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

The Age

16-07-2025

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.
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.'
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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.