State dinner fashion: Were there red carpet 'don'ts'?
Is nixing black tie a crime? Discuss (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster).
On the red carpet before Wednesday evening's state dinner, dapper Washington was graced with glimpses of glamour.
There was the modern Chanel ensemble donned by Vogue editor Anna Wintour; the understated elegance of Vera Wang, worn by the designer herself; and, of course, a brilliant crimson dress from the late Alexander McQueen, loosely gracing first lady Michell Obama's shoulders.
The men represented style, too, with Walt Disney Co. president and CEO Robert Iger, actor B.D. Wong and President Obama looking especially Bond-like in their bow ties.
And then, there was Chinese President Hu Jintao.
As Hu took his place on the carpet, the rest of us -- well, those of us watching C-SPAN and tweeting -- scratched our heads. A jacket and royal blue tie?
The Style section's Twitter noted the appearance:
Hu arrives sans tuxedo. #statedinner
PostStyle
poststyle
And so did a few others:
President Hu Jintao, if you needed a tuxedo I would have lent you one of mine. I have a 42R, 40R and 40S
Thomas Sandoval
yopapi
Hu wears a coat and tie to a tux event
Cyrus Wagner
cwagner75
Figure skater Michelle Kwan turned some heads in a skintight Herve Leger bandage mini dress. Some readers submitted questions to our Reliable Source live chat, asking if her look was appropriate for a state dinner.
And Kwan's Herve Leger dress was cute but more suitable for a cocktail hour than a state dinner. Why was she there anyways?
Amanda Munoz-Temple
AMunozTemple
Were Hu and Kwan's looks red carpet 'don'ts'?
Tweet Tell us below or on twitter using #statedinnerdonts, and we'll post some responses back in this blog. If you're not feeling particularly chatty, view video of the state dinner toast or browse this photo gallery of the night's entertainment. Or, just take the poll:
By
Katie Rogers
| January 20, 2011; 11:36 AM ET
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What really gets my goat,when we Americans visit China,we are advised about the does and don'ts, when we are in China. How ever our custom at a State dinner is for the men to wear a tux,so this little man and his country said to hell with this American custom...I know what I would do next time..Mac D's
Posted by: Stevenstevensr | January 23, 2011 3:40 AM | Report abuse
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