Rahni Flowers on Rachel Ray

Mrs. O's hairdresser of the past 27 years, Rahni Flowers, spoke on The Rachel Ray show yesterday. Mr. Flowers gives us insight into why Mrs. O opted not to wear her hair in an updo for the Inauguration. The video also gives us our first peek of Mrs. O in her Isabel Toledo lemongrass dress sans coat or cardigan. Commenting on Mrs. O's day-to-day hairstyle, Flowers said:

"[Mrs. O] has a very active life. She works out a lot, she's got two wonderful children, she has a job, and she's a wife. She needs a hairdo that functions and works with her. In a collaborative effort, we work to get the look that will work with her lifestyle."

Thanks to This Week with Barack Obama for posting the video and picture. Additional footage from the interview can be found on Rachel Ray's website.

Mrs. O Rolls Up Her Sleeves

Photo Credit: Jason Reed / Reuters

In the first of a series of scheduled stops to federal agencies, Mrs. O visited the Department of Education today. Energizing the crowd, our First Lady said:

"I am a product of your work. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the public schools that nurtured me and helped me along. And I am committed, as well as my husband, to ensuring that more kids like us and kids around this country, regardless of their race, their income, their status - the property values in their neighborhoods - get access to an outstanding education."

Style wise, we saw Mrs. O return to a wardrobe reminiscent of her appearances on the campaign trail this fall. Wearing slim black pants, paired with a crisp, white french cuff shirt underneath a dark taupe cardigan, Mrs. O looked polished and approachable. A python skin belt with silver buckle cinched her waist, while adding a punch of personality to the ensemble. Today was also the first time in several months that saw the return of the charm necklaces that had become a Mrs. O style staple on the campaign trail.

On the whole, Mrs. O's professional but down-to-earth look seemed to perfectly echo her message to the Department of Education staff: "There's a lot of work to do". Though we've unabashedly celebrated Mrs. O's recent ensembles, which have seemed to rise to the occasion of her new role, we do also love that Mrs. O's remaining true to her pre-White House tastes. A first lady with different dimensions to her style - there's something quite modern about that indeed. Please find a video of Mrs. O's remarks below:

Alfalfa Club Attire

We spent yesterday reading reports of the annual Alfalfa Club dinner held Saturday night in Washington, D.C. The club, named "in honor of a plant known to do anything for a drink" as Politico wrote, is an exclusive members-only organization that attracts the nation's most elite. With a closed door policy, we've yet to find any photographs from the dinner. However, thanks to Tina Brown (and Karen, who passed along the article), we finally have an idea of what our ever chic First Lady was wearing. From Tina Brown at The Daily Beast:

"Michelle Obama, sitting next to Madeleine Albright, was amazingly glamorous. She wore a tight scarlet satin gown and huge dangly earrings that brought a touch of Hollywood sheen to her serious expression when the Marine band struck up."

Our First Lady in Photos

Photo used with kind permission from photographer kayakbiker2000

A huge thank you to Kemba and Edwina who sent us a link to a new Mrs. O photo gallery collected and curated by the New York Daily News - one of the best we've seen to date. It features never before seen photos of Mrs. O as a young woman, as well as many familiar shots from the campaign trail and inauguration - all masterfully ordered in a way that conveys a sense of movement and best of all, our First Lady's bright spirit.

Ray of Light

Image via Flickr user sp1ffyd / Creative Commons

Dedicated followers of Mrs. O's fashion statements have long admired her style savvy, but over the last few days it's become clear just how fashion forward she is in her color choices. Rich purples were the palette of Fall 2008 and Mrs. O looked suitably regal throughout the campaign in mauves, violets and indigos.

In the days leading up to the Inauguration, however, hints of a new palette emerged starting with her appearance at the Kid's Inaugural concert in a sunshine yellow cardigan and culminating in her radiant Inauguration day ensemble. It's no surprise then to learn that fashionistas and interior designers alike have declared yellow the colour of 2009.

Historically regarded as a notoriously tricky colour to pull off, yellow has been given a gradual new lease of life in recent years via show-stopping red carpet appearances from Cate Blanchett, Michelle Williams and Angelina Jolie and is now enjoying its moment in the sun. Vibrant shades of primrose, lemon and canary yellow popped up everywhere on the Spring Summer catwalks, from cocktail dresses to clutches.

At Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs showed bold mustard tones on everything from classically tailored pants to feathered minis, while at his own show he paired canary yellow with sky blue-a very Mrs. O combination. Flirty mini-dresses in warm, sunny hues brightened the Dior runway while Versace showed a more structured take on the theme in cooler lemon colours. A quieter take on the shade was seen at Givenchy, with soft lemon shades romantically overlaid with beige chiffon while Christopher Bailey showed muted  saffron shades for Burberry Prorsum.

Both Missoni and Moschino featured playful, vibrant yellow prints while Donna Karan showed effortlessly elegant swathes of the palest gold and primrose. While the spectrum of shades should offer something for everyone, head to toe yellow can still be a little daunting. For a less extreme nod to the color of the moment, these Lanvin ballet flats offer a very Mrs. O hit of citrus patent. While we're pretty sure Mrs. O's radiance comes from within, we can probably all use a little sunshine in our wardrobes while we brave the winter cold.