First Lady of Style

When a President marries an ex-supermodel, style and politics collide and fashionistas suddenly become interested in foreign affairs! Born in Turin on December 23, 1967, Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi was heiress to the Italian tyre manufacturing company CEAT, founded in the 1920s by her grandfather.

The family moved to France in 1973 and, later, Carla attended boarding school in Switzerland. She returned to Paris to study art and architecture, but left school at 19 to become a model.

Paul Marciano, President and Creative Director of Guess Inc, choose her to model campaign for Guess jeans. She subsequently worked for designers and fashion house such as Christian Dior, Paco Rabanne, Sonia Rykiel, Christian Lacroix, Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Yves Saint-Laurent, Chanel and Versace.

By the 1990s, Carla was among the world's 20 highest-paid fashion models. In 1997, she quit the world of fashion to devote herself to music. She records for the French independent record label Naïve and she has just released her third album: "Comme si de rien n'etait" (As if nothing happened). Royalties from the album will be donated to charity.