With her supermodel poise and elegant outfits, it's not often that Carla Bruni is overshadowed. But the French president's wife was far from the centre of attention as she sat next to the First Lady of Cameroon during a Bastille Day parade in Paris. All eyes were on Chantal Biya and her trademark big red hairdo. Her signature look - blow-dried to add layers of volume - is called the 'banane' back home.
Yesterday some of it had been arranged into a loose ponytail. Hair-raising: Chantal's trademark blow-dried style is popular in Cameroon and known as the 'banane'. The striking style has certainly helped Mrs Biya, who wore teal for the Bastille parade, get noticed on the world stage. Miss Bruni opted for her usual demure look in a simple but elegant black dress and kitten heels.
Fourteen African countries are guests of honour today, parading beside the French army on the Champs Elysees. Charmer: President Nicholas Sarkozy wins the female vote as he kisses his wife's hand. Meanwhile the day is clouded by Carla's husband Nicholas Sarkozy who was today fiercely criticised for choosing to celebrate Bastille Day with some of the most notorious war criminals in the world. In what has been described as a cynical publicity stunt, the French President and his wife will line up in Paris with dictators from former African colonies.
Their troops, meanwhile, will march down the Champs Elysee in dress uniforms, despite the fact that many have been linked with murder and torture. Air kiss: The pair appear to be getting along despite their different tastes in fashion.
Most controversial of all are the military representatives from Chad, who took part in a coup d'etat two years ago. Mr Sarkozy, meanwhile, insisted that France had made a clean-break with its colonial past, and simply wanted to invited old friends to celebrate its national celebration.
