A $384 Million H&M Dress?
Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 7:09 PM 
Image by Peter Kramer / NBC / AP Images
Earlier today, a reader noted that the Tory Burch Senal Jacket, worn by Mrs. O in Atlanta yesterday, has already sold out. When I first posted the link, there were multiple sizes available. (Update: As of 2/14, more stock is in.)
Then word came from Professor David Yermack of NYU Stern that H&M stock rose from 210.7 to 213.7 in Swedish krona on Wednesday, representing an increase of 1.43%. With 827 million shares outstanding, the company's market capitalization rose by $384 million. Which does make one wonder – was Mrs. O's $34.95 dress responsible for the considerable gain?
Long-time reader "Charlene in Detroit" supports the correlation with this anecdote:
"To anyone looking for the H&M dress, best of luck! The H&M store in the suburbs near me said it sold out last night and people are still calling looking for it today!"
And from The Boston Herald:
"In Boston, both Downtown Crossing and Newbury Street locations of the fast fashion retailer have been fielding calls from customers looking to track down the dress, but it is available only in limited quantities at the downtown store."
Conclusion? It seems all is well with "The Mrs. O Effect" at retail.
David Yermack, H&M, Tory Burch
Reader Comments (46)
All is well with "The Mrs. O Effect!"
On Entertainment Tonight, there was a segment where this guy (don't recall name) recreated the dress from parts of other dresses in the shop!
Now, this is a good idea for all of us. Say, if you find a relatively inexpensive sleeveless dress and you prefer sleeves, just buy two and use the extra dress for parts. I'd buy the second dress in the largest size availlable that way it will give me more material to work with. I'd take it to a seamstress or a tailor, or even a senior student at a local college for them to do the alterations. It can be quite affordable and it will be uniquely yours! This is so doable, even in these economically trying times! I love how our Michelle inspires me. Yeah, yeah, I know......I'm gushing! Hey Nyon, I'm in the club!
Oh, by the way, thanks Mrs. T for the shout out......you're a gem!
This from the Boston Globe makes it sound as if it was never distributed in high volume:
"In Boston, both Downtown Crossing and Newbury Street locations of the fast fashion retailer have been fielding calls from customers looking to track down the dress, but it is available only in limited quantities at the downtown store."
I've definitely seen it at H&M in Soho. Will check tomorrow! And @kaybeel, thanks so much for the tip on the Boston Herald story!
Is Kaybeel as usual trying to discount Mrs O's influence and her ability to move markets by offering up the Boston Globe article that the dress was not distributed in high volume?
It might not be distributed in great volume in Boston and might in another city, dependend on the market. Not every city dresses same. Target marketing.
@A. I didn't read the comment to be negative at all.
Watch this adorable video of First Lady Michelle Obama doing a cheer with the kids in Atlanta, GA. You can also see a view of the back of the Tory Burch Senal Jacket on Mrs. Obama.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqsxzBKaG6Q&feature=player_embedded
Now if I could afford the shoes I would buy them!
I applaud Mrs. Obama for wearing all fashions from all price points. I may never have an original red McQueen ball gown, but I can shop at Talbots, H & M, J. Crew, Target etc. She shows you can look great without spending a fortune.
@Charlene, thanks for the how-to. I wondered about the mechanics of that and your explanation makes perfect sense. But do you suppose H & M constructed a special order for Mrs. O or would she have had a seamstress make the sleeved version?
@a MI Mom, I know in the past, such alternations have been on the first lady's end. There was a J.Crew dress in Fall 2008 that was lengthened slightly, and these alternatives were made by Mrs. Obama / Ikram.
I bought the sleeveless version at an H&M in Rome last week. When Mrs. O came on the Today Show, I went to my closet and held it up against the TV. My husbands reaction was to ask how much the dress cost! I was pleased to tell him 29.00 Euro!
The dress is lovely. Now if only I could go to a store and buy her legs, her arms, her personality, her intelligence...
She may have only spent $35 for THIS dress but she spent $1250 on another one.
Hello.
Yesterday the First Lady gave an interview to Univision, regarding Lets Move. Here is
a link:
http://noticias.univision.com/estados-unidos/noticias/article/2011-02-08/maria-elena-salinas-entrevistara-a
Wow...I guess whatever she touches, or wears, turns to GOLD. Shes got the Midas touch!
CAROL, can you explain your thoughts behind the comment ..."she spent $1250 on another one" (dress that is)? Why?
Mrs.O has stated that she wears a dress not the designer. In other words, if she likes a dress
and it fits her then she may ask who is the designer?
No wonder certain whining designer(s) were/are whining about FLOTUS' clothing, they know this woman is profitable!!!!!! Get in line Oscar! haha
LOVE the Mrs O effect! Go FLOTUS! Get the economy moving!
Before she was our First Lady - she was a lawyer and then hospital administrator ... so why is it a problem if she spends 1250.00 on a dress one day and then 35.00 another day? She's a working Mom able to afford some of the finer things - yet still knows how to shop for bargains and mix and match them with her high-end duds....its part of her appeal and versatility. I don't understand why its a problem.
No one has affected my personal dress like Michelle Obama...and I'm a Republican (ha ha). My daughter and I love her. Sometimes I just click on the YOUTUBE videos of her greeting people in the White House while I am preparing dinner. I can't imagine Jackie Kennedy doing this. She is a first lady for our time. P.S. I love the comment on not being a fan of "facebook." She's perfect.
Carol didn't say there was a problem! Why are you lot defending Mrs. O as if she was attacked? Carol simply stated the price of some of her other dresses just as the price of this dress is in the headline of this post. Yes, she is wearing a $35.00 dress (which apparently is a cause for celebration and commentary) but when she wears a $1,700 dress no one is allowed to talk about it. The people talking about the price of her clothes when they are over $1,000 are haters and trolls and should mind their own business because she can wear what she likes and do with her money as she pleases. I do not care one bit for the price of her clothes whether suprisingly cheap or astoundingly expensive because I am not buying them; but in the same breath people compliment her for wearing a $35.00 dress on the Today show, should they not chastise her for wearing $525 sneakers to a homeless shelter? Those same people raving about the cost of this dress found it completely inappropriate to discuss the cost of those sneakers. Mrs. T surely did not post the price of those sneakers when she wore them that day. This is Mrs. T's blog and she can post whatever she likes on it but for the commentators my opinion is this: Either the Lady can wear what she likes and the price is of no concern to anyone but her husband - or the price of her clothes should be brought up and discussed in EVERY post to be celebrated or criticised. Stop picking the few times she wears a dress under $200 to be concerned about how much it costs. LOVELY dress by the way.
@marcelle's comment "Mrs.O has stated that she wears a dress not the designer. In other words, if she likes a dress and it fits her then she may ask who is the designer?"
This is a prime example of what I was talking about in the earlier post "Mrs. O and Ikram, Still Collaborating?" Where I lamented Mrs.O not giving a bit more realistic detail into the process of what she chooses to wear.
marcelle, I cannot pretend I don't see almost everything she wears (SPECIFICALLY THIS dress) as a calculated decision. Mrs.O and her team know that her every fashion move is watched like a hawk and dissected for designer, symbolism, and price and certain things will trigger certain responses by the media. This explains the uncanny coincidence that every time she appears on national television (The Today Show, Regis and Kelly, Ellen, The View, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno) she wears something so extraordinarily cheap for her standards, and so accessible to middle class American women - it is picked up by the national media further endearing her to the American public. She would never go on daytime television wearing Marc Jacobs, Dries Van Noten, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lanvin. Moschino etc. I see NOTHING wrong with that, it shows she is a very smart lady who is in tune with the mood of the country and with what middle class Americans feel and think, but don't pee on my neck and tell me it's raining. This is no lucky draw. Classic Michelle Obama fashion politics right here. btw - I. LOVE. IT.
Thanks, Mrs. T. It seems like a lot of off-the-rack would have to be lengthened for her. I wondered about that vintage Norrell, too, since Mrs. O is so tall even by contemporary standards, let alone for the time that dress was made.
Michelle is smart, she knew wearing a 35 dollar dress would get the fashion pundits to stop talking about the fabulous McQueen dress.
I love her - and even supported her when her outfits bordered on "not as good as others".
The yellow shoes are horrible.
The reasonable dress is amazing - the belt is fine. The shoes are honestly the worst thing I have EVER seen her in.
Sorry, Michelle, please put those at the back of the closet. We don't need to see them anytime soon. This is the first negative post I have ever posted - and never thought I would do it - but I can't be held responsible based on that choice.
yes, i knew the polka-dotted dress and yellow shoe combo reminded me of someone:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VJfg2JwU3Qw/TLUbRwsAwMI/AAAAAAAAApA/OFfO-21dPTk/s1600/minnie+mouse+1.jpg
Horrible!!!!!! We expect so much better, Michelle.... but I guess everyone has an off day - I know I do!
Hey fashionistas, I've got a newsflash! This dress is also available in salmon/pink polka dot with a black bety. If you call your local H&M store, ask for item # or order # 90593. This order # is used at all H&M stores and if they have it, they will hold it for you until closing time the following day! HAPPY SHOPPING !!!
Hey guys, sorry about the typo. I meant to type that the pink dress comes with a black belt. Also, I just found out from one of the six H&M stores here in Michigan that this dress is still coming in. Not all of the stores received their merchandise at the same time. So give it a try. Don't be discouraged. The item/order # is still the same: 90593. So once again, HAPPY SHOPPING !!!
OK, this is my last post on this thread, I PROMISE! I wondered how long this would take......somebody has snapped up a bunch of these dresses and put them on eBay! They are starting at $79.99. Check out item # 250771834432. Before anyone gets carried away, this is not my store. I buy from eBay, I do not sell on there. Also, go in the search engine on eBbay and enter "Michelle Obama dress" and more will pop up.
I've never had any doubt about Mrs. O's effect on fashion. I can guarantee you that more middle to upper-income women have sought out Alexander McQueen since she wore that fabulous red gown to the state dinner than ever before.
By the way I love the yellow pumps with red belt and the polka-dot dress. I know that many of you on this site are not fashion-forward nor adventurous, but Mrs. O, unapologetically is. Bravo First Lady Obama! Bravo!
Oh stop it Rory, no one attacked anyone, I didn't understand Carol's comment either, she could explain more, if she wants. You are making a mountain out of a mole hill, exactly what you are complaining about.
Mike, you made me LMAO. But I like those yellow shoes. I own a pair of yellow shoes that I wear with a cute little black dress and next time I am going to add a bright orange red sash and I'm going to look better than Michelle or Minnie!
@Adear & Ladywatcher,
I'm with you, I also want to know what was the point of Carol's comment/statement. I wonder if she was about to make some profound statement on the meaning of wearing an affordable garb on one occasion then follow it up with one that's in the couture ranks, but instead she just made an abrupt statement and left it at that. What's up with that? Are you upset about something or did you just lose your trend of thought? I don't want to be presumptous and say that you were just being critical to be critical, but from my vantage point, in the absence of further clarification, that's the impression you left. Maybe you can take the time to enlighten the rest of us on what was your point to begin with.
Okay, so I love, love, love Mrs. O, but I have to agree with those on this site that criticized the shows....those yellow shoes were quite atrocious.
@ Rory, while I completely see where you are coming from, and please do not see this comment as an attack, but simply a response to your comment, but I think it is normal for first ladies to wear very expensive clothing (first ladies from all over the world including Mrs. O). So when Mrs. O wears something less than $200, it is something out of the norm for the class of first ladies and therefore worth reporting, and sets her apart from her predecessors and other first ladies around the world. That's what makes her special.
Would I have worn $540 shoes to a homeless shelter? No, but the fact that she was at a homeless shelter helping out is what is most important, and therefore I did not feel it warrants attention that they were $540.
I know everyone back in the day commented on the designers Jackie O. and Nancy Reagan wore, but did people actually sit around discussing the cost of their ensembles? It seems Mrs. O. is undergoing some pretty unfair scrutiny as far as the cost of her clothing is concerned.
What's with the yellow shoes? Terrible!
Love the yellow shoes! The pop of color compliments her coco skin tone. Quirky & fun. Like the dress. I'm the same color and may give yellow shoes a try. Yellow hasn't been a favorite of mine, but they're very cute here.
I've been trying to figure out why after the hundreds of outfits that we've seen the First Lady wear, most of them very expensive with very expensive jewelry and accessories, we are suddenly being told by her that she doesn't pay much attention to what she wears.
There's a book out right now with a mass of photos of Michelle Obama in different outfits -- this site proves that she changes clothes several times a day sometimes. Are we supposed to believe that she doesn't pay attention to her clothes when we have evidence of one outfit after another and relatively few re-wears?
Then I understood -- the book was commissioned when the Obamas thought it was going to be a four-year lovefest like the election. MIchelle wore every expensive thing she could get her hands on because she could get her hands on expensive things. Now that it's the mid-way point and things are not a shoo-in for re-election, she has to dismiss clothes and pretend to us that she really likes to wear $35 dollar dresses -- if they've been made from several dresses, reworked, and completely refashioned for her and fitted to her.
And she thinks we won't remember the past two years?
Yellow shoes - not liking them with the rest of the outfit. Doesn't look fashion forward to me, looks cartoonish with the red belt and a polka dot dress.
It stands to reason that Mrs.O can't buy things off the rack at inexpensive stores. They do not cater to tall, large boned women. In fact, a lot of these youth centered stores would have to charge much more for their clothes if they carried a bigger variety of sizes, and keeping things low cost is part of their appeal. I am not tall, but I have tall relatives of both sexes and clothes buying is time consuming and expensive for them. Shoes in larger sizes are also a problem.
All that being said, I support Mrs.O's attempt to showcase affordable clothing, even if hers was custom made.
@ "Curious" or caustic? The later I think, but that's OK there's space for everyone. Curious, it's probably a Soviet plot, right? Man the battle stations! Oh, never-mind, that's what you're doing now. It's coffee time, enjoy your tea!
From another brown-skinned lady in yellow shoes. LOL!
@Curious your curiosity is NOT the cat's meow - your post is sounding way silly on so many levels!
are you sure you are on the right site?