Image of Joan Weinstein via Chicago Tribune

This blog began a little over a year ago, inspired by the future first lady's style and driven by a curiosity to learn and share more about what and who Mrs. O was wearing. Understanding the various fashion influences at play in Chicago was one of the first steps in discovering the full story. As names like Maria Pinto and Ikram Goldman emerged in our research last fall, so too did one that we weren't previously familiar with: Joan Weinstein, the former owner of Ultimo.

It has been reported that Ms. Weinstein passed away last weekend at the age of 74. We are sorry to have never met Ms. Weinstein - by all accounts a thoroughly glamourous woman with impeccable style and unerring taste. We would like to pay tribute to her influence and legacy here.

Ultimo opened in 1969 as a high-end men's store in Chicago, run by Jerry Weinstein, Joan Weinstein's husband. The boutique later expanded to include women's wear, with Joan Weinsten at the helm. When admirers speak of Ultimo in its prime, there is often a gasp, an almost pained appreciation for how impossibly chic both the boutique and its glamourous owner were.

Ms. Weinstein's prized pupil at Ultimo is a name that will be familiar to fans of Mrs. O's style: Ikram Goldman. When ownership of Ultimo was assumed by a private equity firm in the late 90s, Ms. Weinstein retired to Florida and Buenos Aires, while Ms. Goldman left to begin her own Chicago boutique, Ikram.

While Mrs. Weinstein may not have had a direct influence on Mrs. O's style, she has certainly played an instrumental role in furthering the careers of many designers now loved by the first lady. As we began work on "Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy" this became increasingly apparent. Karen Erickson told us that Ms. Weinstein bought the first collection of Erickson Beamon jewelry in 1983. The same applies to both Maria Pinto and Peter Soronen, among others. Mr. Soronen told us, "I still have that first order from Joan Weinstein - she has such a beautiful cursive writing."

We would love to hear thoughts and perspective from those who visited Ultimo and may have known Ms. Weinstein personally.

For further reading, please read "The Ikram Touch" written by Marcia Coburn, "Mrs. C", for Chicago magazine in 2006. The Chicago Tribune has published an article on Ms. Weinstein's passing, here.

Image  by Kevin Lamarque / Getty Images

What a busy - and thoroughly lovely - day for Mrs. O! Following her school duties, the first lady hosted an afternoon tea in the East Room of the White House to celebrate women in the military. For the event, Mrs. O debuted a lilac skirt and patterned blouse, adorned with a purple satin bow at the collar. We love the pleated detail at the neck of Mrs. O's top and the delicate layers of the cap sleeves. Also note the symmetric seam detailing on the front and back of Mrs. O's pencil skirt.

Images by Samantha Appleton / White House

More coverage on Wednesday's White House event available here.

Image by Tim Sloan / Getty Images

First Lady Mrs. O is in Alexandria, VA today visiting the vegetable garden of a Virginia elementary school. Per the AP, Mrs. O handed out bananas and tangerines during the school's lunch hour, while receiving a few gardening tips from students - all part of Mrs. O's ongoing efforts to promote healthy eating and exercise.

On the style front, we can hardly believe our eyes! Mrs. O is wearing a ruffled, olive green blouse from J.Crew. Fitting with operafanatic's new thread on O.Chat, "I Own the Same Thing", we have the same blouse in the same color - and in fact, wore it to J.Crew when interviewing Creative Director Jenna Lyons for the Mrs. O book.

Image by Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images

Congratulations to Sophie Theallet, who won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award last night in New York. The first lady has worn two of Ms. Theallet's striped shirtdresses in recent months, here and here. 

Ms. Theallet will receive $200,000 and a one-year mentorship with fashion professionals to help market, design, and produce her future collections.

Image by John Moore / Getty Images

First Lady Mrs. O was in Denver, Colorado today to meet with high school students, as part of the ongoing White House leadership and mentoring initiative.

We know Mrs. O's penchant for belts has many regular readers of this blog divided. But like the trend or not, Mrs. O is most certainly having a belt moment (perhaps complemented by an updo moment too). For today's appearance, Mrs. O paired an argyle cardigan with black trousers, cinched at the waist by a neutral leather belt. A stack of beaded bracelets completed the look.

Update #1: Thanks to those who have pointed out that earlier in the day, Mrs. O paired her argyle cardigan with a coordinating skirt. See more at the Huffington Post.

Update #2: Mrs. O wears a cardigan from Moschino's Fall/Winter 2010 collection.