What does a first lady do after her husband is no longer in office?


If you're Carla Bruni, you toss off the pillbox hats and Dior suits, throw on some leather pants and sunglasses and get yourself to a fashion show. The former French first lady, wife to Nicolas Sarkozy, popped up at the Schiaparelli Couture show on Monday, posing on the red carpet with Farida Khelfa, a French actress and the "ambassador" of the newly-revived Schiaparelli brand.


Bruni was right at home in the fashion spotlight, of course. Before her stint in Élysée Palace, she was a fashion model and then a pop star, the latter of which she still maintains as an active title. She's actually in the middle of a tour, bringing her breathy French tunes across Europe in a series of concerts.


We bet leather pants are part of her onstage wardrobe.


PHOTOS:


carla bruni fashion show


carla bruni fashion show


carla bruni fashion show


We love this woman:



Loading Slideshow...



  • Olga Rego 1995




  • Versace Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1996




  • Christian Lacroix Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1996




  • Yves Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 1996




  • Paco Rabanne Spring/Summer 1996




  • Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1996




  • Valentino Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1996




  • Christian Dior Fall/Winter 1996




  • Christian Dior Fall/Winter 1996




  • Swish Jeans Fall/Winter 1997




  • McQueen For Givenchy Fall/Winter 1997




  • Yves Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 1996




  • Versace Fall/Winter 1996




  • Yves Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 1997




  • Dior Spring/Summer 1997




  • John Galliano Spring/Summer 1998




  • Jean-Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2002




  • Jean-Paul Gaultier Fall/Winter 2002




  • YSL's Farewell Show in 2002




  • February 2006




  • April 2007




  • March 2008




  • March 2008




  • March 2008




  • March 2008




  • April 2008




  • August 2008




  • December 2008




  • March 2009




  • April 2009




  • April 2009




  • April 2009




  • June 2009




  • September 2008




  • January 2011


    Getty photo




  • January 2011


    Getty photo




  • January 2011


    Getty photo




  • January 2011


    AP Photo




  • January 2011


    Getty photo




  • March 2011


    Getty photo




  • March 2011


    Getty photo




  • May 2011


    Getty photo




  • May 2011 in a Chanel Haute Couture ensemble


    Getty photo




  • May 2011


    Getty photo




  • May 2011


    Getty photo




  • May 2011


    Getty photo




  • July 2011 on vacation in France


    Getty photo




  • October 2011


    (Splash News photo)




  • December 2011


    (AFP photo)




  • December 2011


    Getty photo




  • December 2011


    (AFP photo)





Want more? Be sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostStyle.