The 2026 Vogue Forces of Fashion Gala held in Suzhou drew buzz from the start with speculation surrounding the red carpet order of appearances that was under wraps until the actual day. In the end, Dilraba Dilmurat took the opening slot, while Liu Yifei closed the night for the third year in a row, a feat in and of itself. Both actresses naturally trended online, but Dilraba had a little extra magic from a butterfly.
Dilraba made a stunning entrance in a champagne-colored, haute couture gown from Zuhair Murad’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection adorned with crystals and featuring a plunging sheer neckline that extended all the way down to her waist. Amid the light rain, the 34-year-old actress conquered the runway with a butterfly perched on her lips and with a gentle blow, it was released into the air. The moment easily became the number one trending hashtag as Dilraba was dubbed “the Red Carpet Goddess” for her walk that felt mysterious and enchanting. Many wondered whether it was a real butterfly or an ornament blown away by the wind. Dilraba completed her look with a MIKIMOTO pearl necklace worn across her forehead, with a deep-blue sapphire at its center.
Wendy
I would guess that it was an ornament and not real, just because while its wonderful to have a real butterfly land on your clothes; when they land on bare skin their feet scratch while their legs scrabble around and it feels creepy (my childhood experience). It would be difficult to not freak out if a real butterfly landed on regular bare skin nevermind how difficult it would be to not panic if one landed on the sensitive mouth area.
Easy proof of reality would be if it was captured on film when it flew in and landed on her or if she started off with it on her. A fun costume concept… though when I look at the image above it really reminds me of the famous poster for “Silence of the Lambs” film. So I actually find it a bit revolting.
HL
I was looking at who attended the event. i was surprised not to see Zhang Linghe, isn’t he is ‘Celeb’ of this year? His built, looks and fame will fit the bill.
vidramas
The butterfly moment was everywhere on my feed this week — funny how a single red carpet clip does more for an actor’s visibility than a full drama trailer. It always sends me looking up what they’ve actually been in. For someone fairly new to Dilraba’s work, which of her dramas would you say is the best one to start with?
Ash
None. She is a forgettable actress. She has no iconic work or character. If you want to watch her work, better the latter ones where she has improved. The earlier ones are an absolute cringe.