When Francois Hollande won the French presidential election this past Sunday, many turned their attention to Valerie Trierweiler, Hollande's girlfriend and France's next "first lady."
Most talked about is her unmarried status (technically she is Hollande's girlfriend, although the two have been a couple for years and live together). But we are more intrigued by Trierweiler's down-to-earth style, which reflects her "regular woman" status.
In a new interview with The Times, France's new "first lady" admits that she hasn't yet embraced high fashion, saying, "For the moment I dress in prêt-à-porter...I have never worn dresses by grands couturiers." She also tells The Times offhand, "I have put on 5kg (11 lbs) during the campaign," sounding unconcerned. (You go, girl.)
The working mom of three boys does pause at taking on the esteemed First Lady status. "When you say I'm the equivalent of Michelle Obama, I don’t believe my eyes or my ears," Trierweiler says.
But she may be more like FLOTUS than she knows:
"This role [of First Lady] makes me a little uncomfortable, but I will manage very well if it is not limited just to that. I want to represent the image of France, do the necessary smiling, be well dressed, but it shouldn’t stop there."
Well-dressed with a substantive message to deliver? A working mom with a keen fashion sense and a good head on her shoulders? A penchant for affordable, off-the-rack clothing? Sounds like someone else we know.
So as France's première dame, will Trierweiler embrace the high fashion she "never" wore before? How will her style change? We'll be watching as Francois Hollande is sworn in on May 15...
