Among the many things that make our experiences proverbially larger than life, myths are perhaps the most fascinating. More so when they appear to materialise, almost effortlessly, before our incredulous eyes. Take, for instance, the conjecture of the 'superwoman' and our obsession with wanting to have it all - and wondering, wistfully, if and when it will ever all fall perfectly into place.

And, then, there she is… Christine Lagarde, France's Minister for Foreign Trade, the high-flying former lawyer who was the first woman to head the executive committee of the famed law firm, Baker & McKenzie, walking determinedly in through the door to a roomful of Mumbai's glamorous opinion makers waiting to clink wine glasses with her. Tall, tanned, toned, in all-black and flaunting enough winking diamonds to underscore her successful status with elegant felicity. A commanding coiffure with not a steely strand daring to defy her composure, she makes herself comfortable in legal eagle Zia Mody's expansive, art-filled home, where a dinner is being hosted in her honour. This very poised power tower is a woman who has been on several Most Impressive Lists (including Forbes).

Lagarde chats, poses for pictures, takes in everything with a quick and careful eye and laughs a lot. She has been in India before, most recently in February last year with the French President when she visited New Delhi and wore a red and gold salwar kameez ("it was beautiful, Zia bought it for me") to a banquet at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. And, then, she has been to the beaches in Goa with Mody, who is a long-standing friend.

In December 2006, Lagarde returned, leading a delegation of 200 French businessmen from various industries and set up almost 2000 meetings to push trade between the two countries as part of her role as French Cabinet Minister for Trade. "It's all very exciting," she beams, rather pleased with herself. And she has every reason to be. It is said that exports from France reached record levels in 2005 and Lagarde is committed to an even stronger showing for 2006. She believes the market for French luxury brands in India will boom in the years to come. "Right now, it is like a little child taking its first steps. But, wait and watch, soon it will begin to run!" she guffaws with glee. "I always say," she continues, "that doing business is not a walk in the park, but a race for success." This, pretty much, sums up her own personal philosophy it would appear, as she has always been driven with the zeal to make it to the top.

Born in Paris, to academic parents on January 1, she attended secondary school at Le Havre (Seine-Maritime) and has degrees from the Institute of Political Studies (IEP) and from the Law School of Paris-X University. This was followed by a postgraduate diploma (DESS) in labour law, a Master's degree in English and a diploma from Holton Arms School in Bethesda (USA). For a while she lectured at the famous Paris-X Law School before joining famed law firm Baker & McKenzie, Paris, in 1981. Her rise to the top has been chronicled with some awe over the years in various leading international publications. She became chairman of Baker & McKenzie's global policy committee in 2004. Before that, she chaired Baker & McKenzie's esteemed global executive committee from 1999 to 2004. Specialising in anti-trust and labour law, Lagarde had been a partner with Baker & McKenzie, Paris, since 1987 and served as managing partner from 1991 to 1995, when she was elected to the global executive committee.

Does she miss her days as a lawyer? She grimaces fleetingly and grins, "I miss the entrepreneurial spirit at Baker's. But I am trying to inject the same into civil service. It's taking time - you know how governments tend to function!" She is upbeat about the Indian economy - as almost everybody and their banker/broker is right now. "There's a great appetite for luxury in India. I see it. And I believe the future of the big French brands is very good here. We have the best to offer, be it clothes, jewellery, cosmetics, perfumes, confectionary, lifestyle products, or technology. The level of trade between the two countries is bound to improve."

Lagarde is impressed by what she observes around her in India. "Indians enjoy experiencing elegance," she says, "and you are all so proud of your culture and heritage and monuments." Perhaps, she has not stayed long enough to notice their abject neglect, or probably is too refined to raise comment. What she does notice, though, is how much we eat! Not that she says it quite that way. "Like the French, the Indians enjoy their food. Meals are elaborate." She also says we talk a lot - although, not quite that way again! "Like the French, Indians tend to be very expressive and argue and debate a great deal amongst themselves. I find this intellectually stimulating."

She fits in easily with Mody's invitees and appears perfectly at home, which one can expect since this is a friendship that dates back two decades. Mody recalls their first interaction: "I had joined as a junior at Baker & McKenzie's New York office and she was at the Paris office. We kept in touch. Then, when she became Chairperson at Baker's, she visited us in India." How does Mody see her - up, close, and personal? "She is very inspirational and brings out the good things in people. She is extremely positive-looking and draws on not just her strengths but motivates others to do so as well. She is smart and diplomatic, but forthright and doesn't suffer fools. So, I suppose, balancing this out in her political career would be a challenge!"

Clearly, Lagarde doesn't fail to impress. But, with the familiarity that their longstanding friendship affords, Mody candidly confesses that even superwomen have human predicaments. "She works much too hard," she frets, "and I'm sure she must have to sacrifice her personal life." This binds the two by a common chord. Mody concedes, "Her lifestyle is, really, no better than mine!" As harried working women at the crest of their careers, there is considerable commiseration with each other's plight. Lagarde confesses that her time is eternally impinged upon. Her sons, now 18 and 20, understand. "But they make demands on Mummy's time now and again," she beams.

However, no woman is too busy for a little vanity! And, being French, Lagarde is immaculate with an almost intimidating flair. How does she do it? The quick smile spreads once again as she offers, "I believe in a personal sense of style that defies time." She lives in a beautiful home in Paris and Mody recalls a dinner she once had there on a visit: "Her dining table overlooks the Eiffel Tower and she had painstakingly looked into every detail to ensure it was a very memorable sit-down meal."

There are some lucky women who evidently do have it all - although Lagarde would be quick to concede that it is, indeed, very hard work.