Ze bra, ou non?
Carla Bruni. State dinner. Roland Mouret dress. No bra. Should she have? (Pausing for your thoughts.)
My first impression was to remind myself that French women will present a different breast profile than North American women.
Seventy years of underwire have given us a high-bustline aesthetic, with the desired position nearly under the armpit. We hike 'em waaaay up whether they were stuck there originally or not.
The European women is more concerned with breast proportion than position on her torso, and will tolerate a more natural presentation lower on the ribcage. Ms Bruni evidently assessed her bust as small enough to go comandette, satisfied with their somewhat low placement.
I have not appeared braless in public for over thirty years. But time was, as a barely-A cup, I would have– though not to a state dinner. Because you know they'll be noticed, in between discussions of Greece's troubles.Americ
an press was negative about Bruni's bosom, but then, they pitched a fit when Hilary showed a hint of cleavage.
Those girls got nothin' on Angela Merkel, whose lush décolleté plongeant makes Carla look a bit Flattie Mattie. It fait chaud au balcon!
Comments
Well, even when I was young and wasp-waisted, I was more like Sophia and Jayne than Carla, so no braless look in public.
I think Carla looks just fine. She also looks very good in that particular blue - what would you call it, a deep teal?
Now, Angela is indeed lush, but more like an opera singer than a head of state - suitably formal, but 1.5 inches too low.
I enjoy your comments about the differences between cultures and sensibilities and like lagatta's as well. Many thanks.
Normally I would think it's great that she didn't wear a bra. But under the circumstances, I think it was a distraction-- so, not the best choice.
http://operachic.typepad.com/opera_chic/2008/04/bavarian-govern.html
She's certainly got the breasts to sport that look (though I know RM's dresses are engineered to the nth degree, so I think there's a bit of built-in support).
The nipple show-through is really the only giveaway, and that would occur with anything but a molded or lined bra.
[Which I wear now for anatomical reasons--but in the 80s, certainly neither I nor my suburban friends had them in our repertoire: stretch fabric underwires ruled. We no doubt showed many a nipple when we thought we were being proper!]
That said, It's hysterical to me that women are routinely shown with their (often fake) breasts 90% exposed, but a little nipple outline on a winter evening is shocking.
That said, I think Carla's anatomical distractions go far beyond the nipples, which if detectable are fairly discreet -- it's the sexiness of the subdued-yet-fitted dress that makes them -- whoops! I want to say "pop" or "stand out." In other circs, I don't know that it would be a big deal, but let's face it, if she has attracted attention to her nipples, she probably is dressing inappropriately to her position. I suspect the fine print for that job description says something about keeping the press distracted from the mammaries. just saying . . .
Such fun! I'll be checking this discussion all day. Thanks, Duchesse
I haven't been able to go braless since I was twelve. I envy you A-cups. I've graduated in the past year to molded cups; they do prevent the "headlights," which even my highly engineered lace underwires did not.
Angela Merkel looks very nice, and the standing photos are not so revealing. She was not at a state event unless one considers that a head of state is always on duty. Why should she not dress to show her feminine side, and yes perhaps she could have shown less cleavage, but it is sometimes the demands of excessive modesty become aging and frumpy.
Why does anyone outside of the immediate sphere of influence consider this important?
Great post!
I thought all in all she looked unkempt, (hair included) for the First Lady of France. Maybe she's wearing one of those filmy bras.
Perhaps I've missed it, but I have yet to see a reaction from the French. If I do I'll report back.
Honestly I think generally, wherever women like to hike them up or let them fall is their own business.
Unless above mentioned placements are seriously out of place to an occasion -- frankly who cares?
Perhaps Angela who is always so buttoned-up had a reason for the cleavage display: to show her feminine side? The dress looks dangerous though.
A little cleavage from Hillary? My, my what a scandal. Americans can be so ridiculous. I assume she was not in a country where she could have culturally caused offense.
We all remember the '70s when nipples were an essential part of the 'natural look'. We wanted to look natural and nipples were natural. Since they've been hidden in essentially padded bras for the last 20 years they seem to have become fascinating objects of desire. A nipple is of course sensual, but also reminds us (and particularly men) that there's a function for those bits that have nothing to do with men. It's disturbing, unsettling, a very effective distraction from Madam Sarkozy.
Padded bras or underwire (however you want to describe the vast majority of bras available today) can look pretty fake on skinny broads - Carla is one such broad. I am another. I have always felt really fake wearing a nipple-hiding bra because it looks so unnatural to have these things jutting out from my otherwise flat frame. I've only just rediscovered thin liners which is all I need at this, post child-bearing phase of life. I'm throwing caution to the wind, or at least nipples. Would I flaunt them at a state dinner? I'm no supermodel - they'd be discreetly managed in a different dress.
I adore Angela Merkel's bosom. Adore it! You always want what you don't have. I think it's great that she's reminding us that she is also a woman. Pourquoi pas?
Angela, on the other hand, looks ghastly with her pendulous udders. She might have had a bra on but it wasn't a good one. Might have just as well gone without for all the effect it had. If Angie wanted to rock the look, she needed to hoist those babies up so that they had somewhat of a curve.
And nobody seems phased by nipples. People are very phased by other things.
I'd love to be able to wear Carla's dress, but one would have to be an ex-model...
And my boobs are more like Angela's, though she is a more squarish build than I am. They are not udders, for the simple fact that we are human beings, not cows. If I recall she wore that dress to the Opera. Germanic societies are funny that way; in general business dress is very conservative and more stodgy than in France or Italy, Carla's countries. But ladies go ALL OUT for the opera in Germany and Austrial.
Would you be voicing that same opinion if Nicholas had shown up for the State dinner wearing an open shirt & exposing his chest hair? It's a matter of dressing appropriately for the occasion.
To wear very low-cut to cocktails is a gaffe.
At a dinner party, you could wear somewhat low-cut but not as low as she's in.
These "rules" may be a bit dated and women are more flexible about them today, but you would still be considered well-dressed if following them.
Carla can take care of herself. So can Hilary and Angela, I suppose. I was horrified by Hilary's treatment during the campaign. It led to the one divergent vote of my marriage: I voted for Hillary, Mr. FS went for Obama.
Hilary is barely showing cleavage.
Angela - that's probably going slightly too far.
Ms. Bruni looks beautiful but for a state dinner I would have opted for a bra that gave greater nipple coverage. She needs not an iota of hoisting but an extra mm. or two of cloth over the chest might have been appreciated.