Bold and Beautiful (Update)
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 7:57 PM 
Image by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
This afternoon the President and First Lady Mrs. O attended a Medal of Honor ceremony for U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti who was killed in Afghanistan in June 2006. For the occasion, Mrs. O debuted a new floral frock in a bold, red rose print, accessorized with green kitten heels and chandelier earrings.
Update: Thanks to Leslie who has observed similarity in the print of this DVF dress and the one Mrs. O is wearing above. The cuts are of course different, but the prints bear a striking resemblance. We will look into this and report back.
Image by Win McNamee / Getty Images
Later in the day, First Lady Mrs. O shopped for fruits and veggies at the opening of a new farmer's market two blocks from the White House. The new market will be open every Thursday for the next seven weeks. Note that Mrs. O's shopping basket matched her dressed down ensemble. Perhaps a coincidence, but a stylish one!
Mrs. O spoke at the opening of the Farmers' Market, sharing:
"You know, when we decided to plant the White House garden, we thought it would be a great way to educate kids about eating more healthy. Right, kids? Vegetables? Yay for vegetables! But as it turned out, the garden has turned into so much more than we could have ever expected, and it's a really fun thing to do as well. This has been one of the greatest things that I've done in my life so far. It's just been a tremendous honor, and working with the kids in the D.C. community and hearing how they've learned and how they're growing and how they're sharing the information with their families just warms my heart and makes me hopeful for the future."
For the full remarks, click here. Also, as observed in the comments, Mrs. O appears to be carrying a Bolga Market basket, traditionally woven in the Northern Ghana town of Bolgatanga.
DVF
Reader Comments (142)
that rose print dress is fantastic. Michelle looks amazing.
she looks great, however the medal of freedom ceremony seems to merit something a bit more subtle/staid than this bold print dress.
Mrs. O You R OCK! Love love love the dress and the shoes. Mrs O with a body like that you make fashion look like fun. Even to shop for fruits and vegetables your shopping matck our attire.
OMG. She looks awesome in that floral print dress. FIYAH!
AND I love the shoes!
Is it just me, or does our First Lady get more beautiful every day?!
As far as the dress is concerned, I do love it.
The First Lady is very very elegant!
I swear this woman is living my life. LOL! I looooooove this couple. They are so in synch with each other on so many levels its crazy. Sigh...someday my prince will come. Anywhoo, love the looks. Its goes great with their intelligence and strong values. I am saying Mr and Mrs O are not just a look.
Sigh. Wish I looked that good when I do my fruit/veggie shopping!
The First Lady sure has a lot of fine bald-headed men around her. hehe.
Apparently someone gave her the lei when she got to the market, as a little gift. So fun!
It is so obvious now that you look at her, that she really did take the summer off along with her girls. She's back to exuding business..not just in what she's wearing, but how she's carrying herself. There's something about her that seems excited to be back and ON.
I love the dress!!!! Unfortunately, on my crappy laptop, the shoes look kinda bluish-green but I'm sure the entire look is dynamite.
Also, she looks leaner than she's ever been. Strong and sleek. GO MRS O!!!!!
Omigod, that dress is awesome! Honestly, I love that I can't right away tell it's flowers, it just looks like bold color. It's also a really flattering cut for her.
So sweet, sexy, elegant, down-to-earth, human, lovely, spontaneous, etc. etc. etc... The list just goes on and on.
I so love this one and only First Lady, along with the one and only Mr. President, of course.
Wow! Here's another stunning angle
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/90886804/Getty-Images-News
Simply fabulous, I love this dress, I typically never post comments but I visit this site several times a day to read comments etc. but today, this dress, I had to make a comment, I was simply blown away,the dress bold, fresh and young. Love it!
LOVE IT SHE LOVE HER GREEN SHOES IT GOES WITH ALMOST EVERYTHING SHE WEAR.AM GLAD THAT SHE DIDNT WEAR A BELT ON THIS DRESS. LOL
I love the dress and Mrs. O looks fabulous but I'm not sure it's appropriate for a Medal of Honor ceremony. What do other readers think.?
No denying how breathtakingly lovely Mrs Obama is. Oh my goodness, she is lovely and yet so down to earth and has her act together. She is the complete package, no question about it - Mr President sir, you are a very lucky man.
Mrs. O looks stunning in the floral wrap dress! I absolutely love the print and the choice of shoe color. Mrs. O is so fashion-adventurous. Women of America, take note. Bland and boring is out and color and bold accessories are in. She also looks great at the outdoor market. Don't we all wish we could look so polished while shopping for produce!
Strongforu
The dress was absolutely disrespectful to the soldier and his family. The FLOTUS needs to learn some proper decorum.
She looked crazy beautiful today. Love anything on her with a v-neck. And I also liked her hair with less volume on top. It's different and looks more youthful on her than the volumized hair.
Re: Bitsie
The Medal of Honor ceremony is *not* a funeral. And If you look at these photos (, ) you'll see that mother of Jared Monti was also in red.
Oops, here are the pictures:
http://whitehouse.blogs.foxnews.com/files/2009/09/obama-medal-of-honor-300x202.jpg
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/90886804/Getty-Images-News
Get a life, will you bitsie! I suppose the soldier's mother (as seen here http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/90886804/Getty-Images-News) in her bright red suit was also disrespecting her son.
It really works my nerves when people on here act as if the First Lady doesn't know what is appropriate to wear, implying in a not so subtle way that she doesn't belong where she is. It's no different than those on the right attempting to delegitimize her husband's presidency.
The First Lady looked Positively stunning! You don't think what she wore was appropriate? I'm sure Mrs. O. will consult with you on her next event as to what YOU think is appropriate. Get over yourself! And since it has apparently escaped some of you, as the reigning First Lady, SHE sets the standard!
I think the dress fits her like a glove. Mrs. O looks so beautiful in these photos. I love the extra color from her pumps.
I love both of these looks very much.
As an Army brat (father active duty 40 years), I say that Mrs. O's dress is much more than merely appropriate for the occasion. It exudes a warmth and vitality that would be appreciated by a soldier's family, friends and comrades.
She is the approachable heart of our country and I love her for it.
Mrs. T, Is Mrs. O wearing a Suno top at the market?
Why wouldn't the First Lady honor the medal honoree and his family by looking her best?
Zile, Mrs. O does NOT set the standard. The standard was set long before she came to the White House, and in this case, even though the dress is stunning, she should have saved it for another occasion.
More photos. Scroll down for the medal of honor ceremony. Particularly note the president and Mrs. O walking with the soldier's parents after the ceremony. What Mrs. Obama is wearing is not the usual first lady look and it reflects just how much thought she puts into where she's going and what she wants to say with her clothes.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Jackeens_for_Obama/541
Wow, MrsO looking radiant. Love the dress, and must say some people's nasty comment was very unnecessary. it's my understanding that it was a celebration of one's heroic accomplishments, Bravo MrsO.
Ciao,
Ah ladies - it was not the color of the dress, just the low cleavage and the bare shoulders. The dress looked like a sundress. Not very proper for the event, but maybe OK for a beach party or a nightclub.
Everyone, it's really not worth getting yourself agitated over someone's stray comment about the First Lady. No one's opinion will be changed, and we end up rehashing the same arguments time and again.
In the market pix, Mrs. Obama is carrying a Bolga basket, made by women's groups from around Bolgatanga in Northern Ghana. They are wonderful baskets with a social purpose and they last forever.
She looks especially beautiful today. I love the red floral dress in particular.
I have not seen the pictures of the ceremony, and did not know the soldier's mother wore red, but I took one look at this picture and knew some would object to this dress. However, there was undoubtedly communication between the family and the White House about what the mother was going to wear. This was a very important and significant ceremony, and it would not be left to chance that a grieving mother would arrive in black, while MO was wearing this dress.
Personally, I think she hit just the right note. The ceremony was a celebration of life for a soldier who was 23 years old. A sea of black does not constitute respect. I have worn red dresses to funerals, knowing that the departed loved to see me in that color. I think we should trust the White House to do its homework, and steer the First Lady in the right direction.
Wow - Stunning!!!!
I've said it before: Confidence is the best accessory a woman can wear. What I see in these pictures is a STRONG woman. Rock on, Michelle.
OH YES to the red floral dress! I think it's one of her most flaterring cuts that gives her a really beautiful body line. Is it draped at the front? It seems to fit her very well but if anything, I would prefer to see it a tiny bit longer. Anyway another versatile addition to her closet.
As for her 'dressed down' look - the blue and that gorgeous burst of yellow - just so lovely!
Mrs. O looks even more fabulous than usual here. Full of life, bold color and the fit is exceptional. She looks pretty hot (in a classy way).
I also always love it when she does an unexpected pop of color with her shoes.
The President is a lucky man (and she is a lucky woman).
She looks sooo svelte and beautiful!!! I'm in love with this one.
Michelle is smoking hot in that dress!! I know wot I'll be wearing this Spring/Summer :-)
Michelle is smoking hot in that dress!! I know wot I'll be wearing this Spring/Summer :-)
Below is a link to the White House blog on this ceremony. The picture with it shows the awarding of the medal to the father and the mother. I liked this picture especially because the first lady is also clearly shown.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/May-God-Bless-Jared-Monti/
I watched it first on CNNLive and then the White House live streaming. It started a few minutes early. When they came in you could only see their heads above a sea of people on both sides of them and I could see no color.
She is extremely lovely and sophisticated in this dress. To me, her wearing of this shows respect to this young soldier and compliments his spirit. Likewise does his mother in red. He was courageous and adventurous.
Also the photo taken from the back with the Obamas walking with the parents and showing them great tenderness. Reminds me of when Michelle began to be attacked during the campaign and he defended her by saying, "Michelle is the nicest, most caring person I know." Indeed that shows here as it did with Vicki Kennedy and on many other occasions that I'm sure we all have borne witness to.
Christina, you are so right. Your comments are always honest and direct. I respect you for that. I do love the fit of the dress, but just don't care for the pattern. The blue blouse and cardigan, however, are fantastic! I am on a PC, and the shoes worn with the dress look very blue. Is there another pic available where they look truly green? Are they the same shoes Mrs. O. wore earlier this week?
Oh baby... luscious, delectable, oh so sweet! She looks absolutely beautiful; even while dressed down grocery shopping...
That shot at the farmers market with the orange lei will live on in re-prints hundreds of years from now. Like a vogue shot... It is a classic. Simple, yet so classic and sophisticated. Another great one for the books...you betcha!
Some people here seem to have a problem accepting that they can be opinions that differ from theirs!
I think the first lady looks great in that dress, it's maybe one of the most flattering dresses she has worn, but still in my opinion it is not appropriate for the occasion. It is not the colur red, I think it is the print and the cut that doesn't work for me.
Saying that she sets the standard by being the first lady sounds inadequate as an argument. One can say Anna Wintour sets the standard since she is the editor of Vogue. That's would be also inadequate! The standards are set by numerous parameters, including socio-economic factors of course.
In this situation we have standards set by cultural factors and expectations of the society of what is appropriate. The first lady is generally very successful with working with these factors and swifting them to a new direction. In this occasion for me she dressed too much as her usual self (which is generally a good thing) but did not show consideration about the situation and expectations around it. Which can very well be a planned decision to get a message across about the event. But still I have the right not to agree with the choise without that giving justice to comments starting with "get a life"!
Is it just me or does she look like she has slimmed down and lost some weight?
O, Mrs O! Totally professional, totally polished. She looked her absolute best for the soldiers parents, which to me is more a sign of respect than wearing funereal colours (which would be a bit odd seeing as today's event wasn't a) a funeral or b) a memorial service). I'd be happier if I knew this would be the last ceremony of it's kind though. When men realise that the solution to a problem is talking to the other guy, not killing him, we will have achieved something truly worthy of celebration.
And boy what a dress to be respectful in. It's just AWEsome. The cut, the colours, the everything. I am so tired today I wasn't going to take the dog out but.... you know.... if I could one day wear a dress like that then I need to go down the hill and up again a few times. Sigh....
A transcript of President Obama's remarks at the Medal of Honor ceremony:
http://thepage.time.com/remarks-obama-presents-medal-of-honor/
I love those colors on her. That lovely basket was made in Ghana. Did she buy it during their visit to Ghana last July?