Lin Chi-ling: Diamond merchants are a girl's best friend

Lin Chi-Ling dropped in at a diamond traders' convention to check out the baubles on display and even pick up a nice one for herself. It seemed like a warm evening:

Lin looked a bit pensive although she was dressed to kill. The substantial young lady next to her remained unimpressed with the finery on display:

She showed the expected surprised delight at being presented with a diamond pendant:

One would think that an experienced dealer in diamonds would be used to making attractive women happy but this guy, possibly because his eye level was directly in line with Lin's decolletage, looked like a grinning idiot who had just discovered girls:

Sina slide

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

Andy Lau, Zhang Jingchu, Lin Chi-ling and the gang in Dubai

"Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains", slated to be shot in Dubai, Hangzhou, Fuyang, Taipei, Tokyo and Milan is a big deal; it is the first major Chinese film to be predominantly produced outside China. The cast and crew were in Dubai to assure the powers that be in the capital of the United Arab Emirates that their city wouldn't get the "Mission Impossible 4" treatment: no camels in the streets, no sandstorms, just "the real fantasy world that Dubai is" according to director Sun Jianjun.

It's good to be Andy Lau. He is flanked here by Lin Chi-ling and Zhang Jingchu.

Zhang Jingchu with a couple of officials from the Dubai Film Commission. The guy on the left looks very smug about something.

Lin Chi-ling left her voice in Taiwan or lost it on the way to the Emirates so she was limited to looking lovely while not saying anything.

Xinhua; Gulf News; Film Business Asia

Lin Chi-ling shoots "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains"

Lin Chi-ling, like any MTA (model turned actress) wants to be know for her acting ability as much as her undeniably spectacular looks. Based on these stills from a scene shot in Hangzhou for "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" if she was this century's Sarah Siddons she might have a hard time convincing producers, directors and the movie-going public that she is more than just a pretty face. Full marks to the costume designer responsible this dress and shoes.

Sina

Red Fedora Day

In case you missed it, Fan Bingbing and Lin Chi-ling looked lovely in their not quite edgy but still fetching chapeaux: Fan Bingbing at a Coach Leather event:

Gwyneth Paltrow was there as well

Lin Chi-ling was at the airport, attended by an assistant carrying the bags and a bodyguard to make sure no one grabbed her hat:

Braces clipped to jeans through her sweatshirt.

Yahoo China; Ifeng

The Battle of the Backs; Lin Chi-Ling and Yin Tao

The "Vogue" shindig wasn't the only thing in Shanghai last night. Lin Chi-Ling and Yin Tao bared their backs at a fashion show.

Lin Chi-Ling looks like a model

Yin Tao looks like a movie star

Ifeng

Lin Chi-Ling in Chinese "GQ"

The staggeringly gorgeous Lin Chi-Ling poses for the Chinese edition of "GQ", showing that fashion magazine editorials (as fashion mag flacks insist on calling them) are pretentious and vapid in any language. Lin-Chi-Ling would make a burlap bag look elegant.

Sina

Fan BingBing in Paris (where else) with a Lin Chi-ling bonus

The always reliable  Dennis Lee pointed the way to coverage of Ms. Fan in the City of Lights that popped up on several sites, most of them Chinese, over the past few days. She was in her now familiar front row spot at the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2011 show escorted, as usual, by LVMH supremo (at least the LV side) Yves Carcelle whose picture appears quite often on this blog.

She also hobnobbed with Bono, a famous humanitarian, at the Edun show. Edun is a fashion label founded by Bono and Ali Hewson (Mrs. Bono) in 2005 as a for profit company with  "a commitment to encourage trade with Africa" according to their website. Most of the manufacturing has been shifted to China due to lack of supply chain infrastructure in Africa. There has been a lot of coverage of Edun and Bono in the fashion, financial and humanitarian press, the content veering between schadenfreude and snark with some policy showing up occasionally. It is a notable effort.

The pictures with Bono look as if they were taken with a camera phone. The Edge looks bored with it all in the background.

With an African infant dressed in what must be an Edun designed and manufactured frock:

Looking great with the ubiquitous Mr. Carcelle (LVMH recently bought a big stake in Edun) who may have made one trip too many to the wine bar:

With designer Marc Jacobs and Ali Hewson:

Unfortunately, the next day...Fan BingBing in full war paint: alabaster skin, fire engine red lipstick, kohl black eyes, hair pulled back in a loose bun that frames her face--and a dress that not even she can make look good.

Just too much going on with that dress (the unfinished edges don't help either) and it is a terribly unflattering to anyone just below mid-calf length. The big bow at the bodice is a completely unnecessary embellishment:

Plenty of photographers:

Front row at Louis Vuitton. Yves Carcelle has a great job.

Once again an overworked or just not observant photo editor at Zimbio decided that if Fan BingBing was in Paris then she must be every Chinese actress there. These pictures of Lin Chi-Ling were tagged as Fan BingBing and vice versa. Here is Lin Chi-Ling waiting for the Christian Dior show to start next to Rachel Bilson:

Looking delightful either before or after the show. Strange background of people hanging around:

And here is a picture tagged Lin+Chi+ling+Louis+Vuitton+Tuileries+Gardens. Oops.

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