Or, is it a white crane gown?
Poor Fan Bingbing, speaking of her Cannes Opening Ceremony eye-catching gown, "The fit was very tight and I was awfully hungry. The movie palace was stuffy. At half way through the opening film, I had to go out and I nearly fainted." Talking to reporters, Fan Bingbing said that she helped design the dress with her stylist Bo Kewen and it took 4 months and 70 workers to make. Hand-embroidered, the 'red crane gown' was constructed under highest security. The design began two years, according to Bo Kewen. And to highlight the shape, he purposely made it a smaller size. Thus, Fan Bingbing had to diet to wear the gown.
Fan Bingbing: "I think the moral of the crane is very good, it symbolizes freedom and peace, the image is noble and very white and can pass out of the expectation and longing for world peace. And red is the color most representative of China, and because I like the number nine, nine is my lucky number, and ultimately determine the set composed by the nine crane dress patterns."
However, the gown was not without controversy, a Shanghai French Culture forum noted that the crane is considered an evil animal in French culture. While the crane symbolizes good fortune and longevity in Chinese culture, the evil crane is a symbol of stupidity and immorality. In French, the word for crane, "grue", also means "slut" or "hooker". In view of this, the forum's editorial said that this gown for the Cannes Film Festival was not the most appropriate choice.
Cannes 2010
With Adrien Brody
Thanks for the article about Bo Kewen! Nice to learn about the man behind Fan Bingbing's looks.
ReplyDeleteAnd pffft to the French and their animal symbolism! Fan Bingbing looked stunning in her crane dress.
Glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to search the weibo to see if there are some more interesting behind the scenes pics if I have the time. :D