Peter Pilotto Print

The first lady kicked off a West Coast tour today, speaking in Bellevue, Washington at a fundraising luncheon to support Senator Patty Murray. For the appearance, Mrs. O wore a printed blouse by Peter Pilotto, from the designer's Fall 2009 collection. 

It is a full week for the first lady. Tomorrow Mrs. O is scheduled to speak at The Women's Conference, hosted by Maria Shriver, and on Thursday, will appear on the Ellen Show. Stay tuned!

Must Read Mrs. O

As it's been a quiet few days on the Mrs. O front, I thought you might enjoy this Detroit Free Press interview with Washington Post writer Robin Givhan, which includes insightful perspective on the first lady's fashion influence and beyond. Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

How Mrs. O Moves Markets

Image via Harvard Business Review

For those interested in the financial impact of the first lady's fashion choices, you must check out this Harvard Business Review story. Throughout 2009, David Yermack of NYU Stern tracked stock prices of the first lady's favorite designers and their retailers. He found that when Mrs. O wore an ensemble by a given designer, said designer and their retailers would experience abnormal gains in stock prices. The result was an average of $14 million of value generated by each of the first lady's public appearances, revealing a new dimension of Mrs. O's power and influence in fashion. Incredible! 

Update: This story has gained considerable momentum in the mainstream media, sparking a few follow-up pieces you might want to check out. Check out a fantastic video segment from Good Morning America, here, and another good perspective from New York Magazine, here. 

The White House Pumpkin Patch

Image by Alex Wong / Getty Images

Fall is upon us! Mrs. O made a second appearance today, hosting students from Tubman and Bancroft Elementary schools for the White House Garden Fall Harvest. Special guests included chefs Daniel Boulud and James Kent. On a style note, please admire the first lady's amazing boots! Might they be the Tory Burch Connell Chain-Trim Boot, seen here? 

Update: Mrs. O wears the Herringbone T-Shirt from the Thakoon Fall Winter 2010 collection.

Honoring Youth Arts

Top image by J. Scott Applewhite / AP Photos; Bottom image by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images

The first lady held a White House event today to honor recipients of the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards. Robin Givhan of the Washington Post has a write-up of the event, here.

For the occasion, Mrs. O wore a carmine viscose jersey dress from Calvin Klein Collection, Pre-Spring 2010. We last saw this dress when Mrs. O welcomed the president and first lady of Mexico in May, here.

Today the dress received a punch of pink, accesorized with salmon pink heels and another gorgeous necklace. Mrs. O is certainly on a hot streak with the statement necklace!

Update: Thanks to reader 'shellecm' who reports that the first lady's necklace is Ranjana Khan (also wife of designer Naeem Khan!). Indeed, the necklace appears to originate from the jewelry designer's Spring 2010 collection, profiled in W, here.