Drawing by Kansas City, KS based artist Leslie Brown
We've been eagerly anticipating Leslie Brown's second drawing of the First Lady, inspired by a 2007 Annie Leibovitz photograph of Mrs. O. The image, both here and in the original form, is one of the most stunning of the First Lady we've ever seen. We love Mr. Brown's masterful shading, and the striking silhouette and graceful slope of Mrs. O's neck and shoulders that he has so perfectly captured. Several weeks ago we featured Mr. Brown's first drawing of Mrs. O. To see that work, and learn more about the talented artist (also a language arts teacher in Olathe, KS), click here.
We can hardly keep up with Mrs. O at this rate! The morning after celebrating Stevie Wonder at the White House, Mrs. O was back to work, making the sixth stop, this time at the Environmental Protection Agency, in her tour of federal agencies. EPA administrator Lisa Jackson first introduced the First Lady as "an icon of grace, class and style" (love that she noted style). Mrs. O then went on to give a brief speech to the standing-room-only crowd:
"This new era puts the EPA at the center of President Obama's highest priorities, securing America's energy independence and securing the future of our planet by combating climate change."
"This is what it is all about: the future. And in many ways, it starts with all of you. You ensure that the water we drink is safe, that the air we breathe is clean, and that the polluted fields and abandoned factories in our neighborhoods all over this nation are cleaned up and restored."
For her appearance, Mrs. O wore a blue velvet blazer belted at the waist, paired with gray wool trousers and silver ballet flats. Additional images can be seen here and here.
Photo by Frank Mullin via Flickr user Barack Obama / Creative Commons
The designer of this high-waisted pinstripe pantsuit has eluded us, but being one of Mrs. O's more frequently worn looks through 2007 and 2008, and reappearing again last week, we were determined to solve the mystery. It turns out, both the suit above and this jacket from the September 2008 cover of Ebony, come from the Spring 2008 collection of said mystery designer. See the answer, an exciting new addition to Mrs. O's style repertoire, after the jump.
Photo via Flickr user Damian Cugley / Creative Commons
The great Stevie Wonder is being honored with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at the White House this evening. The prize celebrates "the work of an artist whose career reflects lifetime achievement in promoting song as a vehicle of musical expression and cultural understanding". The event, the first in the "In Performance at the White House" series, will air Thursday night at 8PM EST on PBS. Check local listings here.
For the occasion, First Lady Mrs. O is wearing a deep v-neck, emerald green dress. Her hair is voluminous. And her wrist is sparkling with Loree Rodkin diamond bangles. We can't be certain, but we believe this dress may be a design by Stevie Wonder's wife, designer Kai Milla. An article in the New York Daily News earlier this year revealed:
Michelle Obama and Milla talked fashion at the Democratic National Convention when Stevie Wonder performed, and though Milla won't disclose the juicy details of their fashion huddle, she feels confident the two will work together at some point.
"If it doesn't happen for the inaugural I'm sure that she and I will work in the future on some level," says Milla who described Michelle as "a very genuine person."
While we don't recognize this exact design from any of Kai Milla's collections, the green, iridescent chiffon fabric does show resemblance to this dress from Milla's Spring 2008 collection.
Update: We've received confirmation that Mrs. O's emerald green, tea length, silk chiffon dress was in fact designed by Stevie Wonder's designer wife, Kai Milla. In her signature style, the black sash was the First Lady's own addition. To hear Mrs. O introduce Stevie Wonder, continue reading the rest of the post.
First Lady Mrs. O is featured in the latest issue of People magazine, on stands Friday. On the cover and throughout the feature, Mrs. O wears Tracy Reese's Guipure Lace Kimono Dress in Dried Azalea. We are delighted to see Tracy Reese in the First Lady's wardrobe mix! In the interview, Mrs. O discusses progress on finding First Puppy O and how the First Family is adjusting to life at the White House. To learn more, the Today Show ran a great segment this morning:
Friday, February 27, 2009 at 11:38 AM 
Drawing by Kansas City, KS based artist Leslie Brown
