First Lady Looks: Michelle Obama's Wardrobe

First Lady Looks: Michelle Obama’s wardrobe
Tuesday, 10/21/2008

By Lynette Holloway
Shopperati.com/Style Insider.com

When it came time for Vanity Fair Magazine to pick the world’s “best dressed,” Michelle Obama made the list (one of the pictures, left). They called her “the commander in sheath.’’ Sometimes likened to Jackie O. by fashion observers for her simple, elegant clothing choices, Obama’s wardrobe has been front and center for many months.

A distinguishing characteristic of the potential first lady’s style: She doesn’t mind showing off her curvaceous figure. She is not a size 0, and she flaunts it with panache.


She likes prints by designers such as Thakoon, or bold colored sheaths by Maria Pinto. She favors slim dresses in brilliant primary colors of blue, red, and green that fall to the knee. Fabric choices are cotton, silk, satin and knits. More often than not, Obama’s dresses are accented with a bow, flower or a brooch. Some examples from the past few weeks:

When her husband claimed the Democratic presidential nomination, Michelle Obama wore a Maria Pinto purple sheath (top, left). The dress, cinched with a black Azzedine Alaïa belt, was one of the reasons listed for her inclusion in Vanity Fair’s list this summer.

She wore another brilliant turquoise Maria Pinto sheath (top, right) while giving the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and that choice got some glowing fashion reviews. She dressed it up with a big starburst brooch at the V-neck.



On the final night of the convention, when husband Barack delivered his acceptance speech, she sported a Thakoon Panichgul (above, left) printed bubble-sleeve sheath accented with three glistening crystal flowers at the neckline.

Michelle Obama doesn’t shy away from prints. When she appeared on The View, she sported a black-and-white spaghetti-strap Donna Ricco print dress (above, right) from White House | Black Market that fell to the knee. Simple but bold, the dress became a summer hit for women wanting to look cool without showing too much skin.



Still, Obama has a formula and she sticks with it. Last week, for example, she wore a form-fitting blue knit dress (above, left) accessorized with a Hawaiian-style beaded necklace bedecked with three decorative pink and blue flowers at the final presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. She also regularly sports “gobstopper” sized fake pearls and similarly sized green baubles, or no necklace at all.



On Larry King Live, she wore an iconic satiny purple sheath dress (above, right) adorned with a jeweled purple feather brooch (which may have raised some fashionista eyebrows). In a CBS News appearance (above, left), her look was a bit preppy: pale blueish-gray sweater set, smoky gray slacks. But that periwinkle floral pin with a silver sparkly center gave it a bit of flash.

On another occasion she opted for a wool black and white houndstooth Chanel-style dress (above right), a simple, a little Jackie O, but keeping the “you can never go wrong with black and white” style mantra in mind.



Obama’s not afraid to “keep it real.” She’s been seen sporting a blue “Support our Troops” T-shirt and black capri pants while assembling care packages for troops overseas in August.

Wardrobe summary? Michelle Obama opts for simple, clean, elegant outfits - primarily dresses - that hug the knee and flatter her figure. She is not afraid of bright colors or unsubtle prints, and if her sheath is too simple, she’ll up the ante with artfully placed jewelry. Just as often, though, she’s been spotted dressing up her dress with nothing but small pearl studs or a single strand necklace.
Topics: Maria Pinto, Michelle Obama, Political Style, Thakoon, Vanity Fair
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