PARIS — Not since the Kennedy era has an American first lady — and in tow, her presidential husband — been so eagerly awaited in Paris.
Will they hobnob with their French counterparts — President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, former model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy — as the Kennedys did with the de Gaulles during their mythic 1961 visit? Or will they cut loose, Clinton-style, for a spontaneous sightseeing session?
Officials on both sides of the Atlantic were short on specifics about the American first couple’s upcoming weekend in the City of Light.
The White House has only spoken openly about the D-Day commemorations in Normandy.
But French newspapers have speculated the Obamas — and possibly their daughters, Sasha and Malia — will dine atop the Eiffel Tower.
Located on the second level of the 1,024-foot-tall tower, the Jules Verne restaurant boasts commanding views over Paris and a menu by one of the world’s most celebrated chefs, Alain Ducasse. A restaurant spokeswoman declined to comment on the possibility the Obamas would dine there, citing client privacy.
The French press is also atwitter over whether there will be a rematch of the “duel of charm” that pitted Michelle Obama in a glamor contest against Bruni-Sarkozy during the Obamas’ first official visit to France in April.
That fashion face-off, on the sidelines of a NATO summit in the French border city of Strasbourg, was widely considered a tie, with both first ladies’ wardrobes garnering praise by international observers.
It’s still not clear whether Mrs. Obama and Bruni-Sarkozy, an Italian-born model-turned-singer, will meet up this time around, but observers already were speculating about what each might wear for such an occasion.
Paris-based author and fashion critic Dana Thomas said Michelle-watchers can rest assured the first lady has packed just the right looks for the trip.
“Michelle scored big points with the French last week when she wore an Azzedeine Alaia dress,” said Thomas, referring to the Tunisian-born, Paris-based designer known for his slinky dresses. “She’s really clever in embracing French designers,” as well as the young American designers she champions.
Michelle Obama’s elegant personal style and natural charm have won her comparisons with Jackie Kennedy, who captured France’s heart when she and President John F. Kennedy made a celebrated official visit to France in 1961.
Then, people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of Jackie Kennedy — who had French roots and a Sorbonne education and spoke the language of Moliere, albeit with an American accent — as she and her husband were whisked to luncheons and gala dinners hosted by France’s leader, Charles de Gaulle.
The French public was so enamored that the president referred to himself as “the man who accompanied Jackie Kennedy to Paris.”
Like Jackie Kennedy, “Mrs. Obama is exactly the kind of American woman the French adore: a woman who never lost her femininity, who’s smart and dynamic and fabulous in her own right,” Thomas said.
More than 30 years after the Kennedys, Bill and Hillary Clinton also left their mark on Paris.
During their 1994 visit, the pair slipped out of the U.S. ambassador’s residence for an unannounced visit to the Notre Dame, where Bill posed for a snapshot with schoolchildren, and then took a midnight stroll along the River Seine.
After their walk on the Pont des Arts, the Clintons rode in their 20-car motorcade to the Louvre for a private visit to France’s showcase museum. Their guides for the midnight tour? Then-President Francois Mitterrand and world-famous architect I.M. Pei.
In an interview ahead of the Paris trip, Obama praised France, saying the American people love all things Gallic.
Asked what he liked about the country, Obama responded, “Let’s see, we have the food, we have Paris, we got the south of France, Provence, the wine.”
Obama said that he had traveled through France during his college days and that a return trip to the southeastern region of Provence was long overdue, though he acknowledged his French was rusty.
“I studied it in high school and I just forgot it,” he said, adding, “Michelle, I think she speaks a little French.”
“Merci beaucoup,” he said, concluding Tuesday’s 10-minute-long interview on I-Tele and Canal Plus television channels.
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