Guo Pei: Pop star Rihanna's fashion designer of choice

It took one very long dress, and a few short steps by the woman wearing it - pop star Rihanna - to catapult a Chinese fashion designer to global fame last month.

For those in the know, China's Guo Pei had already long been compared to some of the late fashion industry greats, such as Alexander McQueen and Coco Chanel.
But Chinese fashion design has only recently come of age and, until now, none of its home grown stars had made the leap to becoming an international household name.
Now the combination of Rihanna in a huge yellow dress, and the subsequent press and social media reaction, have done just that for 48-year-old Ms Guo.
The Bajan singer had got in touch with
Ms Guo to ask if she could wear the dress to one of the biggest nights in the fashion calendar - New York's Met Gala. The event is organised to raise funds for the city's Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art's Costume Institute.
The designer was happy to say "yes", but was initially unsure if Rihanna could cope with its substantial weight.
"When Rihanna first saw the dress, she said 'it's so beautiful', but I wasn't so sure that she could handle it," says Ms Guo.
"It was only after she appeared on the red carpet that she sent an email asking how heavy it was. I told her - 25 kg (55lb). I couldn't tell her before because I was afraid she'd say she couldn't wear it."