The $599 fashion diplomacy from Jodie Haydon with Albanese in China

8 hours ago 4

In a move straight from the royal family’s fashion handbook, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s fiancee Jodie Haydon demonstrated she is ready for the dressing demands of being Australia’s unofficial first lady.

Accompanying Albanese on the Great Wall of China, wrapping up a six-day trip to the Asian superpower, Haydon wore a $599 short-sleeve midi-dress with a floral print and mandarin collar by Australian label Leo Lin.

Like Princess Catherine greeting French president Emmanuel Macron in the UK last week, wearing the Parisienne label Dior, Haydon practised fashion diplomacy by paying tribute to her host country and wearing a label with Chinese connections.

Jodie Haydon in a dress from Australian label Leo Lin and her fiance, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the Great Wall of China.

The brand’s founder, Leo Lin, moved to Melbourne from China for his education when he was aged 16, staying on to explore fashion design and assemble his studio in Sydney.

“As an Australian-Chinese brand, we are thrilled to see Jodie Haydon wearing Leo Lin in Leo’s home country,” said Laura Good, head of brand at Leo Lin. “Ms Haydon has been a strong supporter of the Leo Lin label for some time and we loved welcoming her in to our Sydney showroom ahead of the trip.”

Leo Lin is stocked in Hong Kong but has been focusing on US expansion for three years, taking over the store windows of Bloomingdales department store in New York in May.

“I truly would love to see Leo Lin in all the best retailers in the world,” Lin said at the unveiling. “Success in the US is fundamental to Leo Lin’s global success, with some of the best international retailers based in this market.”

Haydon’s breezy outfit was a contemporary update of a belted floral shirt dress worn by Tamie Fraser with then prime minister Malcolm Fraser on the Great Wall in 1976. Haydon provided a modern twist, wearing white sneakers for the walk.

In 1976, Malcolm Fraser wore a suit and tie but Albanese’s form-fitting pale blue polo shirt was sartorially closer to former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s classic white polo shirt, worn at the landmark in 1971.

The fashion footing of Haydon, head of strategic partnerships at Teachers Mutual Bank, has been assured since Albanese became Prime Minister in May 2022.

For her first official international engagement at a gala dinner hosted by Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia at the meeting of the NATO military alliance in Madrid, Haydon wore Australian designer Karen Gee. Having dressed Meghan Duchess of Sussex for her first visit to Australian in 2018, Gee was a safe choice.

“Jodie’s approach to fashion is a harmonious blend of classic elegance, personal flair of colour, and thoughtful sustainability,” Gee said. “She consistently opts for timeless silhouettes that are tailored to flatter her figure.”

Haydon has also appeared in outfits from Carla Zampatti and Perth label Morrison, which she wore when announcing her engagement to Albanese in February last year.

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