Head of states might be calling the shots when it comes to politics, however, it’s the first ladies who win the world over with grace and style. As China’s First Lady Peng Liyuan’s impeccable looks stole the spotlight at the much anticipated Xi-Trump summit this week, we take a look at some of the most stylish stateswomen of our times.

A revolution in consumer sentiment has spread across China. “Made in China” no longer inherently means cheap, inferior, and unfashionable. The respectable Chinese brand has emerged, and some have not only caught up with their more established foreign rivals but have actually started to surpass them in China and beyond.

Women’s empowerment may not replace climate change as the next top priority on the global agenda. But behind the emergence of politicized gender issues, reshuffled coalitions of political and economic interests among major powers are underway. China will undoubtedly be an active leader for designing international governance focused on women’s empowerment.

The appearances of Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan in her tailored suits and gowns left Britain’s press swooning – describing her as “graceful”, “stunning”, “sophisticated”, “glamorous” and “chic” – during President Xi Jinping’s four-day state visit to the United Kingdom last week.

“China has conveyed kindness and goodwill to the world through the first lady’s public diplomacy”, and Peng has “enchanted local and foreign media”, according to a research from research by Renmin University of China, via CNBC.

Liyuan's public persona has not disappointed in providing a spark of personality to China's image abroad. The high-profile spouse, widely regarded as the most visible since since Jiang Qing, the late wife of revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, has played a significant role in diplomacy.

Peng Liyuan, the celebrity wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, has played a key role in successfully projecting the Communist giant's soft power abroad through her public diplomacy, according to a study on the country's first lady.