Hidden Gem: LGBT Luncheon Dress
Saturday, October 4, 2008 at 11:55 PM 
Photo credit: Flickr user Barack Obama // Creative Commons 
Photo used with kind permission from Flickr photographer Towleroad
We wanted to pay tribute to one of our favorite Mrs. O looks in recent months. During the DNC week, Mrs. O wore a stunning mix of natural hues to speak at a LGBT luncheon. Her dress was made of pleated chiffon in mushroom, shaped at the waist by a matching belt. Gold and bronze multi-strand beads were a lovely accent to the overall look, and a fresh alternative to traditional pearls. Mrs. O wore two variations of the ensemble, at one point also paired with a cream three-quarter sleeve cardigan. Interestingly, we believe Mrs. O wore the same dress in azure blue for her appearance on "The Colbert Report" in April, and yet again in punchy pink for a campaign trip to Puerto Rico in May. Notice the similarities in the chiffon fabric, pleats and cut. As observed in our post about Mrs. O's matching jackets, we get the sense that when something works, Mrs. O likes to buy more than one. For someone constantly on the road, with multiple public engagements per week, buying in bulk must be the most practical way to shop. Mrs. O, so fashion savvy and yet so practical.
Date: August 26, 2008 Venue: LGBT luncheon, Democratic National Convention
Designer: Pleated dress by Rodarte; Pearls by Erickson Beamon
Erickson Beamon, Rodarte in Outfits
Reader Comments (6)
i can't get enough of her jackets, cardigans, and belts. shows how far one or two things can really change up the overall look.
I love your blog and I love Mrs. O's style.
She was photographed in this exact same ensemble featured above for the November 08 issue of GQ. It's a close-up so you can really see the detail on the bodice.
Dear Elizabeth,
Thanks for the great tip! I followed your lead and found the photograph below:
http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7505
or
http://www.jeffriedel.com/home.html
Hi there! I am crazy about the strands of pearls(?) Mrs. O is wearing in this photo and I can't seem to find out who made them. Any clues? They look like gold and black pearls, but you refer to them as beads. I NEED TO KNOW! :-)
She is so beautiful!
Welll... regarding the "punchy pink" fuschia-colored version. Definitely a different dress because: more shiny, two elastic bands in top, much smaller cut over the shoulder, and note that it appears to be a top and skirt, or totally different cut here: http://tinyurl.com/phv2hk
Whew! Feel like I just completed one of those "what's different with this picture" puzzles! ...The necklace is to DIE for! Super combination.