In 2019, Zhao Lusi attended a press conference for her breakout drama The Romance of Tiger and Rose wearing a simple white blouse, jeans, and sneakers. Her stylist at the time was a recent graduate working on a freelance basis. The look was fine — clean, age-appropriate, forgettable.
In January 2026, Zhao Lusi arrived at the Golden Rooster Awards in a custom Valentino midnight blue gown with a cathedral-length cape, Cartier diamond ear cuffs, and Jimmy Choo crystal sandals. The look generated 180 million impressions on Weibo within twelve hours. She was, by any metric, one of the best-dressed women in Chinese entertainment.
The distance between those two moments — less than seven years — represents one of the most deliberate and successful fashion transformations in modern Chinese celebrity culture. This is the story of how it happened.
Read Zhao Lusi's full artist profile and career timeline on Idol Mandarin.
2019-2020: The Girl Next Door
Zhao Lusi entered public consciousness through light romance dramas — The Romance of Tiger and Rose, Dating in the Kitchen, Love Is Sweet. Her public image was built on approachability: the relatable young woman with a natural smile and an unintimidating presence. Her fashion during this period reflected and reinforced that image.
The typical Zhao Lusi outfit of this era was a midi dress from a mid-range brand (Maje, Sandro, Self-Portrait), minimal jewelry, and comfortable heels or flats. Her color palette stayed within the safe zone of pastels and neutrals. Airport appearances featured denim, sneakers, and unstructured bags. The aesthetic was "your stylish friend" rather than "fashion figure."
This was a conscious strategy. Her management team understood that her casting niche — bright, warm, romantic leads — required a public image that matched. Aggressive high-fashion styling would have created a disconnect between her on-screen and off-screen personas.
2021: The Transition Begins
The pivot started with Love Like the Galaxy's pre-production period. The historical drama required Zhao Lusi to be taken seriously as a dramatic actress, and her styling team began subtly shifting her public image to support that repositioning.
The changes were incremental: more structured pieces replacing the casual dresses. Darker color palettes. More considered accessory choices. A new hairstylist who moved her from the casual curls of her romcom era to sleeker, more architectural styles. Individual appearances were not dramatically different, but the cumulative effect over six months created a noticeably more polished public image.
The Chanel relationship began in this period. As a brand ambassador for Chanel Beauty, Zhao Lusi started wearing Chanel pieces to public events — tweed jackets, logo accessories, the classic chain bag. The association with Chanel's structured, feminine-intellectual aesthetic was a deliberate step up from her earlier mid-range wardrobe.
2022-2023: The Confidence Era
See the full review of Love Like the Galaxy on CDramaPedia.
Love Like the Galaxy aired in mid-2022 and was an immediate cultural event. Zhao Lusi's performance as Cheng Shaoshang — intelligent, defiant, emotionally complex — shattered the "sweet girl" typecasting. The drama's costume wardrobe, which featured sophisticated Song Dynasty aesthetics, established a new visual association for Zhao Lusi that was more refined, more authoritative, and more fashion-forward.
Her real-world styling responded in kind. Stylist Mia Kong joined her team in late 2022, bringing experience from working with Liu Yifei and Song Qian. Kong's approach to Zhao Lusi was architectural: she emphasized clean lines, strong shoulders, and a curated color palette that rotated between Zhao Lusi's best-performing shades — midnight blue, ivory, deep pink, and black.
Key looks from this era:
- A Givenchy structured blazer dress for the Tencent Annual Gala — her first "fashion magazine" moment, generating significant coverage from Vogue China.
- Airport looks featuring Bottega Veneta leather goods and MaxMara coats — a significant wardrobe upgrade from her earlier casual style.
- A custom Valentino gown for the 2023 Weibo Night — the beginning of what would become her most important brand relationship.
2024: The Valentino Chapter
Zhao Lusi's appointment as Valentino's global ambassador in late 2023, formalized in early 2024, was the watershed moment of her fashion evolution. The partnership aligned her public image with one of fashion's most romantic and visually ambitious houses, under the creative direction of Pierpaolo Piccioli (and later Alessandro Michele's vision).
Valentino gave Zhao Lusi access to haute couture — custom pieces designed specifically for her body and the events she attended. The difference was immediately visible. Her red carpet silhouettes became more dramatic (longer trains, more structured bodices, more architectural sleeves). Her color choices became bolder (the midnight blue, the cerise pink, the pristine white). Her accessories shifted entirely to Valentino hardware — the Rockstud heels, the Garavani bags, the Roman Stud collection.
The first Valentino front-row appearance in Rome was a defining moment. Wearing a Valentino red wool coat over a matching sweater and wide-leg trousers, with pointed-toe Valentino boots and a single gold chain, Zhao Lusi looked like she had always belonged in the front row. The fashion media consensus was that the partnership was natural rather than transactional — a sign that the brand alignment was genuine.
2025-2026: Style Icon Status
The current Zhao Lusi represents the full realization of a fashion evolution that has been underway for nearly seven years. Her wardrobe now operates at a level of sophistication and consistency that places her among the top tier of Chinese celebrity fashion figures.
Several characteristics define her current style:
- Color discipline — She has narrowed her palette to a signature range: midnight blue, ivory, black, cerise pink, and deep plum. Other colors appear rarely and strategically.
- Silhouette consistency — Her preferred proportions are a fitted or structured upper body with a fluid lower body (A-line skirts, wide-leg trousers, mermaid gowns). This flatters her frame and creates a recognizable visual signature.
- Accessory reduction — Where her earlier style involved multiple jewelry pieces and bags competing for attention, her current approach is minimal: one statement accessory per look, positioned deliberately.
- Hair as styling element — Her hairstyling has become an integral part of each look, with updos, slicked-back styles, and architectural braids replacing the loose waves of her earlier career.
The Team Behind the Transformation
Zhao Lusi's fashion evolution is not solely her achievement — it is the product of a professional team that has grown in sophistication alongside her career. Stylist Mia Kong provides the overall aesthetic direction. A dedicated hair team (Zhang Wei Studio) creates looks that integrate with costume choices. A makeup artist who has been with her since 2021 maintains continuity across different styling contexts. And Valentino's team in Rome contributes custom pieces and strategic direction for major appearances.
The coordination between these elements — clothing, hair, makeup, accessories, and the events themselves — is what distinguishes a celebrity who wears beautiful clothes from a genuine style icon. Zhao Lusi's team has achieved that integration.
What Her Evolution Represents
Zhao Lusi's fashion journey mirrors a broader phenomenon in Chinese entertainment: the professionalization of celebrity styling as a strategic function rather than a cosmetic afterthought. Ten years ago, most Chinese celebrities relied on brand-provided outfits and ad hoc styling decisions. Today, top-tier celebrities like Zhao Lusi operate with styling teams that function like miniature creative agencies — planning months ahead, coordinating with multiple brand relationships, and managing a public image that must be consistent across red carpets, airports, social media, and press appearances.
For fans tracking her journey from jeans and sneakers to Valentino haute couture, the transformation is a narrative of ambition, strategic intelligence, and the intersection of personal growth with professional opportunity. It is, in its own way, the kind of story that the best C-dramas tell.
Shop Valentino-inspired accessories and Zhao Lusi fan merchandise at Pandafame. Find collector guides for celebrity brand items at Fandom Collection.
Last updated: 2026-03-28. CDrama Style profiles the fashion journeys of Chinese entertainment's most stylish figures.
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