Monday
May172010
One Fabulous Frock
Monday, May 17, 2010 at 5:49 PM 
Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton
The White House has a released a photo of the First Lady posing with participants from the Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride, taken three weeks ago. This is our first static look at the fabulous floral frock Mrs. O chose for the event. Any ideas on the designer? This dress is just beyond gorgeous!
Update: The first lady is wearing a Fall 2009 dress by Los Angeles-based designer Barbara Tfank. For more on the designer, click here.
tagged Barbara Tfank
Barbara Tfank
Reader Comments (124)
Oh la la, I LOVE this dress.
Mrs. O looks fabulous!
This dress is spectacularly beyond fabulous and this one
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/17/michelle-obamas-floral-fr_n_579256.html
beyond frumpy. Yes, I voted for frumpy. This lovely Lady surely knows how to keep us hopping in one direction or another. I love her though :)
It looks like it might be Thakoon!
Finally! the dress is gorgeous, so is The Lady in it. she is really into floral for this spring not that i'm complaining.the more, the merrier.
Mrs.T as your wedding day keeps nearing, are you getting nervous? and the second question is do you know why the picture of Mrs.O in her red prabal dress has been replaced by the picture of her on her recent date with the President? or maybe i'm the only one having that problem.
Very, VERY pretty! I certainly agree that this dress is "beyond gorgeous." This is quite a flattering neckline for Mrs. O. Really shows off her beautiful face.
The dress is Barbara Tfank!
Yes, I noticed that too. I was wondering why that picture was in there twice.
I SAW THIS DRESS AREADY SHE REALLY LOOKED NICE IN IT WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY BETTER THEN WHAT SHE WEAR TODAY SHE LOOKED LIKE A OLD LADY IN THIS DRESS SHE WEAR TO MURCH FLOWERS AND HER HAIR WAS NOT DONE.LOVE HER SHOES. LOL
I love the dress, I need to start sewing again, nothing a dress when its made especially for you. Flame on Mrs. O. Thanks for the accountability in the fashion world.
I love the dress, I need to start sewing again, nothing like a dress when it's made especially for you. Flame on Mrs. O. Thanks for the accountability in the fashion world.
I think the Obama's are the nicest thing that has happened to the White House since the Kennedy's! He is cool calm collect tall dark and handsome. She stands like Jackie O with poise and grace in her perosnality. She has very beautiful features and seems as genuine as he does. I am very happy about them and I could care less about all the people with bad manner in this country. You go First Lady Obama! Your a trend setter. I'm glad to have lived in a time to witness the first black people in
the White House. It really was an odds thing wasn't it. I have witnessed alot of firsts in my time on this planet but, I like this piece of history best.The song says, "We Shall Over Come!" and I only wish I could see the faces of those that bared the blunt of all the pain to get here today. Maybe now their spirits can rest and go into the light! I like the Obama's for no paticular reason than. They seems like really nice folks.
WOW , what a fabulous dress!!!
way to put the spotlight on talented designer Mrs.O. How utterly refreshing! she is a foxy Lady our Mrs.O.
What an amazing dress! I love the 60s style and the fit. Actually, I loved the three other dresses I saw from the designer Barbara Tfank. Très formidable.! Mrs. O. is unstoppable.
Ooh, this is gorgeous!
I want that dress.
Wow -- I agree! Magnificent dress and magnificent woman wearing it. Can't wait to see what Mrs. O wears to Wednesday night's dinner!
OMG! Our FIRST LADY is so VIBRANT and RICH in this ensemble! This dress is almost too spectacular for words!
Here is the link to Barbara Tfank's collection for those interested.
http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2008RTW-BTFANK/
How lovely! Barbra Tfank's collection is so grown up yet fresh. I would love to see Mrs.O in more of her designs. Am I the only one that sees a similarity in the neckline of this dress and the "kelly green" dress in the post below? Could it also be Barbra Tfank?
I can't wait to see what Mrs.O wears to the State Dinner on Wednesday. Is there a Mexican-American designer she could possibly wear as a nod to Mexico? I don't know of any, but I know there are a few Latino-American designers she could wear, such as Isabel Toledo.
I'm with Cassy - I want that dress too! Gorgeous colours, great styling - Mrs O does a fitted dress so well and the colours are really flattering. She looks wonderful - the whole package: intelligent, sincere, articulate, well-groomed and so fit-looking. What a great first lady - well done America for putting Mr and Mrs O in the White House!
Simply gorgeous!
Here's a slideshow of the collection that this dress comes from:
http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/F2009RTW-BTFANK?loop=0&&event=show1922&designer=design_house1423&iphoto=8&play=false&cnt=12
I'd wear the entire collection. Ms. Tfank is definitely one to watch!
Ari, there are many she can chooses from: Narciso Rodriguez, J.Mendel, Carlos Miele, David Rodriguez, Carolina Herrera,even Oscar de la Renta. just the few i can cite off the top of my head.
Ooooh... look at the Fall 2010 collection:
http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/F2010RTW-BTFANK?viewall=true
Slideshow looks 8 and 15 are heavenly!
Mrs. T, you are so right, this dress really is beyond gorgeous! I just looked at all of Barbara Tfank's collections posted on style.com and what a treat. I had never even heard of her before, but I am a fan now! Just looking at these colors on our Michelle is absolutely delightful. She just glows in this dress. The neckline reminds of the dress in the last post. I wonder if this could be one of Barbara's creations as well. This dress here, it is a stunner....and she wore my two favorite attributes of hers, #1 her pearls and #2 her genuine warmth and smile. YES I'M GUSHING, SO SUE ME!
Gorgeous! Floral, shiny, spectacular...
Thakoon or Wu are my guesses...
Whoops! So much for reading the whole post...so much for my fashion instinct.
Mrs. T, this is the dress that the First Lady wore on Apri 28 to the First Lady's luncheon hosted by congressional spouses. I'm still surprised that pictures didn't surface sooner, as this was a very public event. Anyway, as you know, you posted "Hidden Gem" on April 29 that included a video with Dr. Jill Biden, and Mrs. O makes a cameo just before the one minute mark (as you noted). I commented at that time that I attended the luncheon and had an opportunity to greet her (shake hands and exchange pleasantries). I was so taken by the dress, shoes, hair, makeup, etc. She was stunningly gorgeous in that dress. As I noted at that time, she admired a friend's necklace, and my friend told her it came from J. Crew. A group of us were talking about this at brunch yesterday because my friend wore that same necklace -- I wondered aloud if Mrs. O remembered it later and made a little purchase! ;-) I was hoping we would see pics from the commencement addresses she has given. Hopefully, there will be pics from today's obesity announcement. I need a fix (LOL!) and I'm looking forward to seeing a new outfit to admire and discuss!
Congrats on your upcoming nuptials. As someone else commented, I had assumed you were already married given your "Mrs. T" handle. Not to sound selfish but what on earth will we do while you're on your honeymoon?!?! :-/
Very very lovely. I would look like a sofa in it, she merely looks elegant. Sigh.
Mrs T, wasn't the designer featured in that Vogue shoot you did?
I don't like... I LOVE this look!
I am stunned. Wowie! So pretty! This dress is like a jewel! I am so glad that she and POTUS are trying to help our returned troops. And soldiers and families who are currently serving. This lady is pretty on the outside and most importatnly on the inside.
Ever SO PRETTIE. Crisp and fresh. Love shiny satiny looking fabric. So many different shoe colours will match perfectly with this dress. Flattering neckline is sooooooo fantastic looking. OH My Lady.
Wow! I love this dress. But, I love retro looks! And, Mrs. O wears them so well. Another hit out of the ballpark!
Absolutely gorgeous. . This dress is for a confident woman.Only Lady Michele can wear this dress tocomplete satisfaction.
Meta posted this photo at the end of the MODERN CLASSIC post. And here is is for everyone to see. Take note...the neckline is not that far off the green dress (was it funnel, bracelet, necklace, etc...etc...ad nauseam) Here is a classic updated with the two strands of pearls. It comes from iconic designers and women who wore the designs, even 50 years ago. But that is okay, because classic design is timeless and your MLRO has chosen to wear a nod to the classics. What a shock that must be to the Brianas, Mia Montes and Chrystelles in this blog.
I loved the Barbara Tfank line during Fashion Week, and hoped Mrs. O would seek it out. I'm so glad she has. Gorgeous! More, please!
My jaw dropped. What a lovely dress on a lovely First Lady!
Heartstoppingly gorgeous. This dress is sensational beyond words and the woman wearing it looks equally sensational.
@ Bobby Capps - I agree and can only echo your thoughts.
@ Accidental Lobbyist. I'm glad you mentioned Mrs T's honeymoon. I wish her well for her upcoming nuptials but like yourself I selfishly fretted about how I will be getting my Mrs Obama fix. Everytime I see a new picture of the First Lady, it just makes my day.
Posh, you made me laugh out loud!
This is a very Mad Men type of a dress. I remember my mom wearing similar things in the early 60's.
Brilliant...!
This is totally gorgeous. The richness of the fabric and the colors is breathtaking. I am gushing as well, CID! Three cheers!
Barbara Tfank's collection is so simple yet grown up. BTW, can someone pronounce her name for me? Is it a silent "T"?
I to agree that the First Lady looks wonderful in this dress, but to me there is a bigger issue at hand. My concern is the lack of African-American designers that are availed of the First Lady's patronage. It seems that only Asians, Hispanics and Europeans are her chosen favorites. This is particularly disheartening, when there are African-American designers just as talented as their other-racial counterparts, who would love to have the First Lady wear one of their creations. By not wearing designs by African-American designers the First Lady sends out a message that is very sad and discouraging.
A few things ....
Yes, it was a Barbara Tfank coat that I wore in Vogue! It's quite exciting to see Mrs. O in Barbara Tfank too. Mrs. Tfank must be thrilled! She actually sent me an email directly yesterday to let me know the first lady is wearing her dress in the photo!
In terms of the honeymoon ... we can discuss this, but I'm afraid the blog might have to go on hiatus from June 26 to July 9. Would that be okay? I'm sorry! I love the loyal following here, I'm just sure I can / want to blog from my honeymoon. Let me know thoughts.
I just love this dress! It definitely has a '60s retro vibe, but the deeply saturated colors of the print make it very much today. The colors complement Mrs. O's skin tone beautifully; I thought the green dress shown here previously grayed her out a bit; a deeper, more jewel-toned green there would have suited better, I think.
i thought you have help Mrs.T? they have been some entries in the past which were not written by you. what happened to all the other writers?
Cincinnati Kid, Mrs.O wears Tracy Reese. maybe it just isn't enough for some.
MS T THANK YOU FOR THIS LOVELY PICTURE OF THE FLOTUS. MS T I HAVE A THEORY THAT THEN FLOTUS IS GOING TO BE WEARING A FLORAL GOWN AT THE STATE DINNER. SINCE THE FLOTUS CAME BACK FROM MEXICO SHE HAS BEEN WEARING FLORAL PRINTS.
Mrs O is like Jackie O! Stylish and fun.
I love this dress it is beautiful, I love the way it looks on her. The color,style, and length.
No, Chrystelle, one African-American designer is not enough, and your comment reminds me of comments that have been said throughout history....."you have one, we let one in, isn't that enough?! You people are never satisfied!"