This old thing? Ziyi Zhang is mocked for sporting it

It was an actress’ worst nightmare come true.

While promoting her new movie at the Venice Film Festival this week, Ziyi Zhang -- who starred in Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” -- wore the same low-cut polka-dot dress that actress Xu Jinglei wore two months ago.

“Zhang, who occasionally fumbles her wardrobe, wore the same outfit that Xu Jinglei wore at a press conference earlier,” said a story in the Oriental Daily News. “What a big strategic mistake.”

Xu wore the dress -- which is identified by the Apple Daily newspaper as an Emporio Armani design -- at a July news conference in Hong Kong to promote the upcoming “Confession of Pain.”

“Zhang Ziyi wears Xu Jinglei’s old dress,” said the headline in Apple Daily’s entertainment section Monday.

The newspaper also ran a photo of Zhang chatting with Zhou Xun, an actress from her new movie “The Banquet,” with a comic-like dialogue box that jokingly quotes Zhou as saying, “Poor you, wearing someone’s old dress.”