In Which I Prove the Greatness That Is Carla Bruni

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

   Exhibit C 

As a devoted follower of Carla Bruni, I never felt quite— right— fawning over Michelle Obama.  I don't cheat on my style icons.  Nevertheless, it was about time the White House stopped being the headquarters of the Oscar de la Renta crowd.  I'm glad that Michelle embraces new designers like Jason Wu, stalwarts such as Narciso Rodriquez and European designers like Azzedine Alaia.  And of course, I have to love a woman who shops at my beloved J. Crew.  Up until this week's trip to Europe, her open, quasi-experimental take on fashion was starting to win me over.  Yet when standing next to Carla, Michelle's "genius" lost some serious points in my mind.  Sure, Carla wore Dior all freaking weekend— but she looked adorable, and knew it too.  Despite Carla's arguably yawn-inducing tendencies to stick to the classic houses, neutrals and flats (damn you, Sarko), she still managed to outshine the supposed ingenue.  How can this be?  Carla knows her body and what works with it.  Exhibit A: Though Michelle's Thakoon and Carla's Dior coats are similar in intent, Carla's reaches a level of grace through perfect tailoring, a cinched waist and luxurious fabric.  Michelle's is colorful and whimsical.  Good for her.  But in the end, it makes her look 20 lbs. heavier.  The same mistake can be seen in Exhibit B.  Michelle is fit, don't get me wrong.  I have seen the arms.  But the A-line combined with the layers and ruffles on her dress make her look huge on the bottom, whereas Carla shows off her perfect figure AND plays the cute card with her jewel-toned clutch and detailed neckline.  The other reason for Carla's infinite superiority is less definable.  In the same way that I will never be Jane Birkin no matter how I cut my hair or how many Repettos I buy, Michelle will never be Carla (or Jackie O for that matter) no matter how she dresses.  Few people can achieve the level of stylish, personal ease Carla has reached.  It requires a certain something that I'm guessing she didn't buy at Colette.  Even though Michelle dresses similarly to Carla in Exhibit C, Carla still steals the attention, making anyone in her immediate range appear dumpy by comparison.  Not because of novelty or blatant sex appeal, but because she manages to turn an everyday knee-length coat and black slacks into something ethereal.

Angela Merkel, I have nothing to say to you.

All images from Getty.