This director is vindictive.

Chapter 550 Plum Blossom: A masterpiece of ink and wash painting! Orchid: Dazzlingly bright! Bamboo: A walking pole in human form! Chrysanthemum: To be continued...
What is a trend?
Or rather, how exactly does a trend become popular?
How did it suddenly become so popular?

This is so mysterious!

But sometimes it's very scientific.

For example, this time, it was actually quite scientific.

It mainly stems from a herd mentality.

Meanwhile, many netizens started posting photos online, and they were all wearing similar outfits in the style of the Republic of China era.

When there are many such people, a trend naturally begins to form.

In addition, the Huayun event where people could watch free movies while wearing Huayun clothing gave people a reason to dress like that.

A screenshot circulating online shows an audience dressed entirely in Republic of China-era attire at the fashion show, captioned: "The luxury goods alliance spent a billion to teach Chen Mo marketing, but Chen Mo turned their fashion show into a 'Chinese style sub-venue' with just one movie (doge)."

The person in charge of the show was completely bewildered as millions of viewers flooded the live stream with comments about "Huayun Sub-venue".

This was just getting started when this disaster happened.

The key issue is that this thing can't be fixed!
However, the luxury goods alliance certainly has a lot to offer. Despite the talk and the commotion, the resources they can access, especially in the fashion industry, are something that Huayun alone cannot match.

Just look at the media reporters present today, especially the lineup of fashion industry reporters, and it's enough to blow away any other media lineup.

They are all journalists from renowned fashion magazines around the world.

At the same time, although Chen Mo was certain that it would be difficult for them to truly understand Chinese elements, he had to admit that they had done a very good job in terms of outward appearances.

For example, the opening show of this fashion show, which was jointly organized by the luxury goods alliance, had a very "Chinese style" theme!
The theme of the first themed show is "The Four Gentlemen of Chinese Culture - Plum Blossom, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum!"

Chen Mo was watching the live stream of the show with a group of women.

This grand show, after all, can be considered the first super-scale show of the luxury alliance in China, and the publicity and promotion efforts beforehand were incomparable to those of the past.

Therefore, even though it started airing in the morning, it still attracted more than 30 million people to watch online at the same time.

Seeing that the other party's first themed show didn't follow the Chinese Dynasty series like Chen Mo's previous welfare week, but instead took a different approach and adopted the "Four Gentlemen of China: Plum Blossom, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum" series, was indeed a very clever move.

"You really do have something!" Chen Mo couldn't help but say with a smile.

“Indeed, plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums—although they are known as the Four Gentlemen of China—these four elements are actually quite common in clothing design,” Fan Binbin nodded in agreement.

“However, isn’t it too early to say all this? Chen Mo, do you think they can do it well? Or do they really understand or comprehend the culture of the Four Gentlemen of our country?” Jing Tian said.

"That's hard to say," Chen Mo said, shaking his head.

He really doesn't know.

Indeed, these four plants and flowers have been used as themes in clothing design quite a few times. However, this design obviously cannot simply use these four elements as the design concept. After all, you need to combine them with the culture of the Four Gentlemen of China to empower it.

In Chinese culture, the Four Gentlemen each have unique symbolic meanings: plum blossoms symbolize nobility and pride; orchids symbolize elegance and ethereal beauty; bamboo symbolizes humility and integrity; and chrysanthemums symbolize cold beauty and purity. It is precisely because of these refined and unassuming qualities that they are loved by the world and are known as the "Four Gentlemen".

So, do foreign designers understand these things?
Chen Mo didn't know!
Soon, the first show began, the lights dimmed, and a traditional Chinese poem about plum blossoms appeared in the center of the runway: "Several plum blossoms in the corner of the wall, blooming alone in the cold. I know from afar it is not snow, for there is a faint fragrance."

The ink plum blossoms in the projection slowly unfurled, their branches strong and their petals scattered, as if one could smell their cool fragrance.

This opening was indeed very well done; it really captured the essence of the scene.

Soon, the first model appeared.

She wore a chiffon dress with a flowing, light skirt. As she walked, the hand-embroidered red plum blossoms on the dress seemed to sway in the wind, and the petals even drifted down with the air currents, releasing a subtle fragrance!
The audience erupted in gasps of amazement, with many expressing their astonishment.

"Holy crap! This design is pretty cool!"

"They actually managed to create an Eastern aesthetic?!"

"Are these falling petals some kind of high-tech marvel?"

The comments section was also filled with exclamation marks.

"With enough money, they were able to hire a real master! This designer really understands Chinese culture!"

"This designer is definitely a China expert! He actually understands Eastern culture!"

"I'm impressed this time. It seems the luxury goods alliance has really changed its ways. Thumbs up!"

As the model walked to the end of the runway, she turned around, and her skirt swirled open, revealing a hidden secret in the lining of the entire dress: an embroidered "Plum Blossoms Braving the Snow" painting. The layers upon layers of plum blossoms, from light to dark, made it seem as if one could truly see the plum blossoms in the snow!

Even Chen Mo nodded in agreement: "It seems the designers of this luxury alliance really put their hearts into it!"

The other women nodded in agreement; to be honest, they were also amazed.

It has to be said, they definitely came prepared!
Although it was only the first outfit and the first model, it was really good.

As the first model returned to the runway, a line of poetry once again appeared in the center: "Not seeking praise for its beauty, but leaving behind a pure and refreshing spirit to fill the universe!"

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

When the models appeared, the foreign designer actually used snow-white silk as the base and Suzhou embroidery techniques to outline the dark branches with ice crack patterns. The petals were adorned with translucent jade pieces that trembled with each step, making it seem as if one was searching for plum blossoms in the snow when walking.

The final model walked out from the dry ice mist, wearing a modified stand-up collar long coat with nine slits at the hem, each lining embroidered with plum blossoms in different poses, subtly echoing the ancient charm of "Nine Grades of Plum Blossoms".

"Wow! That's terrifying! I never expected they actually understood the Chinese aesthetic of negative space!" "Holy crap, who's this designer? This is even more eye-catching than the first one!"

"To be honest, I have to admit, this time they're really good at it. At least they didn't just put on a show; they genuinely incorporated Chinese elements!"

At this moment, the popularity of the live stream also began to soar, and the number of online viewers exceeded 50 million.

Moreover, the comments section was filled with cheers.

The main point is that the opening "Plum Blossom" themed fashion collection is indeed very well done.

The designer announced is a fashion design master from France, a completely foreign designer.

It's not that people are blindly worshipping foreign things; it's truly rare for a foreign designer to create clothing that resonates with Eastern aesthetics and cultural integration.

After all, everyone knows that when it comes to arrogance, these foreign designers in the fashion world are the real arrogance!

Chinese people don't actually have high expectations of them. To be honest, the "Plum Blossom" series at the beginning isn't that amazing in terms of design. But the fact that it was designed by a foreign designer makes it all the more impressive.

"If this continues, then this show will truly be a labor of love!" Fan Binbin said with a sigh.

"Yes, that's a good thing! It shows that Chinese culture has successfully gone global, doesn't it?" Chen Mo nodded with a smile.

But he wasn't so optimistic.

It's not that he looks down on these overseas fashion designers, but sometimes some things really can't be changed overnight.

As the saying goes, "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature," let alone these usually arrogant fashion designers.

At this moment, both the viewers in the live broadcast room and the audience at the scene are very happy, because, in fact, everyone's demands are not that high.

If foreign designers are seriously creating designs with Chinese elements for their Chinese clients and diligently studying Chinese culture, then it truly demonstrates the success of China's cultural export.

But no one expected...

This was the highlight of the entire show.

Because of the subsequent "Orchid," "Bamboo," and "Chrysanthemum" series, the art style gradually began to deteriorate.
At this moment, on the runway, the plum blossom theme had come to an end, and accompanied by the melodious sound of the guqin, a poem entitled "Ode to the Orchid" slowly emerged:

"The orchid grows in a secluded valley, unknown to anyone; a guest planted it in the eastern pavilion, leaving its fragrance for me."

The ink-wash orchids in the projection swayed in the wind, their fragrance seemingly able to penetrate the screen.

At this point, things are actually still pretty good.

However.
When the first model from the "Orchid" series appeared on stage, everyone was stunned.

The first model wore a fluorescent green afro wig and had glitter and sequins on her face, looking like she had just come straight from a nightclub and went straight onto the runway.

She was wearing a transparent PVC "orchid armor"—it was called "armor" but it was actually just a few pieces of plastic shells pieced together, with a large hole cut out in the chest area, revealing not an orchid, but the model's underwear!
The audience erupted instantly:
"Holy crap! What the heck is this? Is the 'orchid' in 'orchid' the same as the 'orchid' in 'Lamborghini'?"

Did the designer misinterpret 'a secluded orchid in a secluded valley' as 'a nightclub clubbing sprite'?

"Are you planning to wear this outfit to a comic convention to cosplay as an alien?"

Even more outrageous was the LED light strip wrapped around her waist, flashing and blindingly bright, causing a frenzy of comments on the screen:
"Is this supposed to mimic the 'fragrance' of orchids? Why not just spray some perfume!"

"Does the designer have some kind of misunderstanding about 'fragrance'? This looks like a flash from a disco stage!"

"No way? No way? The 'Plum' series was doing so well before, how did it suddenly take such a sharp turn for the worse? What the hell is going on?"

Chen Mo and the group of women were also dumbfounded.

The main problem is that the difference is too great.

If the opening was amazing, then this one was terrifying.

Goodness, absolutely goodness, it really doesn't deserve any praise!

However, this was just the beginning. The subsequent "Bamboo" series completely refreshed everyone's aesthetic sense.

The poem begins as before: "Clinging firmly to the green hills, its roots firmly planted in the broken rocks. A thousand blows and ten thousand strikes cannot break its strength; it stands firm against the winds from all directions."

Then the models appeared, dazzling everyone's eyes.

"It's so green!"

Many people are at a loss for words.

Because it's really green!

It's hard to say about the design, but mainly, it really is just a bamboo stick standing on the runway.

That's right, it's a tight-fitting bodycon dress designed in the style of bamboo. The key feature is that the collar stands up high, level with the top of the head.

Everyone at the scene was stunned, and the comments section was completely cleared.

I guess nobody knows how to comment anymore.

(End of this chapter)