FANFARE June 2014 | Page 7

P R OF I LE China’s First Lady of fashion Peng Liyuan by Shanshan Xu Just one look is all it takes… and for the first time ever China’s first lady steps from the shadows to surprise the fashion world with sophisticated elegance S uddenly out of the shadows of People’s Republican dull conformity has stepped, as if out of nowhere, a woman of personality and style, a leading lady who has had the fashionista brigade drooling all over the world. It all started less than 11 months ago in Moscow on the newly -installed President Xi’s first trip to Russia. Chinese social media went haywire when Peng appeared with Xi in the Russian capital wearing a sharply fashionable trenchcoat and matching handbag. Although China has had glamorous first ladies befo ɔ