Tea with the Queen

Photo by John Stillwell /Getty Images Photo by Stefan Rousseau / Getty Images

For her historic meeting with the Queen, we were delighted to see First Lady Mrs. O choose an ivory and black silk crepe dress by Isabel Toledo, paired with a black satin opera coat by Jason Wu. As many will recall, Mrs. O wore ensembles from the same winning combination of designers for the Inauguration. We cannot help but think back to the morning of January 21, when both Ms. Toledo and Mr. Wu were guests on the Today Show, exuding pure joy, excitement and gratitude.

It is wonderful to see both of these American design talents, heralded for their craftsmanship and artistry, brought to the world stage once more. Mrs. O's Isabel Toledo dress features an origami-inspired bow detail at the waistline. She paired the dress with a black cashmere cardigan by Alaia and a double strand of pearls.

Landing in London

Photo credit: Saul Loeb / Getty Images

The Obamas have arrived and Mrs. O has changed clothes! Mrs. O is wearing a chartreuse silk crepe sheath dress by Jason Wu dress paired with a black coat duster by Michael Kors, cinched at the waist by her signature Azzedine Alaia studded belt. If these first two ensembles are any indication, we have much to look forward to this week!

While We Wait for Mrs. O's Return

Image via Flickr user Lawyer Mom [Steph] / Creative Commons ...we thought we'd go back in time once more. Above is a photograph taken in August 2008, as Mrs. O hosted a roundtable event with military families in Norfolk, VA. The photo caught our eye, lovely in its own right, but also because of the trio of beaded brooches Mrs. O wears at the collar of her crochet knit cardigan. We've recently learned and wanted to share the origin of said brooches: once again, Moschino! Onto a few "must-reads": Jason Wu was in London this week for a dinner hosted by Net-a-Porter's Natalie Massenet.  Bot Grazia and Vogue U.K. were on the case and have subsequently run short interviews worth a read. In Grazia, Jason Wu speaks of his design ethos:

"I've never been trendy and I don't design trendy things. I design for real women, older women with feminine bodies. And I want my pieces to be relevant in 30 years' time."

And in Vogue U.K., he weighs in on the now infamous Sleeve-gate:

"I was amazed by that - was it really an issue? I mean, we're not living in the past - and it wasn't as if there was a high split in her skirt or she was showing cleavage."

Finally, we'll leave you with a short video of highlights from Charlie Rose's recent interview with Valentino, Giancarlo Giammetti and Matt Tyrnauer, Director of the newly released film "Valentino: The Last Emperor". The full interview, well worth viewing, can be seen here.

Inside the White House Kitchen

White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian

Before dazzling us at the Governors' Dinner last evening, Mrs. O welcomed a group of students from L'Academie de Cuisine to the White House kitchen to preview the menu. Mrs. Obama said one of her goals with this event was to "showcase some of this talent" working in the White House kitchen. As Lynn Sweet reported for the Chicago Sun Times, Mrs. Obama also revealed a few of the First Family's dining secrets:

• "The president loves scallops," according to First Lady Michelle Obama.
• The White House Huckleberry Cobbler is "one of the First Family's favorites."
• Mrs. Obama is fond of a White House soup that "tastes creamy without being creamy, because that is something that we work on, 'how do we keep the calories down but keep the flavors up."'

According to the White House blog, Mrs. O went on to speak of the value of fresh, local foods:

"When you grow something yourself and it's close and it's local, oftentimes it tastes really good," Mrs. Obama said. "And when you're dealing with kids, for example, you want to get them to try that carrot. Well, if it tastes like a real carrot and it's really sweet, they're going to think that it's a piece of candy. So my kids are more inclined to try different vegetables if they're fresh and local and delicious."

On a style note, Mrs. O's cocktail length cobalt blue gem from Jason Wu’s Spring 2009 collection was just an appetizer for the fashion to come - but a great appetizer at that. Similar to the Jason Wu design that Mrs. O wore for an interview with Barbara Walters in late 2008, the raw silk dress was dotted with hand-embroidered knots. For additional photos, the Huffington Post has a great slideshow. A CSPAN video of the White House kitchen event follows after the jump.

Mrs. O Sparkles at Governors' Dinner

Photo credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Tonight the Os will welcome the National Governors Association to the White House, hosting their first black tie dinner at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. As we mentioned earlier this week, Earth, Wind & Fire is slated to play, which will surely make for a fun evening. From the White House press release:

"The White House is the place where our bond as Americans is strengthened," said Desiree Rogers, White House Social Secretary.  "We look forward to welcoming the nation’s governors to celebrate our democratic ideals, our diversity, our shared values and the best of the American spirit." 

We're curious to see how Mrs. O will interpret black tie attire at the White House - a cocktail dress or a formal evening gown? (Of note, the reference to "black tie" came from Lynn Sweet's very reliable column for the Chicago Sun Times.)

Update: This afternoon Mrs. O spoke with a group of culinary students from L'Academie de Cuisine in the White House kitchen before the Governors' Dinner. The Huffington Post has a slideshow here. The dress is a cocktail length cobalt blue gem from Jason Wu's Spring 2009 collection (runway image here). As many have already observed in the comments, the dress is quite similar to the white Jason Wu dress that Mrs. O wore for an interview with Barbara Walters in November. We imagine the materials and construction - raw silk with hand embroidered rosettes - are the same. Lynn Sweet at the Chicago Sun Times also has the scoop on the menu, china and flowers for tonight's event, which can be read here.

Update: Mrs. O has changed dresses! The First Lady is wearing a sequin, strapless gown by Peter Soronen paired with a dramatic multi-strand necklace of pearls and crystals by Tom Binns. The dress is the "twilight gown" from Peter Soronen's Fall Winter 2008 collection. As is Soronen's signature, the top part of dress is a corset, with a long bias skirt, all in sequins. The color, we're told, is actually a deep purple / ink blue. With her hair pulled up, our First Lady Mrs. O is the epitome of style and glamour this evening. The Huffington Post's "The Other Red Carpet" slideshow is a must see.