Mrs. McD brings us perspective on the week's events from London:
Lest there was ever any doubt, as Mrs. O concludes her tour and heads back home, the European press are declaring it an unqualified success. Notoriously difficult to impress, the British press in particular fell head over heels in love, exhausting their supply of superlatives in praise of the First Lady.
From the moment she exited Air Force One in that chartreuse yellow Jason Wu dress, the fashion press swooned as one.
Elle UK described this stunningly confident look as:
"An eye popping bright yellow shift by Jason Wu perfectly offset with a black belt and long line jacket that signalled to the world, we have arrived."
Mrs. O rang the fashion changes throughout the week, moving from accessibly soft and pretty J. Crew separates to high octane Alaia glamour, and fashion commentators lauded almost every move. That asymmetric Junya Watanabe cardigan was admittedly widely regarded as something of a miss, but by then the press were past caring. As Genevieve Fox put it in
The Telegraph:
"Our very modern First Lady is a fallible fashionista. She makes mistakes, just like the rest of us. And that makes us love her all the more. Roll on Strasbourg, Prague and Ankara and the next leg of the Mrs. O fashion parade."
With the British press in raptures, the French -- perhaps even more fastidious in matters sartorial -- rapidly followed suit, shrugging off suggestions of a "First Lady Face-off" between Mrs Obama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. As
Agence France put it; "Classic Carla, daring Michelle: to each her style" while
L'Express paid tribute to "The Ten Style Commandments of Michelle Obama".
What was most extraordinary however was the sheer magnitude of the interest in and admiration for Mrs. Obama. As many observers have commented, Michelle was without question the most talked about figure of the entire summit, at times eclipsing even the mega-star quality of her own husband -- as The Sunday Times reported:
"The star was clearly President Barack Obama, whose calm and authoritative performance was praised everywhere. However, even he may have been upstaged-by his wife Michelle, whose poise, grace and style probably provoked more interest and discussion than the final summit communique."
The affection, even adoration that shines through in the press coverage is also remarkable -- gestures that in a less popular figure might have been frowned upon were regarded simply as further evidence of Michelle's exceptional warmth, confidence and accessibility.
So what is it about the First Lady that has taken Europe so completely by storm? Yes, there's been a lot of comment around the clothes -- and we, more than anyone, are fascinated by each and every ensemble. But it seems that in commenting on fabric and fit, people have really been commenting on something more profound -- the spirit that radiates through the clothes.
Intelligent, poised and considered, Mrs. O has used her clothing this week to send some powerful messages. Messages about hope, warmth and renewal. From that glowing yellow gown to the fresh, spring-like quality of her J. Crew ensemble, from the soft accessibility of her famous cardigans to the powerful lines of her little black dresses, her every look exuded confidence, strength and compassion. Hope was a watchword for the Obama campaign and it is perhaps because Mrs. O radiated hope this week that Europe -- and the world -- fell in love. A one woman stimulus package? She just might be. To leave the last word to
The Sunday Times:
"She came, she hugged, she conquered."
Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 7:22 PM 
Image used with kind permission from Essence
Mother’s Day came early to 
Image used with kind permission from Essence
Photo by Stefan Rousseau / Getty Images
We honestly don't know how our President and First Lady survived this whirlwind of a week. Six days, four countries, and for Mrs. O , ten (10!) thoughtfully, often symbolically, selected ensembles. Let's recap: