Michelle Obama or Carla Bruni-Sarkozy? In Strasbourg, France, where the NATO Summit 2009 took place on Friday and Saturday, more media attention was on the fashion battle between the two than on the summit itself.

Obama already suffered the full glare of the media spotlight during the G20 Summit in London last week with her bold yet sophisticated fashion style. On arrival at Strasbourg Airport on Friday, she presented herself as a strong woman with black jacket and black trousers. Bruni accentuated her elegance with a bright purple coat and a scarf belt.

At the conference venue, Obama showed up in a flashy black and magenta print silk coat by Thakoon Panichgul with a sheath dress, while Bruni-Sarkozy wore a light grey coat by Dior. The Daily Mirror praised Obama’s bold choice on the current trend of flowery patterns, saying she outshone Bruni.