Mrs. O on Today

Mrs. O wears a dress by Rachel Roy (which first debuted in the summer of 2009, seen here) for her multi-part interview with Mr. Matt Lauer for the Today Show. In the second video, Matt asks Mrs. O a few questions about her style (kisses and hugs for that!). A few of Mrs. O's responses follow below.

On making her fashion choices: "I'll figure out what I'm going to wear over the course of a week or even two, so that I don't have to think about it."

On dealing with the attention: "I've learned: wear what I like, wear what's comfortable...and that really depends on the occasion."

And the criticism: "I don't take in a lot of feedback in that regard because you don't want comments like that to influence who you are. You can't feed on any negative. I just sort of find a way to keep that out, and if there's any criticism that's helpful, I take that in and try to learn from it."

Rosy Rachel Roy

Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

New York Magazine reports that Mrs. O wore a washed rose and tweed dress by Rachel Roy for her interview as one of the Most Interesting People of 2009. Lovely!

State Dinner Preview

Image by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images

For the State Dinner preview this afternoon, Mrs. O changed ensembles, rewearing her J.Crew Crystal constellation cardigan, first seen in London last April, paired with a Rachel Roy "Marble" pencil skirt. The ensemble is cinched at the waist by a wide silver belt, featuring a clear square buckle.

To note, Rachel Roy is an Indian-American designer - a thoughtful sartorial choice by Mrs. O, likely in reference to the cultural heritage of the guests of honor. Mrs. O has worn one of Rachel Roy's dresses before, choosing the Reid dress, seen here, for a California conference earlier this year. Might Ms. Roy be a contender for this evening?

For those who love Mrs. O's sparkle, J.Crew recently introduced a cardigan similar to the one Mrs. O wears above. The Shimmering constellation cardigan is available here.

Update: A full transcript of Mrs. O's speech from the event was released later in the day and can be read here. Of note, 50 area school children, who take part in the White House Leadership and Mentoring Program, were invited to the White House to attend the state dinner preview. Lucky young women!

Mrs. O Goes West Coast

Photo by Kimberly White/ Getty Images

Mrs. O is in California this week to kick off the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service. Joined by the first lady of California, Maria Shriver, the women began the service effort by rebuilding a playground in San Francisco.

First Lady Mrs. O kept her attire understated, wearing a printed top, black cardigan, cropped pants and her Puma sneakers. Update: New York Mag reports that the tunic is by Suno, a brand we are eager to learn more about!

Later in the evening Mrs. O spoke at the conference wearing a sleeveless dress that combined print and texture. Update: Mrs. O wears the Reid dress by Rachel Roy, as seen here. Thanks to Holly at Make Luxury Count for the tip!

Photo by Robert Galbraith / Reuters

Double O

Photo credit: O Magazine

The April 2009 cover of O was unveiled today, and features a very spring-like First Lady Mrs. O. This marks the first time anyone other than Oprah Winfrey has appeared on the cover of the magazine since its inception in 2000. For the cover, Mrs. O wears a coral Michael Kors dress and a soft yellow Dear Cashmere cardigan. In her signature style, Mrs. O belted the look with the same clear waist cincher seen yesterday. (Update: Thanks to Mrs. C who has confirmed the belt is Sonia Rykiel.) Oprah wears a lilac shirt dress by Rachel Roy New York. Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun Times has the full scoop here, including this fabulous quote from our First Lady:

"I know that all I can do is be the best me that I can. And live life with some gusto. Giving back is a big part of that. How am I going to share this experience with the American people? I'm always thinking about that."

Oprah and Gayle are also discussing their February visit to the White House on the show today. When suggested that Mrs. O has been likened to Eleanor Roosevelt, Oprah replies:

"[Michelle Obama] is not likened to anybody. She is her own. She is so 21st century that there really isn't anyone you can compare her to."

Well spoken O!