A Royal Affair
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 7:51 AM 
Photos by Kevin Lamarque / Reuters, Charles Dharapak / Getty Images
Well, if reuniting First Lady Mrs. O and the Queen weren't exciting enough, let's throw Kate Middleton (make that Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge) into the mix! Oh my goodness!
For this historic occasion, Mrs. O has chosen a delightful dress. The mint hued floral frock is the gorgeous work of Barbara Tfank, from the designer's Resort 2011 collection, seen here. A pink cropped swing jacket also by Barbara Tfank and jeweled brooch complete the look.
A note on Catherine: Grazia UK reports that the Duchess wears the Shola Bandage Dress from high street retailer Reiss. More on the dress, here.
Update: On the jewelry front, Mrs. O wore Phillips Frankel amazonite and ruby earrings available at Fragments in New York. The pin is a 1940s Hobe brooch from House of Lavande.
Barbara Tfank, House of Lavande, Phillips Frankel, Reiss
Reader Comments (87)
Just all-around L-O-V-E-L-Y!!! Gorgeous pastels, Thank God a structured bolero instead of the at dreaded cardigan, and finally some heels that I want to steal for my closet! And it's great to see Prince William's wife again. I love the black accessories with the classic tan dress; this way it's not too matchy matchy.
I totally forgot that Kate and William would be part of the mix as well, very fun and new! Mrs. O looks beautiful, I love this muted color palette and the cropped, swingy jacket. Great shoes, too!
I totally forgot that Kate and William would be part of the mix as well, very fun and new! Mrs. O looks beautiful, I love this muted color palette and the cropped, swingy jacket. Great shoes, too!
VERY,Very gorgeous.......this is why we call our first lady is a fashion icon and first lady of style!!!! Kate looks beautiful as well.
Kate is so tiny next to Mrs. O! And shes so tall too, must be an unusual experience for Princess Catherine.
Oh my gosh. From the moment I saw this dress, I knew it had to be Tfank. Gorgeous! Love the bolero and the pin, too! Another home run, Mrs. O!!
Our Mrs. O is representing well, as always. Everyone looks so gorgeous! Even the men are holding their own. As for the Queen, I must say I really want to see her in an Alexander McQueen frock soon! She just keeps getting better with age!
Love, love, LURVE!!! the pink bolero jacket.
I know Mrs. O loves her cardigans, but, even though she doesn't consult me(!), I would love to see more boleros and less sweaters. The swingy, breezy cut give the whole outfit just the right touch. I want her shoes!!
As for the dress, I love the fit, love the cut, love the length, and even love the contrasting belt. I've just never been a fan of mint green. It does, however, compliment the adorable Queen Elizabeth, so for that, I give it a thumbs up.
Love the shoes! Who are the shoes by?
Finally, no sweater! Too often wearing a sweater is too casul for the occasion. Maybe they learned some things since the first visit. Not loving the colors together but maybe it is better in person. But the dress is lovely and I do like the bolero especially the cut of the sleeves and back. The royal family looks great too.
Oh, she's gorgeous. Those colors just pop against her skin. Thanks for posting. Also, I love Catherine's dress. If you by any chance know the designer, please share.
Mrs. O looks absolutely lovely in mint green. However, I'm not a fan of the shoes. They look so early-90s to me. =/
Probably one of my least favorite of her choices. I love Mrs O, but this is like a frock my four year old daughter would wear, not something elegant the first lady should wear. I don't like the pink overcoat either. I hate not liking something Mrs O wears, but imo, this looks amateur and too frilly and not mature enough in the setting. A one color suit piece or something solid would have been preferable.
Michelle should have worn a short white cardigan with this dress. The dress is pretty though. I don't like the dress Queen Elizabeth is wearing it reminds me of a night gown.
Fabulous. Gorgoeus frock.
Kate's dress needs to get in my closet right now. She looks great, it's cut so flatteringly. I wish she'd have just maybe a half-sandwich more in her daily rations and that the dress itself was in a color, but she looks fab.
Mrs. O looks great in that color and the bolero. I'm going back and forth on the cut of the dress itself. It's a gorgeous dress, but I'm not sure it's really flattering Mrs. O's curves. (first picture) But then I think, it's EMPHASIZING those curves, and she is bodacious, so why not go for it? (second picture.)
So I'm torn. But I mostly think it's great.
Oh. My. Goodness. Do people not listen?
The first time the Queen entertained The President and First Lady it was for tea. An informal tea. It was not a State visit. It was not dinner. The Duchess of Cornwall was wearing a navy blue cardigan, the Queen was wearing a dress, her ladies in waiting were in plain dresses. For Michelle Obama to wear a dress and cardigan was PERFECTly in keeping for the occasion and far better than wearing a sleeveless dress (in which case I suppose all you "a CARDIGAN with THE QUEEN??????" people would have spontaneously combusted with indignation, as if the Queen must be kept from ever finding out that lesser mortals have ARMS).
This time, it is a State visit, at the invitation of the Queen as one head of state to another. And of course Mrs Obama is perfectly dressed, as she always is. And if she had elected to wear a cardigan, that would have been completely appropriate too. If anyone has put a foot wrong here, interestingly it's the Duchess of Cornwall. Full suit and hat when the Queen isn't wearing a hat (and actually looks as if she was interrupted while dusting the picture frames) could be read in strict terms of etiquette, as being a bit rude.
I'm not loving Mrs O's look. Is it just me and Mrs O on tour? It's pretty enough, and I had Tfank down as my top pick for this lunch, but it's not what I would call a strong Mrs O look. Meh.
@Posh tater
I don't think FLOTUS has really "wowed" this trip. I love her, but the clothes have not sparkled enough for me. Now the clothes she wore for the Europe trip in 2009 were great. Also, many forget that Michelle ALWAYS dresses for the occasion. London is her last stop she is not going to France.
Posh Tater I am with you. It's pretty, but it is not striking. I can distinctly remember almost screaming when I saw her in the j crew embellished cardigan and that seafoam jacquared pencil skirt last year. Same thing when she wore Naeem Khan in Brazil in few months ago. Or when she wore full on Moschino in Italy. Those were iconic fashion moments that made me go WOW!! Pretty, appropriate, but not one of my favorites. Also Posh Tater I realize this is barely criticism and more hunger for our FLOTUS to really WOW us. Gosh I love this woman!
so. so pretty! The pink jacket works really well, no as ho-hum as a green or white (!) would have been. The Queen looks happy to see them again.
Do your thang, Mrs. First Lady!!!
Love, love the dress and how it seems to glow, such rich fabric.Those are definitely my kind of shoes! And the bolero with the signature color pop and pin is a refreshing change! Everyone looks so gorgeous here!!!
@PoshTater I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks the Duchess of Cornwall looks ridiculous! Everyone else, fabulous!
Thank you Fancy Potato (Posh Tater) crikee!!! I couldn't have put it better meself!!! Folks just don't get it. Funny, I thought the same thing about DoC's hat, thankfully she was not draped in all of the Queen's jewels now that she gets a borrow.
Mrs Obama has on a beautiful outfit but more appropriate for a tea party than meeting the Royal Family.
Great photos, Mrs. T! Fun to see the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, too. Posh, hilarious commentary, as usual!
Simply wonderful! Thanks for all the great pictures. Directly after reading the NYTimes.com article on the Obamas' visit, I came to Mrs-O.org. I just knew some fab photos would be posted here!
Thank you Posh, yes, people don't listen. The whole cardigan controversy was all feigned indignation, a lot of 'doesn't she know what is appropriate' NONSENSE. The First Lady was perfectly attired for her first meeting with the Queen. I just caught a look of her entering Westminster and I think she has bumped it up a very high notch.
She looks stunning this morning and I love how she found a way to introduce some color with that bolero. Makes me happy. Her shoes are lovely.
@ladywatcher -- agree that on first view, her outfit for the Westminster Abbey visit looks beautiful. Can't wait for more pix!
Mrs. O makes another interesting choice. She is very good with color and texture. However, I wish she would pay more attention to fit and proportion. I think this dress with its full skirt is too short on her--a few inches below the knee would look better. The dress itself is gorgeous.
I'm having a little trouble with the jacket. The color is a bold choice, but there is something about the cut/fit that I don't think goes with the dress. It just looks a bit small on Mrs. O.
I would be interested in seeing Mrs. O in the dress that Kate Middleton had on. I think she would look stunning in that.
Oh dear, tsk, tsk, tsk, Samantha Cameron's arms are bare! Now inappropriate. I am being facetious, of course.
Kate looks fabulous! Can't say the same for Michelle. That dress is just not that flattering.
Very pretty colors on Mrs. Obama. But when the First Lady was outdoors, the wind got under the skirt and lifted it way high. Doesn't she have a dresser who knows to put dress weights in the hem or to think ahead and advise clothing choices that will meet any conditions outdoors? The skirt was too short for a nearly 50 year old woman at any rate.
I like the little jacket, but think putting a flyaway jacket over a bubble skirt is too much, especially when the colors differ a lot. A pretty sleek jacket would have showcased the skirt or a sleek skirt would have showcased the jacket. It's not "edgy" or "fashion forward" to just have too much going on at once.
Love Mrs. O's pink and green! :) But to me, Kate's dress steals the show. I would LOVE to have that in my closet!! :)
Here is a 360 view of the White Drawing Room in Buckingham Palace where I believe the Obamas will be given a reception before the official State Dinner:
http://www.royal.gov.uk/virtualtours/BuckinghamPalaceVirtualTour/white_drawing_room.html
Kate looks great - and I think her wearing Reiss, and looking so great in it, has crashed the Reiss website. I cannot get it to open.
Oh! I think Mrs. O looks just lovely. So feminine and pretty. Her hair looks beautiful. I think everyone in these photo's looks great. Thanks for the variety Mrs. T.! This is a fashion bonus!
I love Kate's dress too. I'm glad she's wearing her own style and not something that makes her look older and stuffy. Even though I'm Mrs. O's age, I do enjoy watching the younger set dress as well. Does anyone know if there is a similar blog about Kates' fashion?
I am BLOWN AWAY--Michelle's outfit is absolutely exquisite! And so perfect for the occassion. I love her shoes and have noticed she is getting away from her comfort zone of plain pumps.
Such a surprise to scroll down and see William and Kate! Yes Kate could use the other half of the sandwich also, but she looks fabulous and I just love her.
As for the other 2 ladies outfits--ha MiaMonte the queen's dress resembles a nightgown I saw at Wal-Mart yesterday; and for gosh sakes why does Camilla insist on wearing that hat, she looks like she's attending her own wedding to Charles.
I like the dress but it's from a "resort" collection for a reason. Don't like it much for the occassion and it's not a great look for Mrs O. IMO although it would be a perfect outfit for Malia :o)
Cate wins the best dressed award here hands down.
Her dress is figure flattering, sexy and has some interesting details while still being modern and youthful.
Home Run!
Kate Middleton is the fashion icon in those pics. She has class and poise, too.
I love Mrs. O's dress. I'm a huge Tfank fan, especially for her. And the little shiny jacket (which seems to have a double layer in the back) is great. Someone said they didn't like the contrasting belt on the dress, but I don't believe it's a belt. If you look closely you will see the floral pattern is continuous - from the light to the dark color. I think the waist is defined by the same fabric, used on the reverse side.
@Posh - thanks for explaining the protocol. I did see several bits on tv this morning, and there was a portion of the day where the entire party was on the terrace overlooking the grounds of the palace. Both the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall were wearing hats - both of which nearly blew off in the brisk wind. I never thought I'd be defending her (especially for her sartorial choices), but could she perhaps have been anticipating this portion of the visit by wearing a hat?
And, alas, as you probably noted, we Yanhks are calling the Duchess of Cambridge Princess Catherine. You're going to have to keep up the education process. Perhaps something in the chat room as an adjunct to Translations.
This look is a miss.
That jacket is crazy - it doesn't fit her well - looks too small in the front and poofs way out in the back.
I thought this quote below from the LA Times was very insightful. The Queen's response to our First Family comes not from what Michele chooses to wear, but from what, as has been noted on this site so often, who she is. As has been reported only 3 US Presidents in a century have been invited for a State Visit.
"A spokesman for the queen said she has been intimately involved in planning the details of the state visit, and spoke of a sincere fondness between the two heads of state.
"Very warm words have been spoken between the royal family and the Obamas," the spokesman said. "There is a genuine, genuine -- and I really mean this -- a genuine warmth between the two families."
I love cardigans, I wear them all the time, and they can look appropriately smart. I have to say though, I also love boleros and they do look that bit smarter. It is nice to see Mrs O has discovered them.
Fab, fab, fab shoes! As for the dress, pretty, if you are going to a prom. Doesn't thrill me I'm afraid. I'm with Posh, apart from the shoes worn this lunchtime, I think her wardrobe has lacked excitement and I don't think most of it has been particularly flattering to her form. And some of the outfits haven't been very well thought through considering the windy weather. Unless you want to do a Marilyn, which is what happened to Mrs O this lunchtime.
I thought Kate stole the show in the dress stakes, lovely dress! But then I would say that as I own one. I'm so glad I wore it for the first time last week so no one can accuse me of copying Kate:-).
I thought Camilla looked lovely too, and while a hat may have been a tad over the top for the initial greeting, the Queen wore one for the official ceremony so she was in good company.
On another note, I saw the extremely long motorcade earlier, complete with ambulance and about 20 other vehicles. Wow, seems a tad over the top but hey! It was a lovely site to see here in London today.
Mrs. O and President Obama met with British Prime Minister and his wife
www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com/2011/05/24/michelle-obama-in-roksana-ilincic-samantha-cameron-in-peter-pilotto-10-downing-street
I like the colors Mrs. O has chosen for this occasion.
Her hair looks great !
I'm curious, why is Catherine holding a purse - isn't she in one of her homes?
Not even the queen is carrying her standard "queen bag".
Maybe she's picking up the tab?
@posh.. I agree the Dutchess of Cornwall seems to have overstepped with the hat
Mrs Obama, I love your style but I think the outfit chosen today didn't benifit you as much. feeling slightly let down. Our future queen looks like a barbie with that tan too x
rtlabung.blogspot.com
Thank you Posh! Love the look and FLOTUS dress seems to be the same color family as the Queen's dress. FLOTUS is working it.
Love, love, love Kate's dress. Mrs. O's has the same type of frumpy print as the Queen's. She never goes traditional for these events. Her dress and jacket look like a fan is blowing air on here. Disappointing wardrobe this trip.
Catherine does not live at Buckingham Palace. Although they stayed there for their wedding night, their home is in Wales. And they were scheduled to join and meet the Obamas for only ten minutes. I imagine she has her lipstick, handkerchief, mirror and comb in that little bag. She looks wonderfully chic in that superbly designed and fitted day dress.
I agree with Posh Tater. The pastel colored satin brocade dress with the little pink bolero is not a great look, particularly for this occasion. And the winds played havoc with that skirt in the formal photos when they stood outdoors for review and the playing of our National Anthem.
One of her dress and coat ensembles would have looked smarter and worked out better.
I agree with whoever said she generally looked better when Ikram was buying for her. Look at the campaign photos if you doubt me.
Kate looks very nice and i think she will develope in to a very strong and able experience princess . Both of them are very important to our country and hope they will allow her to be herself.