All hail Carla Bruni

Belle of the ball, Carla Bruni wows a French crowd at Annual Sidaction AIDS Benefit Gala

The world has been starved of Carla Bruni chic over the last few months but France’s First Lady stepped back into the limelight last night and made up for her public absence in a stunning Yves Saint Laurent plum column dress.

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Making her mark on the style world with her first appearance at a fashion event, Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy stole the show at the Annual Sidaction AIDS Benefit Gala , which also marked the end of another couture season in Paris.

Gala guest, Jean Paul Gaultier, told Women's Wear Daily: ‘Maybe she’ll sing,’ but sadly Bruni’s vocal chords were under wraps.

The belle of the ball was a special guest and sponsor at the annual dinner – a cause close to Bruni’s heart after her brother died of Aids in 2006. Bruni has been an active campaigner ever since and last month became an ambassador for the Global Fund to Fight Aids.

The glittering evening drew an A-list crowd, with everyone singing the First Lady’s praises. Vanessa Paradi, in a pastel pink strapless minidress and a dusty pink shaggy coat, gushed: ‘She’s beautiful and thoughtful; I have so much respect fo her.’

Meanwhile long-standing couple Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson arrived for the event, dressed in other-era styles. Jackson donned a three-piece suit, open-neck and spotty cravat, while Kruger wore a nude cutaway dress, high at the hem and graduated to the floor at the back.

While Bruni arrived at the event alone, Mr President showed up after the first course, prompting a standing ovation.

SEE BRUNI AND A HOST OF STARS AT THE ANNUAL SIDACTION AIDS BENEFIT GALA HERE