Wednesday
Feb042009
From Isaac Mizrahi's Studio
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at 1:18 PM
A few weeks ago our friends at Isaac Mizrahi shared a video of the designer's most recent round table chat. The topic of conversation? The First Lady's style of course. This group, led by the king of fashion democracy himself, touched on several insightful points often breezed over by mainstream media coverage.
We were particularly impressed by the commentary from Kirsten Naiman, a stylist on Isaac's team. She describes Mrs. O as an "incredibly intelligent, strong businesswoman that is also quite clearly and evidently into fashion," continuing that Mrs. O brings "a marriage of intelligence and fashion-mindedness ... that will be a good thing for fashion."
Isaac briefly comments on Mrs. O's physique, sharing with his usual spark and enthusiasm, "[Mrs. O] is very body loving. The lady has hips. And you don't see her try to mask them or treat them as a detriment. She works her hips, which is so fantastic."
We love everything about Isaac Mizrahi and have to think Mrs. O does too. After all, they're both champions of high-low fashion. We wait with bated breath for Isaac's new collection for Liz Claiborne; early signs leave us with a great deal to be excited about.
[flv:http://www.mrs-o.org/wp-content/uploads/webisode_2009_0120_rt_obamas.flv 480 360]
For more video segments from Isaac Mizrahi & Co. click here.
tagged Isaac Mizrahi, Liz Claiborne in Outfits
Isaac Mizrahi, Liz Claiborne in Outfits
Reader Comments (16)
That was a fun discussion. I love that they acknowledge that Michelle is brilliant AND loves fashion. In graduate school feminist colleagues sometimes assume that attention to fashion and feminism must be mutually exclusive. I know that fashion is the most important thing in the world but it an important thing. It is how we represent self to world--almost like autobiography. Hillary's pantsuits speak volumes. She is saying--take me seriously as an equal. Michelle is saying, because of Hillary's generation I can be more playful and still be taken seriously.
I mean, "I know that fashion is NOT the most important thing in the world...
Thanks for your inquiry EGH. No, neither Isaac Mizrahi or Liz Claiborne are target clients of BBH. That is not the purpose or intent of this site. Happy to clear that up.
I personally love the collections Isaac Mizrahi did for Target, and am excited to see what he will do to reinvent Liz Claiborne. Considering how Mrs. O has embraced high-low fashion, it seemed only fitting that Isaac would take an interest in her style. Love him!
A reminder that the focus of this blog is fashion and style. Any off-topic inquiries can be sent to contact@mrs-o.org and will be promptly answered. As always, rude and offensive comments will be deleted.
Hooray, hooray, hooray for Isaac's comments about the First Lady not viewing her hips as a detriment, and working them!
Mr. Mizrahi's acknowledgment is a refreshing change from the too prevalent in my view opinion that they're to be hidden out of sight and out of mind!
This was very enjoyable! And it's interesting that Mrs. O was drawn to two different designers who ended up doing lines for Target. First Thakoon and then Tracy Feith who actually has a line coming out later this year.
As for Michelle's style being body-conscious, that video reminded of another really underrated look by Mrs. O. The dress they featured about half-way is the gorgeous Thakoon dress she wore to the presidential debate in Mississipi during the campaign.
What is most amazing to me about that dress was how DIFFERENT it looked on Michelle, compared to the model who wore it down the runway. It's very dramatic when you see it side by side:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_l8xeX8k9lgo/SN6gcJLqptI/AAAAAAAAHeg/JpqsIiviqsc/s1600-h/debate+dress2.jpg
It looks like a totally different dress! So you can see how she takes this really rather prim dress, and wears it in a way that is very voluptuous and sexy and confident and in a way that it's hard to imagine when you see it come down the runway. And it's still a little bit quirky, too, with the addition of the bow.
That is what "embracing" your curves really looks like. I really admire her for it when, again, she could wear something much safer.
Bravo, Mrs. O!
Mrs. T,
I think you should ride the criticisms out. This is a fantastic site, but politics are bound to come up. Michelle Obama is a political person in the purest sense of that word. This site will attract people interested in fashion, politics, gender, race, marriage, democracy etc. and their intersections. Let's talk about it all never veering to far from the site's main interest in the fashion of Mrs. O. You said yourself that one of your favorite moments of the clip above was when one of the participants talked about fashion & intelligence. Allow your site to remain a lively place for the exchange of ideas about fashion and on occasion, politics. As long as posters remain civil. How do the Obama's treat people with rival ideas? With respect. Bt that means that the posters who are having problems with the commercial nature of this site need to maintain respect also.
Designer affinity lines for stores like Target are doing really hot right now. Don't get me wrong, I totally love Lady O's look--I have since the days I used to see her grocery shopping at the Hyde Park Co-op--but isn't it the need to enjoy modest luxuries like new clothes during the deep recession bringing us more toward goodness like Isaac for Target and classics like J. Crew? http://is.gd/inRM
EGH, in the interest of full disclosure, can you identify who you are and what competing agency you work for? Thanks!!
EGH, are you so thick in the head that you can't go over to BBH's website and see for yourself whether if Isaac Mizrahi or if Liz Clairborne are clients of theirs or not? Yeesh. Let's get back to fashion shall we?
Michelle is still making the rounds! Today she visited the Housing Department and looked ever the fashion-minded, business woman that Mizrahi and crew are talking about.
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20090204/capt.4c6299472d5f4437b71c9515e21352fd.mrs_obama_dclj103.jpg?x=356&y=345&q=85&sig=Sw18c9rxllhZGcH00tkPrQ--
She is wearing a grayish wool suit with a very bold purple (silk?) blouse. I think the blouse has a wrap feature around the bottom--in one of the pictures, you can see some fabric hanging.
Jenna, you're too quick! I just got a wee post up about Mrs. O's appearance today, but will continue to update it through the afternoon.
Kay, I'm conscious that whenever I post a disclaimer like that re: comments, it's not clear what exactly I intend to delete. The comment I took down said something very rude about Isaac Mizrahi.
Yes, she' a feminist for these modern times. She seems to say- being a feminist does not equal a rejection of motherhood, marriage-or fashion!
At the same time I love that her first public appearance after the inauguration was in honour of Lilly Ledbetter.
She looks amazing in that floral dress posted by Jenna- like something out of Mad Men.
Seeing that floral dress on Mrs. O and the model I can't help wonder why designers never show their clothes on women in larger sizes. Is there any question that that dress is fanatstic with curves? Don't get me wrong, clothes look beautiful on many body types including tall and then--but obviously they also look good on let's say, tall and curvy or short and curvy etc.
^ I think that these two posters put two and two together by finding your surname here:
http://blogs.wsj.com/runway/2009/01/30/the-obama-effect-on-fashion-continues/
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you have an agenda and that you use the same kind of verbiage ad nauseum everywhere.
But I need to stop feeding you troll.
Oh so true...the comment on how smart, thoughtful women aren't supposed/"allowed" to be fashion conscious. Mrs. O is clearly changing that. THANK GOD.