Muse of designers and artists, fan of rock stars, successful singer and First Lady of France. Very few people can reinvent themselves and successfully accomplish such different roles in a single lifetime. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has done that and more with elegance and ease.
At 46, the author of the international musical hit Quelqu´un m´a dit comes back to pose as a model for one of the most luxurious jewelry brands in the world, Bulgari. When it seemed her life was centered around her recent maternity and her music, Bruni surprises us again.
This collaboration has been most peculiar. Terry Richardson, the photographer responsible for the campaign, is one of the most relevant creative talents in the current international art scene. Although his irreverent, erotic portraits don’t necessarily represent the seriousness of the Italian brand, we can see he has temporarily put aside his wild side to execute this campaign.
The snapshots highlight the natural beauty and sophistication we expect from the former First Lady. The photo session was held in Rome, and it featured an exultant, attractive protagonist covered in luxurious jewelry. “Bulgari is for me the symbol of passion and of this vivid and colorful Roman gaiety”, said the beautiful Italian.
Carla Gilberta Bruni-Tedeschi was born in Turin (Italy) into a family of creative talents. Her father, Alberto Bruni-Tedeschi, was an opera composer, although the family´s main source of income came from different business lines. Her mother, Marisa Borini, played the piano and performed in a few plays during her youth. The young Carla was surrounded by music since childhood, and learned how to play several instruments.
She received a strict boarding school education in France and Switzerland, and later initiated studies in architecture, but destiny marked a different path for the young girl. She abandoned her studies to focus on a modeling career. Her spectacular body, feline beauty and ardent determination led her to success. In the 1990s she became one of the best paid models in the world and joined the select circle of Supermodels, alongside Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer and Helena Christensen. The top models took over the modeling industry and graced thousands of coveted magazine covers and hundreds of ad campaigns for famous designers, like Versace, Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel.
At the same time her personal life could not be more eventful: she captivated the hearts of rock stars and actors such as Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Vincent Pérez and Kevin Costner, among others. But the man she chose to be the father of her first son Aurélien was the handsome philosopher Raphael Enthoven.
In 1997, Carla left the fashion world to concentrate on her singing career. As with every project she undertakes, she was quite successful. Her critically acclaimed album Quelqu´un m´a dit sold two million copies around the world. She performed with her acoustic guitar, but her magnetism completely filled the stage and enthralled audiences.
By 2008 her life was about to dramatically change, once again. After a frugal courtship followed by a quick wedding, she married Nicolas Sarkozy, at the time President of French Republic, and became France’s First Lady. She assumed her new role in her own way. She did not get involved in political affairs and her participation in official acts was strategically limited, but every time the couple appeared in public, it was the source of great anticipation and high expectations. Fans and detractors painstakingly studied the gowns she wore, the height of her heels, and the handbags and hats that complemented each outfit. However, being the center of attention was business as usual for Bruni, and she learned to balance her role as consort with that of mother and singer.
A couple of years after leaving the Élysée Palace she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Giulia Sarkozy. In addition she has a new album out, and now returns to modeling as the new face of Bulgari. She looks dazzling, renewed and radiant. Carla Bruni’s new cycle has just begun. ■
