Tuesday 15 May 2012

First Ladies, Style and the Law.

Our new president François Hollande, was sworn in this morning and of course the incoming and outgoing first ladies turned up for the show as well. Looking at these two women, I was struck by how scruffy and rather dowdy Carla Bruni-Sarkosy looked (pictured right) compared to the new first lady, Valerie Trierweiler (pictured below). I think someone should have told Carla to at least iron her trousers and blouse before she went out this morning. But more than that, this horrible outfit also reminded me of an article I read in a Dutch newspaper about a week ago about how women should dress in France.

Apparently on 26 brumaire in the year VIII on the Republican calendar - or 17 November 1799, if you stick to recognisable dates - a law was passed to say that women must dress as women, in other words they should not wear trousers. It goes on to say that every woman who wants to dress as a man must report to the local préfecture and request permission. Whilst this law has been amended in 1892 and again in 1909 allowing women to wear trousers if they are on a horse or a bicycle, it has never been repealed.

So not only was Carla committing a fate style error but she was also, most probably, breaking the law.

Having said that, now that her hubby is unemployed, perhaps they had to go home by bike.

La Tuilerie Website

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