Fan Bingbing, Lin Chi-Ling and Yao Chen in photoshoots

Fashion magazines lined up three of our favorites for their November numbers--generally the issue that is loaded with jewelry that ranges from high-end to insanely over the top so that the wives as well as the mistresses of wealthy men can easily let the old dogs know what they would like as stocking stuffers.

First comes Lin Chi-Ling in a typical "Vogue" editorial: beautiful model, lovely composition, product suitably displayed:

Then we have Fan Bingbing, trumpeted by Sina as the first Chinese actress on the cover of "L'Uomo Vogue". The constant "firsts" about which the Chinese entertainment press get so excited seem to show a sense of insecurity, a feeling that they are not quite sure of themselves in the European world of luxury goods, where China has become the largest and only growing market.

It would be notable if FBB was the first Chinese actress to win the Prix d'interprétation féminine at Cannes (actually that would have been Maggie Cheung) or the first to win the Nobel Peace Prize, but being the first anything on the cover of a glossy Italian men's fashion magazine doesn't really rate.

It was another characteristic "Vogue" type effort: leather jacket worn over nothing and opened to the waist of men's slacks, artfully messy, just rolled out of bed hair, even a small cigar used as a prop. She looked fabulous.

Yao Chen's classic profile is used to excellent effect by "Vision", a Chinese fashion magazine I have not heard of before. If the pictures shown on this tumblr page are an indication, "Vision" publishes images that look like those in every other luxury fashion magazine in the world. Yao Chen looks lovely in some uncluttered duo-tones.

Sina, 2, 3