Michelle makes a fashion statement in Paris

PARIS: Michelle Obama, whom French fashionistas regard as the best-dressed American first lady since Jackie Kennedy, lived up to her sartorial reputation during her trip to Paris, sporting a wardrobe of fashion-forward classics by top American designers.

But the woman who put unstuffy retailers like J. Crew on the fashion map also showed a weakness for high-end fashion "a la francaise," taking her two daughters on a private shopping trip to the exclusive children's couture house Bonpoint.

Mrs Obama's visit to the City of Light was widely billed as a rematch of the "duel of charm" that pitted her in a glamour contest against France's first lady, former supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.