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Will the real Carla Bruni please stand up?

Is it just me or is anyone else slightly weirded out by the transformation of that self-proclaimed free spirit and sampler of husbands par excellence, Carla Bruni, to what can only be described as a European version of the Stepford Wife?

It may be the required look for her latest role as Presidential arm candy (as opposed to the Versace dash she cut in her groupie years) but Mme Sarkozy's wardrobe for her trip to London has been a proper rib-tickler: the neat little flat pumps an amusing contrast to the stacked shoes sported by tiny Monsieur Sarkozy; the Jackie O style coat/ dress combos; the Queen Liz style hard frame handbags... all topped by a butter-wouldn't-melt expression. 1950's lady-about-town with a dash of French schoolgirl, what could be more fitting for the supermodel turned folk singer turned First Lady?

The main problem faced by the new Mme Sarkozy is the fact that a change of wardrobe is not sufficient to offset her rather mucky reputation. It has been widely alleged that the ex-model -who once told Le Figaro: "I am a tamer [of men], a cat, an Italian... monogamy bores me terribly" - was the reason behind both Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall's and Donald Trump and Marla Maples' estrangements. The father of her only child is philosopher Raphaël Enthoven; not only did their affair break up his marriage to Justine Lévy (novelist daughter of the French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy) but also Carla's relationship with French publisher Jean-Paul Enthoven, the spectacular twist in the tale being that Jean-Paul is Raphaël's father.

Complicated? Hell, yes. Are we fascinated? Of course we are. The Carla Bruni story has all the makings of a Jackie Collins novel; lashings of sex, lots of scandal, a long line of outraged wives and hordes of gullible men being played to perfection by a beautiful man-eater with the morals of an alley-cat and an eye on the main chance. And even better, this is one saga that looks set to roll on and on and on...

Comments

Anonymous said…
Don't you feel sorry for Carla?
She has married a desperado whose wife had just left him and whose father begged him not to marry again. Why did she do it? For fame? She had that anyway. For love? Never! She is not a teenager. I fear that she has made a huge mistake and will flee from Sark within the year.
Kirstie said…
There is so much in your post I agree with; I just couldn't have said it better. I'm pleased I am not the only one who finds it odd.

The Family Coach
Kate B. said…
Hello Anon - sorry is the last thing I feel for Carla! I think she knows exactly what she's doing. Yup, she has fame (although maybe not the right kind, more infamy) and you're quite right, she is not a lovestruck teenager. What she doesn't have, however, is power - which is what she gets as part of the Monsieur S. package, and as many will tell you, power is a potent aphrodisiac.

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