The First 30 Days of Fashion

Photo by Kevin Mazur for the Presidential Inaugural Committee / Creative Commons

Thanks, Jenna, for linking to a great new Huffington Post slideshow that highlights First Lady Mrs. O's first 30 days of fashion. And what a jam-packed month it's been! By our count we've seen designs from Sonia Rykiel, Maria Cornejo, Narciso Rodriguez, J. Crew, Isabel Toledo, Nina Ricci, Jason Wu, Tracy Feith, Maria Pinto and Proenza Schouler. Have we missed any? Such a mix of designers befits a woman with a truly multi-dimensional style.

As David Wolfe, creative director of the trend forecasting Doneger Group, recently told Reuters: "Michelle Obama is more real than iconic. She doesn't have a locked-in fashion look. She experiments, which is what fashion is about these days." Click here to see the Huffington Post slideshow. And once you've had a peek, let us know your favorite look(s) in the comments section. Our favorite continues to be the lemongrass ensemble from Isabel Toledo, though the streamlined look from Narciso Rodriguez, above, ranks a close second.

Thakoon, Narciso and Maria C.

While we wait for Mrs. O to venture out in Washington this week, we thought we'd bide time by highlighting a few more Fall 2009 collections from the First Lady's favorite designers.

#1 Thakoon Thakoon Panichgul was the first young Mrs. O designer to win our sartorial heart. Throughout 2008, Mrs. O wore a number of pieces by the designer: notably, the floral frocks for the final night of the DNC and the first Presidential Debate, plus a mix of cardigans, blouses and jackets for less broadcast moments.   So what did the designer have in store for Fall 2009? Thakoon brought his usual femme aesthetic, this season delivered with a bit of disco ball edge. The built-in black bow on the emerald green silk dress (Look 23) and the short, ruffled, raspberry number (Look 33) were instant favorites. The aforementioned disco ball influence came in the form of an exciting and sparkly jacket and dress (Looks 31 and 32).

#2 Narciso Rodriguez Within seeing the first several looks of Narciso Rodriguez's Fall 2009 collection - filled with familiar, khaki colored, divinely tailored wool coats - the link to Mrs. O's ensemble from the We Are One concert was immediately evident. (Though the cut of Mrs. O's coat most closely mirrored that of the yellow wool jacket in Look 11).  While we struggle to imagine Mrs. O in haute camouflage, styles such as the lavender halter dress (Look 22), could be easily modified to suit the First Lady. We were also fond of the metallic leather coat with an exposed zip and epaulettes topping its square shoulders.

#3 Zero + Maria Cornejo We are loving all things Zero + Maria Cornejo lately. (New Yorkers take note: After a decade on Mott Street, Maria Cornejo has moved uptown, albeit just a few blocks, to a new space on Bleecker St. between Lafayette and Bowery). While very unlikely to turn up in Mrs. O's closet, we were instantly charmed by the digital cat prints that ran throughout several looks in the collection from Zero + Maria Cornejo. We were even more delighted to learn that said cat is in fact the designer's own, Grey.  From Style.com:

Fittingly, Fall was designed for a "strong but positive" woman, Cornejo said. The feel-good inspirations behind the collection (her cat, Grace Jones, and drives upstate) may have sounded like a bit of an odd mix, but there was nothing discordant about the image that hit the runway: a lean and elegant urban warrior look, not a defiant one, but a sophisticated and pragmatic tough cookie who needs the protection of a sleek, luxe cocoon.

We've leave you with a nice little behind-the-scenes video from New York Magazine, filmed with Thakoon Panichgul in December. The designer comments on dressing First Lady Mrs. O and gives us a sneak peek at his new annex line, Thakoon Addition.

Maria Pinto's Rococo Influence

Dress fom Maria Pinto's Fall 2009 Collection; Photo used with kind permission from Glamour.com

In New York this past week to present her Fall 2009 collection, Chicago-based designer (and Mrs. O fave) Maria Pinto revealed her inspiration to the New York Daily News: "Rococo: The Continuing Curve, 1730 - 2008", the exhibit on display last year at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York. The exhibit celebrated the rococo style movement, an aesthetic that "infused design objects with a sinuous, organic and sensuous impulse". 

Such an influence was evident in Pinto's Fall collection, which includes clothes that as the designer described, "fit in one area of the body, releasing to certain volume in another area." Our favorite example is the dress above: a fitted, contour hugging sheath from the front, with an unexpected bustle dramatically draped at the back. While many designers turn to a black-centric palette in hard economic times (for its versatility and buy-ability), not Ms. Pinto.

Her latest collection brings a healthy dose of the rich, bold hues she's become know for - and that our First Lady seems to love so much. When Glamour magazine editor Tracey Lomrantz asked the designer if she had any hesitation about "using such beautifully saturated colors, given the economy and people's tendency to want to tone things down?", the designer replied, "No, exactly the opposite! We all have enough black clothes in our closets. If you're going to buy something now, buy something you really love that makes a statement."

There has, of course, been bit of noise regarding the absence of Ms. Pinto's designs in the Inaugural wardrobe. But we should make no mistake, Ms. Pinto is still a prominent design force in the First Lady's closet. By our count, Mrs. O has worn at least two Maria Pinto dresses in her first weeks at the White House. In fact, the red Vonda dress that Mrs. O wore at Howard University last week was from this very collection. On the subject of the First Lady, Ms. Pinto shared these kind words with Glamour:  "It's wonderful to dress a woman with integrity and intellect, who stands for so much."

WWD has a slideshow of 10 looks from Maria Pinto's Fall 2009 collection, here. Glamour has several additional images, including more of the fabulous dress above, here.

Erickson Beamon for Tar-Jay

Image used with kind permission from Target

Today marks the arrival of yet another Target collection from one of Mrs.O's signature designers: first Thakoon, now Erickson Beamon and soon Tracy Feith. (Plus Proenza Schouler, if we're being technical.) The design duo of Karen Erickson and Vicki Beamon, both natives of Detroit, have have delivered a twelve look jewelry collection for Target that features bold pendant necklaces, jewel encrusted cuffs, oversize cocktails rings and dazzling earrings.

Jewelry for a shrinking violet, this is not. Bright colors combine with charms and chains, often all mixed in a single piece. The only dissapointment is that the collection doesn't include any brooches, Mrs. O's signature accessory. Still, there are evident traces of Erickson Beamon designs for Mrs. O in this collection. We've featured the Long Flower Charm Necklace and Rose Drop Earrings, above, for their similarity to the Erickson Beamon brooches that Mrs. O wore at the Democratic National Convention in August. Mrs. O famously paired the trio of brooches, seen below, with her floral Thakoon dress. Image used with kind permission from Erickson Beamon / Showroom Seven

Yet, our favorite piece from the collection (in our mind, the most wearable) is the Jeweled White Cluster Pendant Necklace and Earrings, seen after the jump. We can imagine Mrs. O wearing the fancy gold and pearl drop earrings for a state dinner or formal event. Jewelry is one place we haven't yet seen the First Lady mix high and low designs. Perhaps this will be the start?

A Fairy Tale Season for Jason Wu

Though there's already plenty of Jason Wu discussion happening in the previous comments section, we thought the designer deserved his own post. Today he kicked off New York Fashion Week, presenting his Fall 2009 RTW collection. (Sadly, there was no appearance by Mrs. O, but it made for good wishful thinking. Maybe next year.) The New York Times has fantastic, full scale images of the collection here (thanks RJT!). 

Update: Fashion Week Daily has posted a video of the show here. Early reviews are more than complimentary of the young designer's Fall collection, which tops off a month of high points for Jason Wu. After dressing First Lady Mrs. O for the Inaugural Ball, and more recently, for the cover of Vogue, could things get any better? Coverage will surely continue to roll in tomorrow, but early going, we've found commentary from WWD to offer the best insight and perspective:

"[Jason Wu's] aim was to offer a different take on fairy-tales, inspired not by his own recent story but by the drawings of Arthur Rackham, who famously illustrated Alice in Wonderland."

"A delightful aspect of his clothes is that though consummately wearable they are not at all bland, whether the interest comes via boldly embroidered shoulders on a sexy sheath or in a cascade of frothy chiffon ruffles over a metallic skirt. Ditto the high evening looks."

Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan of Heard on the Runway spoke to the designer today, who elaborated on his inspiration for the collection:

“'I wanted to remove everybody from their element for just that 10 minutes,' said Mr. Wu, who noted that he wanted the collection to convey optimism. 'Fashion is about emotions. I want people to be happy and optimistic.'"

"When asked backstage after the show whether he was thinking of Mrs. Obama when designing this collection, Mr. Wu smiled. 'You know,' he said, 'she is the ultimate muse.'”

Our humble assessment: We love Look 3, Look 25, and 27. It's not a stretch to imagine Mrs. O wearing any one of these dresses. We thought the use of the black embroidered rosettes to construct shoulders (Look 3), and then later repurposed and appliqued on full skirts to create pattern (Look 25 and 27), was one of the most inventive aspects of the collection. The "froth" as it's been billed in Looks 33 and 35 won us over at first sight. It was in these looks that we most realized Jason Wu's "fairytale" vision for the collection. There was a starry twinkle to the dotted navy tulle gown, the look that closed the show, that would well suit our First Lady. Given Mrs. O's growing penchant for the young designer, who knows, we may indeed see any number of these dresses again in the following months. We'd love to hear what your favorite picks were.