of all things camp; or Joan Collins, a camp icon so legendary, she basically showed up as herself to the gala, much to the delight of Dynasty fans (and everyone else).

Perry’s look for the 2019 Met Gala, as the kids say, was “lit” — but literally. Dressed in a Moschino chandelier-as-dress designed by Jeremy Scott that was actually illuminated, Perry’s trademark campy style was in full effect on the red carpet. How she was able to sit for the dinner, however, remains a mystery.

Bette Midler, ever a camp queen, showed up for the Met Gala red carpet in a glamorous remix of her Hocus Pocus character, Winifred Sanderson.

Collins referenced her iconic looks on Dynasty when she showed up on the 2019 Met Gala with Valentino designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, who designed her voluminous white feathered gown.

Master Accessorizers: Kacey Musgraves and Jared Leto

For Kacey Musgraves and Jared Leto, the 2019 Met Gala camp theme wasn’t just something they were considering with their outfits, but their full looks — which is why both showed up with some scene-stealing accessories.

Musgraves, who’s already shown us she’s a camp MVP in past red carpet appearances and on her hilarious Twitter account, made for a perfect Moschino Barbie doll, complete with a blonde wig — and a matching pink convertible, quite possibly the most on-theme accessory that’s ever shown up to a Met Gala.

Leto, on the other hand, took self-love to the next level when he toted along a replica of his own head to pair with his rich red Gucci ensemble and crystal harness, an obvious nod the Gucci A/W 2018 runway.

Executive Realness: Tiffany Haddish and RuPaul

RuPaul and Tiffany Haddish made the case for suits, camp-style when they both appeared on the Met Gala red carpet in suits that were anything but business casual.

While Ru has famously said that “we’re all born naked and the rest is drag,” the world’s most famous drag queen chose to appear at the Met Gala in a rainbow-colored suit with a fun Zebra-inspired sleeve embellishment.

Tiffany Haddish’s sparkling Michael Kors zebra print tuxedo suit and tiny feathered fedora weren’t the only reason why she caused waves of excitement on the Met Gala red carpet; the comedian shared that she had brought some chicken in her bag this year because last year, as she told People, “it was not enough food!”

That’s a Wrap: Hamish Bowles, Ryan Murphy and Florence Welch

Camp’s flamboyant nature is no stranger to drama and nothing says drama quite like a cape — at least, that’s the conclusion that we came to after seeing the sweeping, show-stopping looks on Vogue editor Hamish Bowles, Ryan Murphy and Florence Welch.

Bowles’s magnificent Maison Margiela cape was edged with multi-colored feathers and featured a pattern that made him look like a psychedelic dandy — a style concept that was driven home with his rainbow-colored hairstyle.

Murphy opted for a Liberace meets Elizabeth I realness with a crystal and pearl embellished Christian Siriano cape in a warm rose gold shade that featured an impressive ruff; Murphy styled the look with a matching vest, bow tie and trousers...

Political barbs of dramas Yanxi Palace and White Snake enthral Chinese viewers

Imagine the script of Downton Abbey, the lavish UK television period drama, tickled to launch subtle barbs at the administration of Theresa May and, say, her handling of Brexit.

Chinese costume dramas, equally lavish and likewise holding a nation in thrall, have added just such a layer of political piquancy to tales of intrigue and love in the Qing dynasty. Several platforms held off airing episodes of the shows during the politically sensitive month of March, when political meetings are held.

The self-imposed moratorium reflects history’s troublesome tendency to hold a mirror up to the present, even centuries later. Tales of dynastic emperors holding on to power, prompting revolts among those long-gone citizens, might be expected to chafe with a leader who has secured the ability to rule for life.

As one academic delicately put it, “[The government] doesn’t want people to think that they have the opportunity to replace the leader or to struggle with the power base or change it. This kind of idea, if it circulates in the countryside or the cities, would be a little dangerous.”

WHITE SNAKE VS SOCIALISTS

Elaborate hairstyles, sumptuous silks and life at Qing dynasty court, meantime, betray a decadence and moral laxity that sits uneasily with “core socialist values”. An editorial in the state-owned Beijing Daily railed against the imperial dramas’ proclivity to champion such pleasure-seeking above the “virtues of frugality and hard work”.

But you can’t keep a good story down. With March safely out the way, at least some – such as The Legend Of White Snake, a tale of love, heartbreak and destruction – are coming online.

The shows are lapped up by Chinese viewers. The Story Of Yanxi Palace, which ran to 70 episodes, became the most googled TV show last year and was shown in more than 80 countries – and this in a nation where Google’s search engine is blocked. According to iQiyi, the Netflix-like platform that hosts the show, it was streamed an average 300 million times a day and has been viewed more than 21 billion times.

The secret sauce of the imperial dramas, said Lok-yin Law, lecturer at the School of Arts & Social Sciences at the Open University of Hong Kong (and husband of an avid fan), is two-fold. The stories resonate with everyday life, in the court or today’s workplace – back-stabbing is every bit as common in offices as it was in dynastic harems – and they revive the glory of Chinese culture.

The everyday appeal goes beyond bitchy colleagues. Patriarchal power politics may be the reality, but Yanxi Palace boasts a female protagonist who is more conniving minx than demure doll, and has won legions of feminist fans.

ESCAPISM VS HISTORICAL ACCURACY

As with British period dramas, historians carp that accuracy is sacrificed for ratings. “It’s impossible an emperor in the Qing Dynasty, very busy dealing with politics and affairs of state... would have time to deal with so many concubines and negotiate among them,” said Song Geng, associate professor at Hong Kong university’s School of Chinese.

That highlights another schism: Any educational purpose of TV shows is at odds with the profit motive of producers. Dramas set in Imperial China – much like those based in Edwardian Britain or indeed the 1980s Texas of Dallas – go big on costumes, intrigue and wavering moral compasses. They are less occupied with instructing the nation’s youth in history and moral rectitude.

That, of course, is ultimately where their appeal lies: As escapist dramas rooted just enough in the enduring traits of human nature to ensure growing audiences. Several are finding popularity beyond China, particularly in Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong. Indeed, said Mr Law, he sees more chat about the shows in his Facebook social circles than among his friends on the mainland.

Hence the potential for the imperial dramas to become part of China’s soft power arsenal. That its culture has failed to hold much global sway – compare the reach of South Korea’s K-pop or Japanese anime – is a source of dismay within China. “It’s ridiculous that Kung Fu Panda was made by Hollywood,” harrumphed one analyst.

For Prof Song it’s a missed opportunity. “It could be... just like the K-wave,” he said. “For me this is good for China because it shows the influence of the culture.”