Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan bid farewell as they board their plane to depart from the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on March 25, 2013.

Ivan Sekretarev / AP

Glamorous first lady Peng Liyuan has emerged as a Chinese diplomatic star, charming audiences and cutting a distinct profile from her all-but-invisible predecessors on her debut official trip abroad.

Peng was featured prominently in Chinese media coverage of her husband President Xi Jinping's state visit to Russia, the start of a trip that has also seen stops in Tanzania and South Africa.

Much of the coverage focused on her personal style, with a report on the mass-market sina.com website noting with satisfaction that the black leather clutch she paired with one outfit was made to order by a Chinese firm in the southwestern city of Chengdu, a flattering contrast with prominent Chinese female politicians scorned publicly for appearing decked head to toe in foreign designer brands.

-- The Associated Press

Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

Peng Liyuan looks at a traditional Tanzanian entertainer during the welcoming ceremony upon her arrival in Dar es Salaam on March 24, 2013.

EPA

Peng Liyuan observes a moment of silence during a visit to Gongo la Mboto cemetery, where Chinese workers who died while constructing a railway are buried, on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam on March 25, 2013.

Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma shares a joke with Peng Liyuan during an official lunch hosted by Zuma and his wife in Pretoria on March 26, 2013.

Related:

Sign here, Mr. President: China's Xi completes rise to the top

China's president-in-waiting Xi Jinping returns to Iowa

More news from China on NBC's Behind the Wall

Photos by Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP - Getty Images

Marionettes present creations by Fause Haten during Fashion Week for 2013 Summer collections, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on March 20, 2013. Real size collections showed after the puppet fashion show.

See the embedded youtube video below to see how the puppets are created.

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Dolores Ochoa / AP

Helianny Garcia uses crutches as she parades down the catwalk during Bionic Fashion Day at the Metropolitan Cultural Center in Quito, Ecuador, on Feb. 5. Garcia is a cancer survivor from Venezuela whose right leg was amputated in her fight against the disease.

Published at 3:53 p.m. ET: As Fashion Week starts today in New York, the catwalks will be filled with implausibly thin models who embody a very particular idea of physical perfection, but in Ecuador on Tuesday a different kind of fashion show took place. At Bionic Fashion Day the models were young cancer survivors who had lost limbs to the disease. Sixteen models from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador wore creations by Ecuadorean designers at an event organized by the Youth Against Cancer Foundation. The event aimed to counter stereotypes and break down social barriers for cancer patients and survivors. 

Editor's note: All photos are from Feb. 5 and were made available to NBC News on Feb. 7. 

Dolores Ochoa / AP

Cintia Caraguay of Ecuador prepares to model a creation before the start of Bionic Fashion Day. Caraguay lost her right leg to cancer.

Dolores Ochoa / AP

Eric Salas from Venezuela, who lost his right arm to cancer, is prepared to model clothing at Bionic Fashion Day.

Dolores Ochoa / AP

Yulexi Chevez of Ecuador is assisted as she parades down the catwalk using her prosthetic leg at Bionic Fashion Day.

Dolores Ochoa / AP

Arli Mujica, from Venezuela, supports herself on crutches as she wears a piece of her costume before the start of Bionic Fashion Day. Mujica is a former runner who lost her left leg to cancer. Today, Mujica is a competitive swimmer at the paralympic level.

Related content:

Woman with terminal cancer a model of beauty in Paris photo shoot

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Marcelo Del Pozo / Reuters

Spanish model Marta Garcia, wearing a creation by Cristina Garcia, poses backstage during the International Flamenco Fashion Show (SIMOF) in the Andalusian capital of Seville January 31, 2013. The show will run until February 3.

Marcelo Del Pozo / Reuters

Models are seen backstage before the start of the International Flamenco Fashion Show.

Marcelo Del Pozo / Reuters

Spanish model Claudia Jimenez, wears a creation by Cristina Garcia and poses backstage.

• More Photoblog from Spain

Vogue

Models Chanel Iman and karlie Kloss pose with the FDNY.

"When Hurricane Sandy hit, the city's bravest and brightest punched back," the magazine wrote in its story "Storm Troupers." "With the area now on the mend, we paid these stalwart souls a visit, dressed up in the best of the New York collections. Call them New York's other finest."

The result is a striking collection of images shot by legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz, featuring models flanking firemen, Con Ed workers, and neonatal caregivers, among others. Each image is accompanied by a photo caption from a Sandy hero, detailing what they went through during the storm. (For the full set of photos, head over to Vogue.)

Vogue

Iman, Kloss and model Kasia Struss pay tribute to the Coast Guard.

Slate was even harsher on the magazine, calling it an "awful photo spread" and accusing Leibovitz of turning "firefighters, army reservists, and Con Ed workers into props."

"Did Leibovitz not realize that the real, non-model people in her lens were 20,000 times more captivating and alive than the models or the clothes?" the site asked.

Vogue

Struss and Kloss with the Air NYPD.

Reaction to the spread on Vogue's own Facebook page has been mixed. A post featuring the images has garnered over 3,300 likes, but the comments have been split.

"Ridiculous...bad taste...and yes trying way too hard!" one commenter wrote.

Vogue

The images are featured in the February issue of Vogue.

"I guess you either hate it or love it," wrote another. "I loved it!"

Many in the fashion world ultimately defended the photos, arguing Vogue's efforts to aid in Sandy relief justified the images.

"At first glance, seeing Karlie Kloss, Chanel Iman, and Arizona Muse next to Hurricane Sandy first responders feels a bit...incongruous, like the Vogue shoot is trying to glam up the crucial, hard-working, and decidedly unglamorous heroes," said fashion blog Refinery 29. "But as the Annie Leibowitz-shot spread continues, with the three atop a Coast Guard boat, or coddling babies at the Bellevue Neo-Natal Unit, it is clear the spread is less about sugar-coating tragedy, and more about New York fashion uniting to support the cause."

What do you think: Did these photos go too far?

More from TODAY:

Tyrone Siu / Reuters

Liu Qianping, 72, also known as "MaDiGaGa," poses during a modeling shoot in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Nov. 24, 2012.

Tyrone Siu / Reuters

Lu Ting puts a wig on Liu Qianping during a modeling shoot in Guangzhou, Nov. 24.

Stefanie McIntyre, Reuters — Liu Qianping was visiting his 24-year-old granddaughter in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou recently when the women's clothes the aspiring fashion entrepreneur was packing into boxes caught his eye.

His visit came as the model that granddaughter Lu Ting and four friends had booked for a photo shoot to promote their online fashion business suddenly cancelled, dealing a setback to their new venture.

But Liu, a 72-year-old former farmer visiting to escape the chilly winter of central Hunan province, stepped in to help.

"I walked into the room and saw them packing up some clothes and I thought they looked quite interesting and quite cute," Liu told Reuters.

"So I tried on a jacket and they found it really funny, and I thought it was quite funny. So they asked if they could take pictures of me and post them on the Internet to sell the clothes. And I said, 'why not?'"

Full story…

EDITOR'S NOTE: Images made available to NBC News on Nov. 26

Related Article: From farmer to supermodel: China’s latest fashion sensation is 72-year-old granddad

Tyrone Siu / Reuters

Liu Qianping is helped during a modelling shoot in Guangzhou, China, Nov. 24.

Tyrone Siu / Reuters

Liu Qianping talks to his granddaughter Lu Ting during a modeling shoot in Guangzhou, China, Nov. 24.

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Feng Li / Getty Images

A model is prepped backstage before revealing part of the SEC Qi Gang Collection during China Fashion Week in Beijing, China, Oct. 26, 2012. China Fashion Week runs Oct. 24 to Nov. 3.

Ed Jones / AFP - Getty Images

A Model waits backstage prior to the SEC Qi Gang fashion show during China Fashion Week in Beijing on Oct. 26.

Lintao Zhang / Getty Images

A model receives final touches to her outfit during the SEC Qi Gang Collection of China Fashion Week in Beijing, Oct. 26.

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