Our First Lady

Photo credit: Flickr user Barack Obama via Jeffrey Katz for Obama for America // Creative Commons

Mrs. O, our first lady. We are thrilled! To celebrate this historic evening, Mrs. O wore a Narciso Rodriguez frock from the designer's Spring 2009 RTW collection. Mrs. O paired the dress with a black cardigan and kitten heels, adding a touch of sparkle with diamond bangles and earrings. Malia and Sasha were adorably coordinated in red and black.

Clearly there are a range of opinions about last night's dress, many of them quite strong. And while admittedly it's not our favorite of Mrs. O's frocks, we don't feel as negatively as some. As others have observed, it would have nice to see the dress sans cardigan.

One of the strengths of the design is the hourglass shape created by the diagonal bands of black satin in contrast to the red textured fabric. Already a rather complex design, the addition of the cardigan perhaps cluttered the look and diminished the hourglass effect.

For you adamant naysayers, New York Magazine does point out that the Narciso Rodriguez collection the dress stems from was one of the most critically acclaimed of New York Fashion Week. Though not our Maria Pinto prediction, Narciso Rodriguez was another likely candidate. Mrs. O has been seen in his designs several times before, most recently at the second Presidential Debate.

Update: There's a great piece on BlackBook in praise of Mrs. O's dress. The author asserts the dress is Mrs. O's "most commendable fashion statement as of yet." Judging by the comments left here, it seems most would disagree. But this polarization is a good thing. It means the dress is interesting, which is far better than the alternative - boring. Love it or hate it, this dress will forever be part of our memory of last night and our first look at Mrs. O as first lady (past wishful thinking aside). We will begin eagerly anticipating the Inaugural Ball.

Narciso Rodriguez Spring 2009 Collection: Photo courtesy of Narciso Rodriguez

Election Night Style Prediction

Illustration by fabulous young designer Kaitlin Campitelli  

While we love tracking Mrs. O's style, there are of course bigger things at stake today. Still, we can't help but eagerly anticipate what Mrs. O will wear to the Obama Election Night event to be held at Chicago's Grant Park tonight. Win or lose, it's going to be a historic evening.

One possibility is a yet to be worn Maria Pinto frock. In an exclusive Heard on the Runway interview with Maria Pinto, the designer indicated that Mrs. O purchased a coral-red silk crepe sheath with three-quarter sleeves, an empire waist and a high neckline with a burst of sunray pleats emanating from the collar – but has yet to wear it to a major event. See our rendition of the dress above.

We imagine a patriotic palette is more than likely for this evening and coral-red seems to fit the bill. Further, Maria Pinto has historically been Mrs. O's designer of choice for landmark campaign events. Both of which make us believe the dress above is a strong election night contender. Also of interest in the interview was Maria Pinto's commentary on the cerulean blue dress Mrs. O wore for the final presidential debate:

“It’s one of the most basic pieces in the collection – if you came to my showroom, it’s probably the last piece I would show you,” she says. “I have all these blouses and laces and fabrics that I developed. But then here’s this simple but beautifully colored sheath that all of a sudden gets this crazy attention – go figure.”

Mrs. O's taste for simplicity reminds us of a quote from Jay Mulvaney's book Jackie: The Clothes of Camelot in which Jackie Kennedy relayed direction to her favored designer of the time, Oleg Cassini:

"Even though these clothes are for official life, please don't make them too dressy, as I'm sure I can continue to dress the way I like – simple and young clothes...."

Who knows what taste and style influence Mrs. O might bring to the White House. Here's hoping, very much so, that we get to find out.

Mrs. O Casts Her Vote

Photo credit: Flickr user Chicago Public Radio // Creative Commons

Mrs. O kept things simple to cast her vote this morning, wearing a black scoop neck tee cinched at the waist by a patent leather belt and paired with slim black pants. She accessorized the look with her signature Hope and Peace charm necklaces, and wore her hair in a low ponytail pulled back from her face by a black headband. Simple and understated - but we expect stand-out later tonight.

Date: November 4, 2008

Venue: Voting center, Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL

Bright and Casual as Campaign Closes

Photo used with kind permission from photographer Emily Ho

Yesterday one of our guests, Nina, commented: "I like how casual Mrs. O has been these last few days before the election. It projects confidence and I think endears voters to her." It's an excellent observation. 

In the past week we've seen Mrs. O repeatedly stick with very basic ensembles, pairing cotton tees and cardigans with colored jeans or cropped pants. After dazzling us with fancy frocks and tailored suits, why the shift as the campaign end nears? As we've tracked Mrs. O's style these past few weeks, we've noticed her schedule intensify with multiple campaign stops in different states all packed into single days. It's plausible that Mrs. O is simply knackered and has less time and energy to devote to her wardrobe. On the otherhand, the shift towards casual attire could be a more deliberate effort to relate to "normal people" as election day nears. Or perhaps even an effort to keep voters and the media focused on the most important issues at hand.

Deliberate or not, we agree with Nina's sentiments entirely. We've also noticed a streak of bright, spirited colors these past few days, which we can't help but think cue optimism. The day before the election, Mrs. O again dressed in a quite casual look. Above she wears a turquoise three-quarter length sleeve tee (which looks familiar from last Thursday's half hour Obama infomercial) paired with grey slacks, silver flats and her signature necklaces.

Date: November 3, 2008

Venue: Campaign rally, The College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, NV

A Casual Take on the Yellow Cardigan

Photo used with kind permission from photographer Brian Bjolin

On a warm Fall weekend in central Ohio, Mrs. O again wore J. Crew's Crystal-button colorblock cardigan in Silver Honey. A nod to the cardigan's versatility, Mrs. O wears it here as part of a more dressed down ensemble paired with a white tee and azure blue jeans. A trio of yellow and blue beaded pins pulls the look together and adds a personal Mrs. O touch.

Photo used with kind permission from photographer Mike Doel

We were a fan of this cardigan when Mrs. O wore it on The Tonight Show last Monday and love it again here. Dressed up or down, yellow is a fantastic color on her. And at the risk of reading too much into the ensemble, we can't help but feel the choice of color reflects Mrs. O's mood: bright and optimistic.

Date: November 2, 2008

Venue: Campaign rally, Ohio Statehouse, Columbus, OH