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Disappointingly for observers of the goings-on at the G-20 Summit, Carla Bruni Sarkozy wasn't present, so while the media feigned enthusiasm at the task of judging Michelle Obama's outfits alongside the other First Ladies', it really wasn't much of a competition. Thank goodness, then, that the Obamas are now in France with the Sarkozys, and are faced, as one serious-minded journalist sees it, with a challenge of equal weight: Our president will use the NATO Summit to lobby for more help for allied troops in Afghanistan, and his wife will try with all her might to usurp Carla as the most glamorous First Lady on the planet.

For a photo op this morning, Michelle wore a black and pink floral silk coat with a tie at the neck, while Carla chose a grey silk belted number, also with a neck tie. So far, both stylish yet stately. But wait, Michelle has an ace up her sleeve: Once she removes the coat, we see she's wearing a tight, slash-neck, knee-length Thakoon dress that pulls off the trick she's becoming known for: balancing the appropriate and the avant-garde. Your move, Carla.

War of the First Ladies [Times UK]
Michelle Obama's fashion face-off with Carla Bruni-Sarkozy [Guardian]
Michelle Wows in U.K., Moves On to France [CBS]
Has Carla Bruni turned shy? [DM]