French President Is Best Dressed Pol, Sarkozy Makes "Vanity Fair" List

NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2007

President Sarkozy greets supporters at Dax city hall, southwestern France, July 31, 2007. (AP Photo/Bob Edme)

(CBS/AP) French President Nicolas Sarkozy is one of the best dressed men in the world, according to "Vanity Fair."

The magazine’s 68th International Best Dressed List, published in its September issue, cites the new French president alongside soccer star David Beckham and actor Brad Pitt.

"Sarokozy for a politician is very sleek, very elegant, handsome and virile in a way that is unusual," said "Vanity Fair" Special Correspondent Amy Fine Collins. "He's a man who has some vanity, and he has suddenly rushed to the front of the international stage, and in France, even though they claim to separate politics from fashion, you cannot do that entirely," she added.

The new French president kicked off his presidency in style by wearing a navy Prada suit to his inauguration. He also wears Dior frequently, notes Fine Collins. "He's thinking about what he's wearing and he clearly cares about it," she says. "And there's a sense of his being very comfortable in his skin and enjoying himself, and the choice of clothes reflects that. And that's sort of the essence of what it means to have style, to first feel comfortable in your skin and on top of that you layer the clothing that is appropriate to you."

Renee Zellweger, seen in July 2006, also made the list. (Getty Images/Gareth Cattermole)

Others on the list are actor Richard E. Grant, actress Renee Zellweger, singer Lenny Kravitz and Princess Alexandra of Greece.

Parisians interviewed on Avenue Montaigne, the city’s most glamorous fashion street, are not surprised that their president made the list. "His style is good. Very classic, I would say, traditional but very dynamic," said Nicole Kerdanet.

Another Parisian citizen, Jean-Claude Martin said, "Well, I will tell you something: I dress like him. I wear blue striped shirts. I wear shirts with a white collar like him. I am his look-alike because I have the same dynamism, and I think he will save France."

But for some French people, the real style-setter at the Elysee Palace is the new first lady, Cecilia, a former model. For the presidential inauguration in May, Mrs. Sarkozy wore an elegant Prada dress in cream-colored silk with matching open-toed mules.