The Watching the Red Carpet Together series was simple to record: just two people sitting in front of the camera giving commentary. Since they were popular uploaders with full team support, the video was edited and released by noon the next day.
Ah, forgot to mention: the account "AhaLolo" was run by a couple. To put it plainly, Aha was the man, Lolo the woman.
To guard against fan-circle attacks, Aha and Lolo always layered on disclaimers before starting.
"Let me state in advance, our comments today are directed at the clothes, not the people. Fans of all idols, please sit tight and hold steady," Lolo said.
Aha picked up, "We all know beauty belongs to the stars, ugly belongs to the outfits. If something goes wrong, blame the stylists. They're the ones who should be sent to the chopping block."
With the disclaimer out of the way, the two began their review. Their channel had a small rule: if the outfit looked good, send the bullet comment '惹', if it didn't, send '切'.
"The first one is our Elder Sister Gu Sisi. She's wearing a Giorgio Armani haute couture dress from the 2018 fall/winter collection. We call this one the 'Fish Princess' series. Honestly, it's a bit outdated, already five years old," Lolo said. "The Fish Princess series released a new version in the 2021 fall/winter season."
"Honestly, compared to that newer Fish Princess line, red and green paired together looks ugly to me, even if it's pink paired with light green," Aha commented. "But I think Gu Sisi's styling team was clever. They didn't compete for the newest trend, only for the best look. And this 2018 dress suits her perfectly."
"I agree, the stylist deserves a drumstick. The Cartier necklace was chosen brilliantly, highlighting all of Gu Sisi's strengths," Lolo added. "Her slender, pale neck and those elegant collarbones. For me, this look was a pleasant little surprise."
"Agreed, a real surprise." Aha turned to the camera. "What do you all think, is it '惹' or '切'?"
The bullet screen filled with comments: [This is the best look of the night], [The most important thing is finding what suits you], [Go Sisi!]. Ninety percent were '惹', only a handful were '切'.
It was clear that actress Gu Sisi's outfit was well-received.
The Hundred Flowers of Popular Film Gala still had seven or eight awards to go, with forty-two films nominated. Entire production teams were allowed to attend, so the red carpet was crowded.
These days, film productions often sacrificed a little for publicity, usually pairing young newcomers with veterans. So the Hundred Flowers red carpet was never as fierce a competition as the Weibo Night one, but it was still a stage for everyone to show their tricks.
Weibo Night was always more dazzling, not because its prestige outweighed the Hundred Flowers Award, but because that platform mostly invited traffic-driven stars. Those without strong works to rely on cared all the more about appearances.
"The fourth look is Zhou Xiangsi, wearing Chanel's 2023 spring/summer line," Aha introduced.
"That's prêt-à-porter?" Lolo looked surprised. She went on, "The silhouette was designed by Virginie Viard. Those who watch this channel know I personally love her work. But this set, I have to say '切'. Especially paired with those blue leather boots, which completely clash with the outfit's elements."
"Too many elements. That's on the designer," Aha said. "And what's with the Swarovski jewelry on her wrists? The pre-event photos showed strappy high heels. Why switch shoes at the last minute? Zhou Xiangsi's greatest advantage is her legs, and this ruined it."
"Is it really that hard to borrow better clothes these days? Zhou Xiangsi is at least a top-tier actress, yet she didn't manage haute couture." Aha shook his head. "And right after this, we have Zhou Yuyi, who's been so popular lately. At least she got Versace prêt-à-porter."
The "badminton youth" had been accused of being arrogant, but his popularity really was surging.
Even though his reputation had plummeted after "beating" countless veteran singers to win I Really Am a Singer, his image as the sporty, chocolate-handsome youth still drew in fans. To Aha, he should have had no trouble borrowing better clothes.
In reality, the jewelry and gowns celebrities wore on the red carpet were almost always borrowed from brands.
Fans often wondered: stars earn so much, why not just buy them outright?But Dior, Chanel and the like charged tens of thousands for the "cheap" haute couture, and millions for the expensive ones. Just like in our world, one famous example was Jennifer Lawrence borrowing a Dior gown worth four million dollars for the Oscars.
At the time, people around the world were shocked. What the hell, who dares sell something for twenty million yuan, does it bite back if you don't pay?
Yes, the handwork, platinum threading, diamonds and such had real material value, but ninety-nine percent of the price was fluff.
So even rich stars couldn't stomach spending that much for a gown they could only wear once or twice.
That was why the standard procedure in the entertainment world was: receive an invitation, get three styling proposals, choose one, then have the stylist borrow from the brand. Haute couture samples had to be shipped from abroad, which took days, but prêt-à-porter was much easier.
Still, if your connections or popularity weren't strong enough, you simply couldn't borrow them. Brands never outright refused, but the answer was always, "Sorry, that dress has already been borrowed by another star."
And if you didn't have a system to absorb negative emotions, it was best not to ask, "Who borrowed it?" or "Is there really only one piece?"
"Now, let's move to the special category. These are either very casual, like Elder Sister Jin Shu, who wore Prada on top and Louis Vuitton below, flaunting her wealth. Or they wear their own designs, like Kurt's streetwear brand Aphrodite. Standard stuff, nothing to critique. But I especially want to talk about Jiu-yé. Yes, the one I both love and hate most," Lolo said.
She added, "I won't say too much about Jiu-yé. If I did, the video wouldn't even pass review. Ever since the Adidas incident, Jiu-yé has never borrowed clothes from big brands. But with Jiu-yé's looks, does he ever look bad in anything?"
Aha continued, "Jiu-yé's outfit is, as always, from his own brand, [Mu · Burning Heat]. You can even find the company info online: [Chu Zhi Clothing (Shancheng) Co., Ltd.], registered last year. From then on, all of Jiu-yé's red carpet appearances have been in this brand."
The two uploaders always called Chu Zhi by his nickname, showing their bias. But they openly admitted it: they were Little Fruits.
"What I hate most—put that in quotes—about Jiu-yé is this," Lolo said. "Normally when a star wears their own brand, it's self-promotion. But Jiu-yé promotes it without even selling clothes. We noticed Mu · Burning Heat last year. There are no stores, nothing online, no way to buy."
"We were so curious we asked Orange Home's customer service. The reply we got was: [Mu · Burning Heat clothing is currently seeking its brand identity, so it has no plans to enter the market]," Lolo said. "It's been a year and a half now, still no sign."
"It must be Jiu-yé's looks that make it work. I personally love the Mu · Burning Heat designs. Tonight's red carpet outfit was a silk shirt, smooth as white waves. The front had nothing but winged collars, but the back was embroidered with a red [木] character motif, paired with a simple, understated lower half. I really love it," Aha said. "If I could get one through the right channels, at a reasonable price, I'd definitely buy."
"Hahaha, but the problem is there are no channels." Lolo laughed. "Jiu-yé, listen to your fans, release the clothes already."