The new première dame
She upstaged every woman at the G8 and looked chic in maternity leggings. How do you follow a multi-talented supermodel? After Francois Hollande’s inauguration today, Valerie Trierweiler plans to blaze a new trail. “I want to represent the image of France, do the necessary smiling, be well-dressed, but it shouldn’t stop there,” she told The Times last week. Women in politics are subject to scrutiny. With Christine Lagarde in Washington a year and Rachida Datí installed in Brussels, Francois Hollande’s female ministers won’t compare unglamorously to their predecessors. Valerie might, but the new première dame’s made a shrewd, if unintentional, style move by establishing herself as Carla’s opposite.
Like disillusioned voters, the fashion set loves a dramatic change. It is as keen on Valerie as on flares after five years of skinny jeans. US Vogue says she has Lauren Bacall’s “sly elegance.” Karl Lagerfeld called her a “handsome woman,” summing up her Katherine Hepburn waves, perfectly-arched brows and strong, slightly masculine energy. Designer Bouchra Jarrar was first to say he wants to dress her. “As for her style, she makes me think of a heroine in a Claude Chabrol movie,” Jarrar told Women’s Wear Daily. “She has an air of [French New Wave actress] Marie-France Pisier, which pleases me a lot and could inspire me.” Valerie’s not an aspiring muse. “I dress in prêt-a-porter (off-the-rail). Lately it has been Georges Rech and Apostrophe, which are quality brands that I have been wearing on television,” she said. “I have never worn dresses by grands couturiers.”
