Tuesday
Dec152009
Worth the Wait
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 7:44 AM 
Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson
"These performers are indeed the best. They are also living reminders of a simple truth: The arts are not somehow apart from our national life; the arts are at the heart of our national life." - President Mr. O, Kennedy Center Honors
This video has been an inspiring start to our day; we hope it's the same for you. It's also an opportunity to see a full-length view of the first lady's simply stunning Peter Soronen corset gown worn for the Kennedy Center Honors. The choice of dress, paired with a Tom Binns necklace, is a fantastic celebration of the arts in its own sartorial right.
tagged Peter Soronen
Peter Soronen
Reader Comments (46)
I love Mrs. O in the purple, plum family. Particularly the dark plums. What shoes was she wearing?
Thank you for that video. It was a great way to start the morning. The dress is gorgeous, but the jewelry is to die for. This is a great website. Keep it up!
No disrespect to those present including the President but the First Lady's beauty, smile and stunning dress simply overwhelms everything and everyone here including the beautiful tree decorations. I say it, like I see it. This woman was born for greatness.
Wowwza! Wowwza! Wowwza! Truly worth the wait. And the video is a real pick-me-up. I needed the lift as I have not been feeling too up beat over the last few days.
Michelle looks extremely gorgeous in this outfit. Even though the gown she wore in Oslo was also nice- the skirt was too long and too big but the the jacket was outstanding - I wish she wore this instead.
Regardless she is still lovely in and out and has stolen my heart. What a lady!!! I could not do without this website in a day. This is my new addiction. Thank you Mrs. T.
This is my first post altho I have become a daily reader. Yours is actually the only website I have bookmarked! It's really fun to see Michelle's life and activities and to marvel at her wardrobe. I'm not much into clothes but am viewing this as a kind of cultural history website. The video about the Kennedy honors awardees was a special pleasure, so I thank you a lot.
LOVE MRS O PURPLE DRESS THE NICKLESS MADE IT A CLASSIE I CANT WEIT TO WASH THIS ON TNT . AND I SAW OTHER PIC OF THEM AT THE KENNEDY CENTER THE SAME NIGHT ITS LOOKED LIKE THAT MR AND MRS OBAMA WAS GIVING EACH OTHER HI FIVE BUT IT TRUN OUT THAT THEY WAS WAVING AND TRUNNING AROUNDA LITTLE BITE SO THEY DIDNT HI FIVE EACH OTHER AFTER ALL. LOVE THE TREE. AND LOVE HER SHOES I SAW A PIC OF HER PIC UP HER DRESS A LITTLE AND I SAW HER PURLPE SHOE IT NICE NOT TO HI.
Leonore,
Welcome to the blog. Yu may not be into clothes now baby,
but Mrs. O is setting the pace with all her fashions, for us all.
Peter Soronen's evening gowns look great on Mrs. O.
I can't wait to see what else he has in store for her. I have
seen the back of this dress, ladies if you haven' seen it
try to find the site.
Beautiful pic of some of the greatest in the Arts.
I really like Mrs. Obama's dress
I also like the dress on Ms. Bumbry. Diva for sure! Love the collar
Absolutely wonderful! Mrs. Obama's flowing, jewel-toned, purple gown is so beautiful. Also, Grace Brumbry and Mel Brooks are both my all time favorites.
Just a bit of humor. I recall during the mid 1980's when I went to a hair stylist who beautifully cut and styled the hair of a few of my acquaintances. I made an appointment and once there, told him that I wanted my hair cut and styled like Grace Brumbry, the opera singer. I, specifically, told him how I wanted it. Before I knew it, he whipped out the clippers and buzz-z-z-!!??!!???? I came out looking like GRACE JONES!!! It was a horrible nightmare that I can now laugh about. I was working at a bank at that time....ultra conservative. LOL!!!
There is an etiquette faux pas in there--the first couple are announced as "The President of the United States and Mrs. Michelle Obama." When a woman is married, if she changes her name, she becomes "Mrs. John Smith." If she divorces, she becomes "Mrs. Mary Smith." So, whoever announced FLOTUS made a mistake and announced her name as if she were divorced. It should have been either "Mrs. Barack Obama" or "Ms. Michelle Obama." Seems like the Social Secretary didn't check this before it was handed to the announcer.
Jestina, I had the same experience you did. My eyes were immediately drawn to the far left side of the photograph. She is simply stunning, stunning, stunning!
And as I marveled at her beauty, I thought again about what I most admire about Mrs. O: that she consistently insists that all young women have access to the things that have made her successful: compassion, education, diligence, contribution, courage, and support, to name a few. She is a North Star for many young women around the world and I am proud that we as Americans have given them the best of our best--including the President--during these troubled times. I'm so proud of them both!
Congrats to the fabulous artists! They are all national treasures.
I, too, love Ms. Bumbry's ensemble. Elegant outfit, gorgeous woman. I would wear that collar! Covered can be even more sensual than uncovered.
Lovely, festive, sexy and grand dress. The perfect look for a celebration of the performing arts and a real tribute to the honorees. Isn't Grace Bumbrey a marvel?
I hope PBS also puts the Kennedy Center Honors broadcast on their website, because it sounds like it was a heckuva show.
There's nothing else to be said. That dress is just gasptastic.
Yippee!!
I wrote HGTV because I did not see the traditional Christmas at the White House special on their schedule and got the response that it will air with the First Lady this Sunday @ 8:00PM. Looking forward to seeing another Christmas Special with our First Lady.
Here is the link to the schedule of showings:
http://www.hgtv.com/white-house-christmas-2009/show/index.html
@Ms. M
LOLIP. I can only imagine the horror....
Purple is Mrs. O's color, for sure.
I noticed that Whitebow - why not refer to her as the first lady ?
Michelle looks divine but is it me or do Michelle and Barack always tower over everybody they are with. I could see towering over Mel Brooks and company being older but they are taller than Bruce and DeNiro. They are truly majestic.
Simply stunning! cant get enough of this gown.!!!!!
LOL@ Posh tater-->GASPTAsTIC is brilliant description! dont mind if I do use it.
I enjoyed the video -- it was heartwarming. @Whitebow, it is possible that the FLOTUS chooses to be introduced as "Mrs. Michelle Obama," just as Mrs Biden prefers "Dr. Jill Biden." It may be considered a bit more modern than going by one's husband's name (as if a woman has her identity only through her husband, even if he is the POTUS!).
The First Lady looks stunning in this dress! She is graceful natural and meant to be right where she is.
Whitebow and Jestina, I agree that the first lady should not be introduced as "Mrs. Michelle Obama" but I'm not crazy about "Mrs. Barack Obama" (I know it's technically correct, but makes her sound sort of nonexistent in her own right, which she certainly is not!) or using "Ms." for her. It seems to me that if they're announcing "President Barack Obama" they should also say "and First Lady Michelle Obama" -- don't you think? Should I drop Desiree Rogers a note to this effect?? Apparently she needs our help!
Off topic, but I've also read that to be REALLY correct, a divorced woman (say Mary Jones who is divorced from Sam Smith) should go by Mrs., her maiden last name, and her married last name -- Mrs. Jones Smith. During my divorced-woman years, I had one excruciatingly correct friend who always addressed my Christmas card that way! It really made me feel like I had just disappeared altogether!
She looks beautiful!
Great Pic! Also a good chance to look at her beautiful dress for a second time. Grace Bumbry is beautiful and looks fantastic for her age.
68% favorability rating for our FLOTUS: http://maristpoll.marist.edu/1215-favorable-first-lady/
Wish they had gotten her approval for things like Military Families Initiatives and healthy lifestyle.
I just adore this dress and the wonderful woman that's wearing it. FLOTUS looks like a dream. The color is just the right color to stand out and the pleating is not for the faint of heart. Peter Soronen did a fantastic job on this design and is to be commended. As a side note, check out Diva Grace Bumbry! She looks awesome. Her outfit is most definitely something only a self assured diva could pull off. WOW. This seemed like a fun night for deserving artists, can't wait til it's aired on PBS. Everyone looked really nice.
I am prepared to be pounced upon for what I am about to say ...but I think this dress is a little too tight in the bodice. Our lovely First Lady's underarms are squeezed a bit where the dress cuts under her arms. Not a flattering fit to my eyes, although it is a lovely dress and she looks radiant in general.
FLOTUS and POTUS look terrific, as usual!! But you know what I really love about them? They just seem so darn GENUINE!! You can see it in their smiles and their gestures with people. I also think we are blessed to have them as such wonderful examples of a healthy, happy, openly loving couple. And what nice tributes the President gave to each Kennedy Center honoree.
From a fashion standpoint, I love that Mrs. Obama is not afraid of color. She gives me the courage to step outside of my usual (and safe) black and grey!!
A real life Tiana. Though she didn't have to kiss a frog.
This is a little OT, but I just discovered this lovely WH video of the Ambassador's Reception back in July. Watch for the surprise! Delightful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY_MU1CAHCU&feature=PlayList&p=1ECEA36D759093A1&index=10
(You know, this is why I love Desiree Rogers. You just know this was her idea.)
Mrs. O will be delivering toys for the Toys For Tots charity today at 11:30 ET. CNN Live. com has it under their schedule of events, so hopefully they show it.
Ok, so they played me, I guess their not going to show it. Will just have to wait for the pics.
The pics have finally been posted. There are some on yahoo and getty images.
Here is one with her coat (TOO CUTE, I love it):
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//091216/480/b2e3d7d0bcec4e589ecc4ddd20a
5300f/#photoViewer=/091216/ids_photos_ts/r2577272862.jpg
Here is one without the coat (no good front shots available, yet):
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/94508718
I rather imagine she wants her own first name used when she is introduced or her entry is announced.
If you were addressing mail to her, you would use her husband's name to be totally correc (unless she was a widow or divorced), but I have never seen any etiquette rule that said one was introduced as Mrs. (husband's first name and surname). And today a thoughtful person continues to use the husband's name in addressing correspondence to a widow (Mrs. John Smith) as an act of kindness.
I like this look. It seems like she kept it simple with black pants and a black cardigan, then added an interesting black and white checkered shirt with a white collar and black bows (i think) coming down each side. I like her hair today too. I usually think her updo's for daytime are too big in the back, but this looks simple and effortless.
How wonderful! THANK YOU for this clip...President Obama is a master of the word.
Mrs. O was stellar. Perfection. That's the word to look her up under.
SD
Wow that was fantastic. The President always articulates things so fantastically. Everyone looks great. POTUS looks debonair and handsome, he is fine wine in my eyes. <3
I am so depressed over the way health care bill is going that I have to come to Mrs. O.org regularly to lift my spirits. Mrs. O's dress is divine and the honorees are magnificent! I love each and every one of them. The Kennedy Center Honors is a wonderful tribute to America's jewels each and every year. Bravo!
Mckinley so true...she is so breathtakingly lovely. I adore her so.
I agree Mrs F. I would never agree to be referred to as Mrs *husband's first name*, *husband's surname*. It may have been correct once upon a time, but those days are thankfully gone. Women are now able to stand up as themselves, and not solely as an adjunct. Speaking for myself, if someone referred to me as Mrs Charles Corbett (were I married to poor Mr Corbett), I would be gravely insulted.
Such a stunning dress. Here is a great photo of the back:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/4190850653/sizes/l/
Mr. O's speech for the Kennedy Center Honorees had me weeping. So wonderful to have a couple in the White House who truly understand the importance of the arts in our lives. Thank you for posting that...I put it on my facebook page to share. They are just stunning and their joy is infectious! Happy New Year to the "O's"....may 2010 bring more joy, more success, more hope.
What a breathtaking dress! Michelle Obama is PURE ELEGANCE! I love it! Purple is for sure one of the best color to wear for Michelle Obama. Finally a Fashion Icon in the White House who radiate with her intelligence and her inner beauty! This presidential couple is so amazing and a joy to look at. Loved to watch the inspiring video about the 5 best performers who won the Kennedy award.