Saturday, January 19, 2008

Mitterand's wardrobe up for sale

The widow of late French President Francois Mitterrand is putting many of his clothes and personal effects up for sale 12 years after his death, including silk suits, top hats, crocodile-skin cases and a shapely piggy-bank.
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The January 29 auction throws a spotlight on the Socialist leader's love of luxury and an apparent penchant for hoarding.

Among the 367 lots that the Tajan auctioneers expect to sell are around 100 shirts, some 60 suits and a selection of gifts from international leaders, such as Cuba's Fidel Castro.

Much of Danielle Mitterrand's own wardrobe is also going under the hammer as she aims to raise up to 100,000 euros ($146,600) for her human rights charity.

The sales organiser Benedicte Blondeau-Wattel told Reuters it was hard to tell if Mitterrand, who governed France from 1981-1995, had accumulated more clothes than other presidents.

"It is the first time that we have auctioned the wardrobe of a president of the republic. I haven't had access to any of the others' (wardrobes) so I can't make any comparisons," she said.

Mitterrand died in January 1996 and Danielle has stored all his clothes in her Paris flat ever since.

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