A Girl's Dream: J.Crew + Fenton / Fallon

When the first lady appeared on the December cover of Glamour magazine, wearing a red Jason Wu dress and a statement necklace adorned with jewels and bows, we were all intrigued by the same question: who made that gorgeous necklace? The answer proved to be designer Dana Lorenz for her line Fenton. The designer was as delighted to see her necklace on the first lady as we were, unaware that it had made its way into Mrs. O's jewelry collection.

Behind the scenes, Jenna Lyons of J.Crew and Dana Lorenz had met at a dinner party a few months before. A great fan of the Fenton and Fallon lines, Jenna Lyons made plans to meet at Dana Lorenz's new store in downtown Manhattan’s Freeman Alley to discuss a possible collaboration. As they looked through the Fenton and Fallon look books, there was a necklace that caught Jenna Lyon's eye. J.Crew made plans to produce the necklace with slight modifications. It was a fortuitous, though unexpected, twist, when just three days after plans for the collaboration were set, the first lady wore the same Fenton necklace on the cover of Glamour. Though on track to release the necklace for Spring 2010, J.Crew decided to push production forward after seeing the response that the necklace received (in part, by comments from many of you!).

The Carrington crystal bow necklace, designed by J.Crew in collaboration with Fenton / Fallon, features crystals and glass stones, silk ribbons dyed by hand (available in ivory or grey/green), and unplated chains. "There is a certain handwriting that J.Crew has, and Dana's pieces have a bit more edge," Jenna Lyons said. "Mixed with J.Crew clothes, there is a nice contrast." I asked Jenna how she might style the piece. "This is a statement necklace - no question," she replied. She recommends pairing the necklace with a classic jewel neck t-shirt, black blazer and jeans, or even a chambray shirt buttoned up to the top.

These pieces are the first look at what will be a continuing collaboration between J.Crew and Fenton / Fallon. The next pieces, set to debut in April, May and June, will feature the chains, studs and rock crystals that Dana Lorenz's work has become known for. Jenna Lyons said the gals at J.Crew are "madly obsessed" with the pieces. If these first necklaces are any indication, we will be too.

The Carrington crystal bow necklaces are available at J.Crew stores for $295. They'll be available online at JCrew.com beginning December 30. We'll follow up with a post when they are!

UPDATE: You can now order the FENTON-FALLON for J.Crew Carrington crystal bow necklace on J.Crew.com, here. We have heard rave reviews from readers who have seen the necklace in-store!

Images courtesy J.Crew

Kennedy Center Honors

The Kennedy Center Honors air tonight (Tuesday) at 9PM EST on CBS. Can't wait to see Mrs. O's Peter Soronen gown in action!

Jason Wu for You

Dear Mrs-O.org readers,

2009 has been a magical year. We watched the Os enter the White House, and have been merrily following the first lady's style ever since. Along the way, this blog even became a book. So, to mark the close of the year (and perhaps to distract us while the Os enjoy their much deserved vacation), I'm giving away a brand new Jason Wu dress.

The lucky winner will have a piece of Mrs. O's style in her closet, as the first lady wore a custom teal version of this same Jason Wu dress in late July, seen here. With its classic lines, flattering beige hue and double bow detail, this dress is sure to delight.

Details: Jason Wu / Size 6 / Linen and Cotton Blend / Shoulder to Shoulder = 16" / Bust = 31" / Waist = 28" / Hips = 39" / Length = 39 1/2"

How to win: This dress will go to one lucky winner. Leave a comment with your name and email. (Note: Your email should go in the field marked "author email", not in the body of the comment. Your email will only be used in order to contact you if you are the winner. It will not be stored or shared anywhere else.) I'm planning to use random.org to select the winner next week.

Deadline: All comments must be left by December 31, 2009, 11:59 EST. Only one entry per person, pretty please.

Good luck and hooray!

xoxo,

Mrs. T

Update: Congratulations to Barbara O. who left comment #297 and will receive the Jason Wu dress. Happy New Year!

Must Read Mrs. O

Several of you have commented on a New York Times article by Cathy Horyn, "Wrapped in Their Identities," published December 24, 2009. I've not featured it until now, but it's been on my mind. While I have great respect for Cathy Horyn as a fashion writer, and avidly follow her "On the Runway" blog, I found this article bothersome.

As part of the New York Times "The Year in Style" series, Ms. Horyn reviewed the impact of the first lady's style in 2009. Given how much has already been written about Mrs. O's impact on fashion, finding a fresh angle had to be a tall order. Enter Sarah Palin into the story. Ms. Horyn suggests that working women dress more like Sarah Palin than Mrs. O, which is probably true. But in a year's review of the first lady's style, is this really the grand revelation?

The reference to Sarah Palin feels a bit too obviously used for the sake of provocation. Perhaps more ink should have been devoted to the observation that Mrs. O is not, in fact, a mirror reflection of the way professional American women dress, instead setting her own style course. And on that course, her choices will surely impact our social history, and ultimately, the way we, as women, dress years from now.

(Please be sure to read the comments below. While I've gone headfirst into more granular points, Christina has wonderfully captured the central theme: "I feel as if Horyn's major point seems to be that Sarah Palin was criticized for her clothing when it turns out that Michelle Obama is the "real" poseur, trying to act like an "everywoman" when she is actually an super-insider.")

The other vexing bits of the piece are in the details. Phrases like, "Flotus Tactical Cardigan Collection at J.Crew" and "strategically worn plebe numbers from Target and Talbots" rubbed me the wrong way. I recall a piece Ms. Horyn wrote in April about the value of mixing carefully chosen pieces from Michael Kors and Topshop into one's wardrobe, and another piece that sang the praises of Norma Kamali's collection for Walmart. So why are the first lady's choice suddenly "strategically worn plebe numbers"? What happened to the high-low mix and why can't it apply to Mrs. O?

With zinging jabs woven throughout the article - I felt like I could almost hear loud typing as "Who's Barbie now?" was written to close the piece - I'm less forgiving of loose details. Ms. Horyn wrote:

"Editors and designers love Michelle Obama, of course. All those magazine covers; the Flotus Tactical Cardigan Collection at J. Crew; her glamorous face-off with Carla Sarkozy, the former model, in France, when both women dressed for the evening in French clothes (Mrs. Sarkozy in Dior, Mrs. Obama in Azzedine Alaïa). Jackie Kennedy, the other White House deity, had to give up her beloved Givenchy because her husband, seeking the support of labor unions, needed his wife to be seen in American-made clothes."

Yes, Jacqueline Kennedy was reportedly advised to wear American designers, thus forging her relationship with Oleg Cassini. However, the example Ms. Horyn gives above is jumbled. When Jacqueline Kennedy travelled to France with her husband in 1961, she famously wore a Givenchy gown to attend a dinner at Versailles. The sartorial gesture acknowledged the rich fashion history of her host nation France. And in 2009, Michelle Obama followed Jacqueline Kennedy's example, wearing Alaia for the Nato Summit in France and Moschino to meet the Pope in Italy. Shouldn't that be the observation?

Anyway, I will stop my nitpicking here. What do others think?

Merry Christmas

Image by Hugh Gentry / Reuters

The president and first lady made an appearance at a Marine Corps Base in Hawaii today, where they spent the afternoon with 100 Marines, military members and their families. Mrs. O wore a white cotton silk sundress by Narciso Rodriguez (last seen in Rome), accessorized with hoop earrings and bangles.

Merry Christmas Mrs-O.org readers!