Gold medal winner Gu Ailing wore a high-end Dior couture mini skirt and conducted a catwalk performance at the "VOGUE Fashion Power" gala in Suzhou on February 23rd. The event was organized by VOGUEplus magazine to showcase Dior's spring/summer high fashion collection. Gu's unusual appearance, featuring large rosette flowers hanging from her head and high heels, sparked public debate, with some praising her outfit as elegant and others criticizing her for being disrespectful to the dignitary meeting.
Gu Ailing was introduced as a Dior global ambassador and participated in the event as a guest model, demonstrating the brand's latest high-fashion collection. During the same event, she met with Van Bo, the Secretary of the Communist Party of Jiangsu Province and the Secretary of the Communist Party of Suzhou City. Van Bo praised Gu for setting an example for young people and for her participation in public welfare activities. He expressed the hope that Gu, using her influence, could help promote winter sports in Suzhou, inspiring more young people to shine. However, her unusual attire that included prominent rosette flowers atop her head and on her high heels, led to criticism online, with some jokingly suggesting she looked like she was wearing "bath flowers."
Although some netizens defended her choice of outfit, arguing that the meeting took place after her catwalk performance, thus she had no time to change, the social media commentariat largely took a negative stance. Some praised the combination of the Chinese and Western outfits, while others focused on the disrespectful aspect of Gu's attire for such an important meeting, suggesting that her look was "like wearing bath flowers." The official presence of the news, as posted on Beijing Daily's micro-media outlet, "Chang'an Street Affairs," and then taken down, indicated mixed public perceptions regarding celebrity conduct in public events.