Meryl Streep based parts of Miranda Priestly's appearance in the feature film The Devil Wears Prada on Lagarde in 2006, citing her 'unassailable elegance and authority'.

In May 2007, Christine Lagarde was moved to the Ministry of Agriculture as part of the government of François Fillon after serving as France's trade minister. This move marked a shift in her government responsibilities.

In 2008, Lagarde was appointed Commander of the Order of Mérite agricole.

In July 2010, Christine Lagarde expressed that the IMF's lending program for distressed European countries was unexpected and not scheduled in the treaty. She mentioned that a trillion dollars was available to confront any market attack targeting countries within the eurozone.

On May 25, 2011, Christine Lagarde announced her candidacy to be the head of the IMF after Dominique Strauss-Kahn's resignation. Her candidacy garnered support from several major governments, including the United States, China, and Germany.

On June 28, 2011, Christine Lagarde was elected as the managing director and chairman of the IMF for a five-year term, making her the first woman to hold this position. Her appointment came at a critical time during the European sovereign debt crisis.

On July 5, 2011, Christine Lagarde was elected as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a five-year term. Her appointment was the 11th consecutive appointment of a European to head the IMF, showcasing her influential role in global finance.

La Cour de Justice de la République in France ordered an investigation into Christine Lagarde's role in a 2007 €403 million arbitration deal favoring businessman Bernard Tapie when she was finance minister. This investigation was related to alleged crimes committed while in office.

On 25 December 2011, Christine Lagarde warned that the world economy was at risk and urged Europeans to unify in terms of the debt crisis facing the continent.

On April 6, 2012, Lagarde was appointed Officer of the Légion d'honneur.

French police raided Lagarde's apartment in Paris as part of the investigation into her role in the 2007 arbitration deal favoring Bernard Tapie.

After two days of questioning at the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR), Lagarde was assigned the status of 'assisted witness', indicating that she herself was not under investigation in the affair related to the arbitration process benefiting Bernard Tapie.

The CJR formally approved a negligence investigation into Lagarde's role in the arbitration of the Tapie case, indicating a significant development in the legal proceedings against her.

The CJR ordered Lagarde to stand trial before it for alleged negligence in handling the Tapie arbitration approval, signifying a crucial step in the legal process against her.

Starting on July 5, 2016, Christine Lagarde commenced her second five-year term as the Managing Director of the IMF, being the only candidate nominated for the post. This reaffirmed her significant role in shaping international financial policies.

In 2017, Lagarde was awarded #1 in the List of 100 Most Influential People in Multinational Organisations by UK-based company Richtopia.

In 2018, Lagarde was named the 3rd Most Powerful Woman in the World by Forbes magazine.

On 2 July 2019, Christine Lagarde was nominated by the European Council to succeed Mario Draghi as President of the European Central Bank (ECB) on 1 November 2019. She expressed her willingness to make the ECB play a role in fighting climate change and to carry out a review of the ECB's monetary policy framework.

On 17 September 2019, the European Parliament voted via secret ballot to recommend Christine Lagarde to the position of President of the European Central Bank, with 394 in favor, 206 opposed, and 49 abstentions.

In 2020, Lagarde was named the 2nd Most Powerful Woman in the World by Forbes magazine.

In 2021, Lagarde was appointed Commander of the National Order of Merit.

In February 2022, Christine Lagarde received the insignia of Commander of the National Order of Merit from Emmanuel Macron.