French communists embrace supermodel chic

In this story: Shedding prized properties 'An act of creation' RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Douglas Herbert, CNN.com writer

LONDON, England (CNN) - In the cash-strapped, cachet-starved world of French communism, there are times for hammers and sickles. And there are times for handbags and slit skirts.

Last Friday night was an occasion for the latter as the creme of France's Communist creme flung open the doors of the party's Parisian headquarters to a very unproletarian mix of supermodels, DJs, and fashion designers.

The soiree -- described by the daily Liberation as an unorthodox "mutation into the world of luxury" by France's communists -- comes at a time when party leader Robert Hue and 19 colleagues are fighting charges in court of illegal party financing.

Among the 1,200 VIPs attending Friday's star-studded extravaganza were the Italian fashion diva Muccia Prada, supermodel Adriana Karembeu, and former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren.

According to reports in the French press, Prada, a stalwart of Italy's extreme left, chose the cupola-domed communist headquarters designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer to mark the imminent opening of her new boutique on the Faubourg Saint-Honore and the launch of a new fashion line, called Miu-Miu.

For the privilege, Prada apparently coughed up 300,000 francs ($40,000) -- a sum that Communist party officials have refused to confirm, but which observers say would go a long way towards padding the party's depleted coffers.

In the last year, party treasurer Roland Jacquet has been forced to shed a small treasure trove of real estate assets, including a prized property at Bazainville, raising 4 million francs ($530,000).

The disposals have enabled Jacquet to present a balanced budget in 1999 after two years of deficits, according to Libération.

But the budgetary balancing act has failed to tackle a more serious image problem.

In recent months, Hue has sought to distance himself from the Russian Communist party. He has cited sharp differences over the war in Chechnya (which his Russian counterparts support) and the failure by Russian Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov to condemn anti-Semitic remarks by a hardline Russian general.

Nonetheless, the French party has been unable to attract fresh blood to a movement too often seen as outmoded or irrelevant by a France in the throes of economic and social modernisation. The party has lost nearly 100,000 members over the past four years and today claims less than 200,000 people.

"The very act of organising such a big exhibition shows that there's a will (in the party) to open up," said a freelance reporter who attended the Prada bash and requested anonymity.

The reporter suggested that the by sponsoring such a lavish event, on its home turf, the communists would help dispel a popular image that they are stingy and behind the times.

But Hue -- who appeared at the bash shortly before midnight, cutting a solitary figure among the mostly non-Communist crowd -- told the admiring crowd that the presence of Prada in the temple of the French far-left was "symbolic of a new communism," according to Liberation.

"This evening, we welcome an act of creation," said Hue. "Creation is not a luxury. One must be sensitive to this explosion of modernity. Politics today is very uncool. It needs to be cool again. I want this square (the Place du Colonel Fabien, site of the party headquarters) to become a super-cool place in politics."

And to ensure that it does, Hue is counting on a little divine inspiration: Later this month, the headquarters of the officially atheistic party plans to host an exhibition of paintings and sculptures on the theme: "The image of Jesus Christ, 2000 years after."

Reuters contributed to this report.

Fourth French minister quits cabinet
October 18, 2000

French Communist Party
French Presidency
French National Assembly

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.