Looks like some fashion drama is brewing in Hong Kong — and it’s over two couture gowns.
Miss Universe Hong Kong 2025 Lizzie Li is embroiled in a spat with an evening gown sponsor over two damaged dresses she wore to the recent Miss Universe Hong Kong 2026 finals.
The sponsor is seeking HK$10,380 (S$1.7K) in repair costs, claiming Lizzie, 28, has refused to pay.
According to TVB current affairs programme Scoop, the pageant’s evening gown sponsor had loaned Lizzie two couture gowns for the event.
An elaborate hand-embellished ball gown, was said to be worth more than HK$100K (S$16.5K), while the other, a mermaid gown, was priced at 72.8K yuan (S$13K).
But according to Ah V, a representative for the sponsor, both came back damaged.
She showed Scoop broken strands of beads and an entire beaded chain that had come off one of the gowns.
Ah V claimed the damage appeared to have been caused by pulling rather than loose stitching.
Repairs were estimated at HK$16K (S$2.64K), but the sponsor offered to share the cost, asking Lizzie to pay HK$10.38K (S$1.7K).
According to Ah V, when Lizzie was told about the compensation upon returning the gowns, she said she didn’t have enough cash on her and was in a rush.
Lizzie later maintained that the damage could have occurred naturally from walking or sitting in the gowns.
She also cited repair costs in Malaysia of RM100 to RM300 (S$31-S$94) and declined to pay the amount requested by the sponsor.
Lizzie has since shared screenshots of her WhatsApp conversations with Ah V on Instagram Stories, denying that she deliberately or negligently damaged the gowns.
She said she had only made normal movements while wearing them, such as raising her arms to pose for photos and sitting down, and believes the damage could have been due to normal wear and tear or loose stitching.
Lizzie also disputed claims that she had simply refused to pay.
She said that if she was expected to bear the repair costs, the sponsor should provide the original purchase receipts for both gowns, as well as an official repair invoice.
Alternatively, she offered to pay the full cost of having the gowns repaired by an independent couture tailor.
As the gowns were provided as part of a pageant sponsorship, Lizzie also argued that the sponsor should first seek compensation through its sponsorship agreement or business insurance.
What appeared to irk Lizzie most, however, was the sponsor taking the dispute public while the two sides were still in talks.
She said their last conversation was in the early hours of Sep 22, after which the sponsor went public without communicating with her further.
Lizzie accused the sponsor of using an unverified and unsigned invoice to claim on social media that she had refused to pay, while tagging several media outlets.
She called the posts “defamatory”, saying they had damaged her reputation, and demanded that they be taken down.
According to the WhatsApp screenshots, the sponsor replied that it was under no obligation to provide the documents Lizzie had requested.