Medal of Honor

Photo by Jonathan Ernst / Reuters Pictures

The President and First Lady awarded the Medal of Honor today to Marine Corps Corporal Dakota Meyer (shown at the left) for heroic efforts in Afghanistan during September 2009. For the White House event, Mrs. O wore a blue polka dot Lanvin dress, from Resort 2009, paired with red heels.

Women of Courage

 

Photos by Luis Alvarez / AP Images; Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and First Lady Mrs.O participated in the International Women of Courage Awards ceremony held at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC earlier today. The awards were given to 10 women recognized for their "courage and leadership as they fight for social justice, human rights and the advancement of women." Included was Marvi Rural Development Organization Founder and CEO Ghulam Sughra of Pakistan, pictured with the First Lady and Secretary of State above.

"These women are amazing. They are trail-blazing leaders,” Mrs Obama said. “Each in her own way decided to act. They decided to speak up, to publish an article, to file a lawsuit, to run for office, to open a school. And they have done these things at great, tremendous risk to themselves and to their families. They've received death threats. They have been beaten, kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured. So these women have accepted these risks. They have worked for change. And time and again, these women have discovered a very simple truth: that courage can actually be contagious,” the First Lady added.

On the fashion front, Mrs. O turned to an inventive dress, featuring an asymmetrical collar with zip shoulder detail. A jeweled cuff completed the look. Reader BeeGee has provided a great tip. Do you think Mrs. O wears this Lanvin Fall 2010 dress?

"First Lady, Secretary of State Clinton Present International Women of Courage Awards" [ABC News]

A Day in the Garden

Image by Alex Brandon / AP Photo

Image by Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

First lady Mrs. O had a full day Friday, as she hosted a "Let's Move" initiative at the White House Kitchen Garden. The event began as Mrs. O spoke to a group of several hundred chefs as part of the 'Chefs Move! To Schools' initiative, calling on chefs to adopt a local school in an effort to educate kids about food and nutrition. Following her speech, Mrs. O rolled up her sleeves (and changed tops - from pixelated floral Thakoon to Lanvin) to get to work with local students harvesting vegetables from the White House garden. Hope everyone is staying cool!

Pretty in Polka Dot

Photo by Charles Dharapak / AP Photo

The president and first lady hosted a reception in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month in the East Room of the White House last evening. For the occasion, Mrs. O rewore a polka dot dress from Lanvin's 2009 Resort collection, last seen a little over a year ago, here.

Lovely in Lanvin

Image by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images

The first lady is celebrating International Women's Day with an event at the White House today. Per USA Today, the introduction went as follows:

"So, I get so speak first while he stands and watches -- I love this!" Mrs. Obama said of her husband, to the chuckles of the mostly female audience in the East Room at the White House.

"Look at me adoringly!," she told the president.

To which he responded: "I can do that ..."

To which she said: "... with sincerity!"

Later, Mrs. Obama, cracked, "it is my pleasure to introduce one of the few men in the room."

Following the light-hearted start, the president gave remarks on American women who have impacted our nation's history, ranging from former first lady Abigail Adams to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The program also featured actress Kerry Washington, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Afghan singer Mozdah Jamalzadah, and singer Katharine McPhee.

On the style front, the first lady wore a draped grey dress by Lanvin, last seen in Oslo, Norway in late 2009, and true to the title of this post, looked absolutely lovely!

For a video of the remarks: