Mrs. O to Grace Cover of Vogue
Portrait by Annie Leibovitz / Vogue
So widely rumored that one had to assume it was true, The Washington Post has confirmed that First Lady Mrs. O will grace the March cover of Vogue. Revealing details about Mrs. O's self-chosen wardrobe for the shoot - a magenta dress by Jason Wu for the cover and a black dress by Narciso Rodriguez for an interior photo - the Washington Post article also shares perfectly expressed sentiments from Anna Wintour that will be included in the issue:
"Change was the clarion call of Barack Obama's election campaign," writes Vogue's editor Anna Wintour, "though I don't think any of us at Vogue initially realized that would include the difference that was going to be made by First Lady Michelle Obama's wardrobe."
"It wasn't just that her choices projected a simpler, streamlined, more modern attitude, rejecting the ridiculous idea that the only way for a First Lady to dress is in the dreaded White House standard-issue uniform -- the boxy, anonymous suit that always managed to look as appealing, and as comfortable, as armor. Instead, we have a woman who is happy in newer, less obvious designer choices like Wu and Toledo....It's inspiring to see our First Lady so serene and secure in her personal style."
Further coverage from the AP provides insight into Mrs. O's feelings about the "controversial" Narciso Rodriguez election night dress:
"Mrs. Obama said she is aware of how her wardrobe is being scrutinized, but she makes no apologies for her choices — even the Election Night combination of ripped-from-the-runway, fashion-forward dress and plain-Jane cardigan."
"I'm not going to pretend that I don't care about it," [Mrs. O] said. "But I also have to be very practical. In the end, someone will always not like what you wear — people just have different tastes."
We've also heard that in addition to dresses from Jason Wu and Narciso Rodriguez, Mrs. O will wear a head-to-toe J.Crew ensemble featured in a two-page spread in the issue. We love that no matter what the venue, Mrs. O stays true to her personal style and favorite designers. Will this be the best selling Vogue ever? We'll certainly be buying in multiples!
Update: MSNBC has revealed the Vogue cover here (though, based on other reports, we don't think we were supposed to see). We also hear that Andre Leon Talley will appear on the Today Show tomorrow morning to give us a first glimpse of the issue, so either way, we'll get the full scoop then. Stay tuned!
Update: Style.com now has an abridged version of the feature article, "Leading Lady", posted, here. Click on the slideshow to see additional photgraphs of Mrs. O from the issue. A video clip of Andre Leon Talley's interview on CNN today can be seen here. He says the Vogue staff, in partnership with photographer Annie Leibovitz, "wanted the cover to evoke the real Michelle Obama ... to show her warmth from within."