Best of 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 2:03 PM The end of the year offers the opportunity to look back at the First Lady's stand out fashion moments from the twelve months prior. For 2011, I'd like to try something new. Below you'll find a short list of my picks for Mrs. O's top 10 sartorial looks from 2011, as well as a poll. I'd love to get your perspective by the numbers so that we collectively declare the best of 2011. Voting will remain open for five days. (Here are the best of 2009 and 2010 if you missed them).
A note: There's a pretty good chance that one or more of your favorite Mrs. O looks didn't make the top 10 below. As you can imagine, whittling down the list was a considerable challenge. Please feel free to use the comments to give any missed looks their due credit.
Happy voting!
March 19, 2011: Palacio do Planalto, Brasilia, Brazil - Rachel Roy 
March 19, 2011: Palacio do Alvorada, Brasilia, Brazil - Naeem Khan
May 24, 2011: Buckingham Palace, London - Barbara Tfank
May 24, 2011: Buckingham Palace, London - Tom Ford
May 25, 2011: Winfield House, London - Ralph Lauren
June 21, 2011: Nelson Mandela Foundation, Johannesburg, South Africa - Narciso Rodriguez
September 24, 2011: Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Phoenix Awards Dinner, Washington, D.C. - Michael Kors, Peter Soronen
November 13, 2011: APEC dinner, Honolulu, Hawaii - Vera Wang
December 4, 2011: Kennedy Center Honors - Vera Wang
Images by AP Images / Getty Images / Reuters / White House
Reader Comments (50)
I know it was hard to choose, but I think you got it right. Happy Holidays to you and your family! Looking forward to another great year of fashion from FLOTUS.
Mrs. T, can you write a post on this dress?
http://www.oliverwillis.com/2011/12/19/my-christmas-with-the-obamas/
Actually, the floral Hawaiin number was the best yet.
my favourite was the puple dess at the last state dinner but you did not include it.
I like March 19, 2011: Palacio do Alvorada, Brasilia, Brazil - Naeem Khan and May 25, 2011: Winfield House, London - Ralph Lauren. I think Naeem Khan is my no 1.
Wow some really good ones were included. I voted for the Naeem Khan dress. At first site, its still very lovely, but in upclose pics the elaborate bead work on this dress is absolutely stunning. That's why i voted for this dress. Otherwise i may have went with one of the other long ballgown numbers.
It was a hard decision between the black Ralph Lauren and the blue Vera Wang, but I went with Ralph.
Great selections! I also like the Byron Lars dress she wore at the September 11th memorial service and for the new official photo. Thanks and happy holidays!
Really hard to choose. I love the Vera Wang's, Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren.
Only one category? Kind of hard to pit the evening swear against the day looks. And my favorite of all was the yellow print dress in Hawaii. Did we ever find out where that was from?
The floral dress from Hawaii is Jean Paul Gaultier. That dress, along with the ultra violet Doo-Ri gown and black Byron Lars dress are in my honorable mentions. Very hard to narrow the list to only 10.
@lisam, I can't use that photo as I don't have permission, but hopefully it will surface in a White House Flickstream update. If that's the case, I promise a post!
Good selection Mrs. T. I meant to vote for May 24 Buckingham Palace TOM FORD -- absolutely exquisite!-- instead of the May 24 Buckingham Palace Barbara Tfank, which was not one of my favorite FLOTUS ensembles.
I agree with Gloria5 however, the Aloha Chic November 13, 2011 Jean Paul Gaultier is a real winner!
What's wonderful about Mrs. O is that she's able to carry off such a breadth of looks -- from Target sundresses to haute couture-- with elegance and sparkle. Her warm radiant personality adds a special aura to whatever she chooses to wear.
Thanks for all your great work in keeping us posted and hosting a great web community on Mrs. O.
@gloria5 and Sootica That Jean Paul Gaultier dress she wore in Hawaii was drop dead gorgeous. I keep going back and looking at that picture. Best ever. But for the purposes of this poll I chose Ralph Lauren; perfect fit, perfect length coupled with that retro updo - stunning. I used to comb my hair like that in the 70's when I had hair to play with. I also like the pink and silver Vera Wang. And Mrs. O's best accessory, if you can call it that, is her amazingly healthy skin.
Hands down the cobalt blue Vera Wang at the last state dinner. No contest in MY book.
Oh my goodness! I couldn't decide!!! What I would do to have a body like that and designers like that. Hands down there are three that had me stumped: Tom Ford, Vera Wang, and MK! This was really hard!!!
Wow! What a beautfiul selection. It is so hard to choose, but I went with the blue Vera Wang which is absolutely exquisite in my view. Have a very Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year. Thank you Mrs. T for such a wonderful site. I have to check in each day, even though I don't always post. God bless Mrs. Obama, God bless our First Family and God bless America.
I loved them all; so hard to choose.Thanks for your selections.
Although there were many nice looks above, I liked the March 19 Rachel Roy a LOT. Her wonderful arms do lead her to a lot of one-shoulder looks, which look fantastic. I voted for the Sept 24, however, because I just loved how young that hair made her look. I agree also with all those folks who brought up the yellow Hawaiian JPG, that was spectacular.
Are you serious? You want us to choose just one? This lady looks fab in jeans and a t-shirt. All of these looks are great.
Loved all of the selections and a few that I did not see for the best of 2011. Favorites were Khan, Wang, Roy, Kors/Soronen...and best of show....Lauren! She and Jill Biden are always so fashionable and lovely! Make us proud to be women in this century!
I voted for the blue Vera Wang but loved the Lauren black dress. Both are fabulous!
It looks they are #1 and #2. Thanks for the reminders, Mrs. T.
Merry Christmas to all my Mrs.O "friends".
Tom Ford all the way!!! First Lady Obama looks absolutely beautiful in his gown.
I Love the outfit by Barbara Tfank, though most apparently do not not care for it. I think it's just Lovely - the Gorgeous color of the jacket & dress, the pretty & flattering cut of both - (Of Course, Mrs. O Always looks Great, no matter what she wears)! Even so, this dress & jacket combo makes the Most of Mrs. O's graceful curves. This ensemble reminds me a little bit of Princess Diana, maybe in the earlier years, when she wasn't afraid to look romantic & pretty. I frequently read that Princess Diana evolved into a much more sophisticated style, with her streamlined gowns of later years. I don't agree. I think the earlier dresses were just as lovely. Re: Mrs. O - she sure knows how to wear color, like nobody else! She is Fearless w/Gorgeous color! And her jewelry is Always Interesting & Beautiful.
Love the silver and pink Vera Wang in Hawaii. It just seemed slightly different from anything she previously wore and made her look shining, slim and exquisite.
How fun, Mrs. T! I'll vote for the embellished Naeem Khan out of this batch, but I still think Mrs. O's best of the year was the purple Doo-Ri Chung. I also agree with many others about that stunning yellow Jean-Paul Gaultier.
And how about two coat and dress ensembles? I'm thinking of ombre Peter Som Mrs. O wore when leaving London (and again at the UN) and the navy Roksanda Ilincic she wore to greet Hun Jintao. These were fresh, contemporary interpretations of a traditional first lady-like look.
@Mrs. T I think you have to do another poll with non-formal wear. There are just too many to choose from or you will have to do a top 20. The yellow Gaultier was the best thing she has worn in 4 years. I voted for the pink and silver Vera Wang. No I've changed my mind I'm going with the Barbara Tfank, well I do l-o-v-e the Tom Ford. O heck, I can make up my mind.....
@dasie, next year I'll do formal and daytime, promise!
I voted for the blue Vera Wang dress but I liked the purple dress for the Korean state dinner too.
That was hard and you did a great job. Mrs. O finished the year very strong. I would have included the People Mag. outfit. She looked very fit, feminine and original in a captivating and appropriately festive way. The skirt was a surprising choice, but made a very strong statement.
I would have to choose the blue Vera Wang gown as my favorite. The Hanukkah blue outfit was another stunner, but maybe stronger because we saw it posted close to the time of the cobalt Wang gown.
I think one reason Mrs. O had so many great looking outfits in the last quarter of the year was that she was fitter than ever. Did anyone else notice between July 4th and the First Family's Aug. vacation she seemed to slim down noticeably? I respect the FF's privacy always, but I am intrigued by what exercise/diet changes led to a body that a professional dancer would be proud of. It makes her amazing choices in clothes even more appealing. And she just looks healthier and happier than ever. Less sugar? More veggies? Less elliptical and more barre work? We'll probably have to wait until the Obamas leave the White House to find out.
btw, I recommend your website constantly to friends and people I meet. I tell them it is not just about fashion, but a great way to keep up on current events, including links to articles, videos and transcripts of remarks, for ex.
Thank you for providing a service that is exemplary of what the World Wide Web can offer when it is fulfilling its potential.
And a very Happy Holiday season. I think 2012 is going to be the best year this century!!
I found this website just a couple of weeks ago after googling Mrs O because I wanted to follow her outfits through the last couple of years (where have I been?!)
To Mrs. T - You are doing an awesome job! I love the blog! My mom and I spent hours looking through your blog a couple of days ago! :) We both love Mrs. O and firmly believe that she has brought back femininity to women's professional wear. We are both avid bargain shoppers with a strong penchant for dresses, skirts, and cute shoes and we have noticed that it is so much easier now to find wonderful dresses all year around at all our favorite spots. We think it is due to the the Mrs. O effect.
Once again this is wonderful!
Happy holidays!
Hard choice to make between the gorgeous blue Vera Wang and the elegantly shouldered black Ralph Lauren. My New Year's wish is to play dressup in FLOTUS's closet for just a single hour! HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!
I chose the Vera Wang blue gown, but it was a hard choice. The Tom Ford and Ralph Lauren dresses during the UK visit were exquisite--gasp-inducing--when I saw them on FLOTUS. The Sorenson outfit at the CBC dinner was great as well. I now regret my choice...I think I should have went for the Tom Ford My Fair Lady-esque gown. This is hard! LOL!
We are here, Mara >>>><<<<. I adored the Barbra Tfank ensemble that Mrs Obama wore to the Palace although I voted for the black Ralph Lauren dress because there was something incredibly polished about the whole look - the dress, the nippy waist, the gorgeous accessories and the hairstyle which took 20 years off her.
Mrs Obama never goes for the safe option and the Tfank outfit made such a difference surrounded by 'safe' outfits that other women wore on that day.
@Mara and Jestina, I loved the Barbara Tfank, too. She always does very well by our Mrs. O. One thing I especially appreciated about that look was the thoughtful nod to her hostess. I imagine the old girl nodding in approval at the floral ensemble in the fresh spring colors, cut in a graceful, feminine shape. Maybe it even triggered a fond memory of something she loved to wear in the '50s
Mrs T beautiful work. It was hard to decide. The site really shows Mrs O's style evolution. The difference from 2009, 2010 and now 2011 show a tremendous growth in her confidence and the addition of more established designers such as Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang and Michael Kors. It is a very classy and sophisticated evolution. I must admit this year was more dazzling and daring with the Alexander Mcqueen dress. I just love this site. Can't wait for next year with the campaigniing and all the other events. I chose the Ralph Lauren. The Naeem Kahn dress and vera Wang were my other two favoites. These three dresses touch on my theme.
Gosh, it was so hard to chose a favorite! I just love the Vera Wang gown, that is a homerun for sure!
The one that I thought was a close second was the chartruese, one shoulder gown that our Michelle wore earlier this year. I cannot remember who made it but I recall that she accented it with lavendar flower earrings. That indeed was a stunner.
Thanks Mrs.T for this thread. This was an unenviable task....how does one begin to chose!?!
@Charlene, this one: http://mrs-o.com/newdata/2011/2/27/first-look-2011-governors-ball.html & http://mrs-o.com/newdata/2011/3/10/simply-gorgeous.html ? Ooh, you're right, I'd forgotten about it!
I am clearly having way too much fun with this post since this is my third comment.
@Mrs. T, that's an impressive number of votes! Is the voting link on another blog, too, or is everyone connecting from here?
She had great looks this year. The yellow Gaultier in Hawaii was picture perfect. Both gowns in England were beyond amazing. The green Cushnie et Ochs was a party dress to remember.
But I voted for the gown from the House of McQueen. It was a bold stroke of high fashion.
Hawaii, Hands Done! after that South African but you guys didnt include the Duro Oluwu outfit.
@ MI Mom, THANKS! I knew someone would come to my rescue! That dress was the bomb, simple and elegant. It looked so good on our FLOTUS!
I'm loving this poll!
@a MI Mom, the votes are just from this site. I did promote it via the blog's Facebook page and Twitter feed, but all voting has been done here! Pretty exciting.
@Charlene in Detroit, I'm also enjoying the poll! Personally, I thought for sure the Tom Ford gown would be in the #1 spot, so it's exciting to see how things are shaping up. I do agree it's a bit unfair to the daytime looks to be put up against evening, so next year we'll have to do two polls.
OK so I voted for the pink and blue Vera Wang
Let's face it, our First Lady always looks good! I voted for the dress from the Black Caucus dinner because I remember just gasping out loud when I saw it...just total knockout and her waist looked amazing. I love her in anything, but all of her formals this year knocked me out!
Beautiful looks. Agree with so many others, the floral Hawaiian silky dress was spectacular.
Mrs. T and other loyal followers, I found a picture of Mrs. O that caught my attention. I have never seen this picture before, but it is picture of Mrs. O in her Isabel Toledo's dress without the matching coat and sweater. The dress alone is very beautiful. Here is the link that displays the image of Mrs.o in the dress: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/michelle-obamas-style-secrets/
I'm being reading and admiring your blog since it first started and I also admire Ms. Obama dearly not only for her style but for her intelligence and grace.
This was a hard choice to make; I would like to choose the following: the red McQueen, the white Tom Ford and the amazing blue Vera Wang. But because I love red, the McQueen got my vote.
Happy holidays to you!
You have my top 4:
1) Dec. 4 cobalt blue Vera Wang gown
2) Nov. 13 grey/white/pink Vera Wang dress
3) Sep. 24 black glittery gown by Michael Kors
4) May 24 white flowing gown worn in London
Others I really enjoyed that did not make your list: June 13 post of the navy Rachel Roy dress; May 11 Naeem Khan skirt (maybe my #5); March 21 off the shoulder azalea gown by Sophie Theallet; and March 10 Prabal Gurung gown! A couple things I noticed flipping through the last year's photos, one thing I did NOT like was the backward-worn cardigan look. Also, both girls are growing so fast (!) but especially Malia is looking so much older!
Thanks for covering a great year,
Megan
@ Christal B, good looking out! I don't recall seeing our Michelle without the coat and/or sweater from The Inauguration. She looked soooo pretty on that historic day. I likey!
I like the Tom Ford. However, she looks nice in everything. Her smile just lights up a room. She has a presence.