Main illustration for the third Hanfu Cultural Festival in Xitang in 2015: 16 men in feiyufu, clothes worn by the imperial guards of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). [Photo provided to China Daily]

One Sunday afternoon a little more than 16 years ago, 17 men and three women who stood in a row at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum were given a worldwide fanfare-and it was as much what they were wearing as what they had been talking about that grabbed the world's attention.

People's Daily reported that the main element was "a satin jacket featuring Chinese-style cotton buttons and round flower patterns with peonies surrounding the four letters of APEC, and a white silk shirt". They came in six colors, scarlet, blue, olive green, brown, burgundy and black.

Those who wore these jackets on Oct 21, 2001 were the leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum economies, holding their annual meeting in China for the first time since its founding 12 years earlier.