Fashion and Politics gel well. Since French president Francois Hollande is expected to propose a same-sex marriage bill this Friday, Karl Lagerfeld thought it to be apt to show his support for gay marriage. Karl Lagerfeld sent not one – but two — brides down the runway for the finale of his spring 2013 Chanel Haute Couture in Paris early Tuesday. The two models, in identical feathered wedding dresses and headpieces, walked hand-in-hand down the runway.
As always Chanel’s haute couture runway played stage to some of the most theatrical make up we’ve seen so far; taking two of next season’s major beauty trends – the smoky eye and messy up-style – and giving them both a very gothic twist in the tale.
The Chanel spring-summer 2013 haute 
couture collection consisted of ensembles focussing on the shoulder with lots of off-shoulder dresses, delicate black Chantilly lace layered over a cream bouclé suit, worn with thigh high skinny leather boots and peep-toes, the beaded, embroidered and sequined flowers blossoming across long column dresses and cinched with spaghetti-thin red belts, 60s inspired tube dresses and empire line gowns.
Yet another blow to Galliano. John Galliano, decorated as a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor at the Élysée Palace in 2010, has been stripped of the merit award. On Jun 23, 2010, John Galliano was awarded one of France’s highest honors: he was named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. And just over two years later, he’s been stripped of his award.
Following Galliano’s conviction last year for making racist and anti-Semitic slurs, President Francois Hollande, who serves as the grand master of the Order, revoked the decoration. Giorgio Armani, Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Nicole Farhi and Sonia Rykiel are all recipients of the prestigious award and Anna Wintour was the most recent fashion marquis to receive the Legion of Honor.
What makes the stripping of Legion of Honor award a big news is that it’s a rare occurrence. In fact the infamous Panamanian dictator – Manuel Noreiga still hold on to his Legion of Honor.
In France indeed, the time of bling bling may well be over. Carla Bruni’s popularity was plummeting–not only was she nicknamed ‘a wannabe Jackie Kennedy’, but her taste for luxury also received increasingly bitter reactions as her country fell deeper in a recession. No one seemed impressed any more with her Chanel suits and Chaumet jewelry.
This past weekend, France didn’t only elect socialist François Hollande as its new president; the country also welcomed a first lady – Valérie Trierweiler - diametrically opposed to Carla Bruni. A 47-year-old journalist sans Botox, divorced with three children, she is not François’s new wife but long-term girlfriend–a definite novelty for the Elysée.
Valérie has already sold herself as the “anti-Bruni,” preferring tailored professional looks and shopping at markets to sharp sheath dresses and Avenue Montaigne boutiques. Her clothes come from high-street shops and mid-range labels. Her trademark look consists of a trench-coat or a blazer, a simple shirt, ample trousers and small heels. Those are often accessorized by a Gérard Darel handback and a colorful silk scarf. Carla Bruni might have been voted one of the world’s best dressed women by Vanity Fair, but Valérie is the true mirror of French women’s almost unconscious chic.