Wednesday
Nov182009
Lovely Lilac
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 5:41 PM 
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 dress adorned with a purple satin bow at the collar. We love the pleated detail at the neck and delicate layers of fabric that form the cap sleeves. Also note the symmetric seam detailing on the front and back of the skirt.
Images by Samantha Appleton / White House
More coverage on Wednesday's White House event available here.
Update: NYMag reports that Mrs. O wears an Anne Klein New York dress.
tagged Anne Klein New York
Anne Klein New York
Reader Comments (77)
I like the dress and the color but would have preferred to see it with a nice necklace or brooch instead of the bow (not a fan of bows) but then again that is my taste.
Sometimes it is so hard to bite your tongue and right now is one of those times. I am biting my tongue so hard, it's bleeding!!!
CAN SOMEONE REMIND ME WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG IS ABOUT?
I LOVE MRS O, THIS GROUP IS MADE UP OF FANS. I'M NOT A COMPUTER GURU OR
ANYTHING, I DONT EVEN UNDERSTAND TWITTER THAT MUCH, I DONT TWEET.
BUT WHEN I STUMBLED ON THIS SITE I WAS SO GLAD 2 FIND A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO
SHARED THE INTEREST IN MRS O'S FASHIONS ETC. MY GIRLFRIENDS ARE NOT
INTERESTED AT ALL. I'M JUST A BABY BOOMER, MOM OF 2 GROWN SON'S TRYING
TO DRESS LIKE A "YOUNG CHICK' (LOL)
P R E V E N T I O N MAGAZINE NOV/09 - IS MY FAVOURITE MRS O COVER FROM WHAT
I HAVE SEEN. MRS O'S FIGURE LOOKS GREAT HERE AND "ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS
BLUE SEQUINNED DRESS EMPHASIZES HER SHAPELY FIGURE.. SHE SHARES HER EATING
HABITS, FITNESS ROUTINE ETC. THAT SHE HOPES TO PASS ON TO HER DAUGHTERS AND
THE NATION. (MRS O IS BUSY TRYING TO HELP ALL OF US - THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD
EMPASISE INSTEAD OF CRITIZING BELTS ETC.
ALONG WITH THE ARTICLES MENTIONED ON THE COVER---
"FLAT BELLY FOODS, HAPPY AND HEALTHY AT ANY AGE, "LIFE REALLY GETS GOOD
WHEN YOUR'E 40 & 50." NATURES CURVES (GO MRS O)
HER SKIN (she mentions a bit of what she does FOR THOSE WHO WERE ASKING)
I QUOTE FROM THE BOOK HERE MRS O SAYS " I WASH MY FACE WITH A GOOD CLEANSER,
MOISTURIZER WITH SPF, GOES TO THE DERMATOLOGIST FOR MICRODERM OR FACIAL, BUT
'I DONT HAVE TIME TO DO THAT ALL THE TIME.'
WHEN ASKED, YOUR'E HELD UP AS A FASHION ICON, AND THE MEDIA PAYS SO MUCH
ATTENTION TO YOUR CURVES AND YOUR ARMS. HAS IT AFFECTED YOUR BODY IMAGE?
She answered something like this--" I thank God I'm 45 in this and not 35 (because at that age)
you dont know who you are". She knows what makes her happy. Says she picks the clothes
that make her happy--Sometimes people like them, sometimes they dont. Says she listens to
her own internal guide. "My message to women: DO WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD, THERE'LL
ALWAYS BE SOMEONE WHO THINKS YOU SHOULD DO IT DIFFERENTLY. WHETHER YOUR
CHOICES ARE HITS OR MISSES, AT LEAST THEY'RE YOUR OWN".
OH, I LIKE WHEN SHE SAYS HER MOM LOOKS GREAT AT 72, AND TO HER EVERYTHING
WITH AGE, HAS GOTTEN BETTER (I'm no spring chicken so I love this) Says her goal is to be
a great looking 70-yr old and wants people to ask "You're 70? (laugh)." She gets her sleep
and exercises.
I PERSONALLY FEEL, THE WAY WE EAT AND EXERCISE CAN ADD BEAUTY. I WILL BE
TAKING MRS O'S ADVICE, AS I ALWAYS DID PUT MYSELF LAST... I'M NOT SORRY BUT
SHE HAS GIVEN ME A NEW REASON TO GET MORE BEAUTIFUL.
MY MOTTO WAS AND STILL IS,
I HAVE TO LOOK GOOD WHEN I LEAVE THE HOUSE -- INCASE I RUN INTO AN OLD
BOYFRIEND (JUST KIDDING) OR OLD SCHOOL FRIEND.
I HOPE I ANSWERED SOMEONES QUESTIONS. I HAVE TO STOP WRITING OR YOU GIRLS
WILL GET BOARED. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. I'M ENJOYING THE BLOGS.
MRS O HAS HAD AN AMAZING IMPACT ON MYYYYYYY LIFE,
Nyon, I find it sad that you feel you have to bite your tongue. I'm sure I'll be target practice for saying this but while this color palette is nice and the blouse and bow are appealing, overall I think this is a very matronly look on the FLOTUS. The updo is aging, too, but if she's growing her hair out, that's understandable.
Well it is obvious that those complaining about the color being inappropriate for the season did not bother to consider the EVENT that both Mrs. Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden dressed in purple/lilac for. It was to honor the service of Military women. And purple is the military color used to honor outstanding service. It is so sad that the carping has become quite reflexive for some posters here. Sad.
Besides who made the silly rules about what colors a person could wear during any given season? I thought colors are the most intimate reflection of a person's mood, taste, and message to the world outside? Why should she be a cookie cutter image of anybody else? Both the color and line of the outfit are beautiful. That's all there is to it.
Canyongal,
I'm trying my best to respect Mrs. T wishes and be civil towards others, so i'm keeping my mouth shut, FOR NOW. So, don't be sad, it's actually a good thing.
Are these shoes the same ones she wore at that "garden party" event she hosted this past summer?
Re: the pink shoes: I'm talking about the ones she wore at the evening G20 event in Sept. where the Italian Prime Minister was giving her the eye and the POTUS looked annoyed....remember?
I very much like Mrs. O's recent series of pinned up hairdos. I hope this is a style which requires less chemical torture than the straight hairdos. I'd be happy to see her start a trend toward natural hair. Don't understand why so many AA women feel they must wear straight hair.
Nyon, you're awesome! I hope that others will also respect Mrs. T's wishes and exercise restraint and civility in their comments. There's nothing wrong with stating one's opinion, but some people have really veered off track. Sadly, all of the back and forth negative personal attacks have made this site less enjoyable. Hopefully, this type of behavior will immediately lessen and cease all together going forward.
As for Mrs. O's fashions - I love that she doesn't feel beholden to "fashion rules." I like that she keeps it interesting and always seems so comfortable in her own skin. Self-confidence and true personal creative expression will always trump "but she should/shouldn't be wearing this color/this fabric/this style/etc" in my book. What may seem jarring today might just well become tomorrow's standard.
Nakijima- Re:Don't understand why so many AA women feel they must"wear straight hair.
I don't know "any" AA women who feel they "must" wear straight hair. It's a matter of versatility and style options. Pretty much the same way a non AA woman would choose to have a permanent wave or different options for her hair. I won't use this site to educate you in black hair, but if you are truly interested, go see Chris Rock's latest movie...Good Hair. It will give you some insight, a few laughs and... most of all.....prevent you from making uninformed blanket statements such as you have done.
OMG! New York Magazine's blog The Cut reports that this outfit is actually a dress from Anne Klein New York. I was just looking on the Anne Klein website the other day and thinking that their dresses were fabulous this season. And here I was thinking it was a Thakoon blouse and Michael Kors/ Narciso Rodriguez skirt combo. I love how she recognizes the beauty in mass retail clothing. Anne Klein is such a historic, affordable American clothing company. And I love how she made it her own with the purple satin bow at the neckline. Lovely!
NAKAJIMA, Thanks for comment about a trend in natural hair. I do agree with you.
A whole new generation is coming up, Mrs O is a great role model being the First Lady.
I personally battle with my hair. Mrs O says its cool, and let me tell you, we can save
hours on our hair if we emmulate her hair do's. (thats for those who choose to do so).
One love
Thanks Ari, good looking out! That sure is the dress and it's on sale 25% @ checkout. At this time it comes in black only and you can see the details if you enlarge the image. I rather like the skirt that's also offered. It's called Ottoman Side Panel Skirt #49011044 that was $195 now on sale $116.91. The site currently offers sizes XS thru XL. HAPPY SHOPPING !!!
I am going to be the holdout for a blouse and skirt. * Anne Klein New York does do skirts with grosgrain band at the waist - like this one - rather than a waistband.
I could find a blouse that looked similar - it was described as having cap sleeves, it had the soft diagonal pleats radiating from the neckline, but it was in a different colored print. Never did find a skirt in lilac online. Or any other skirt described as having that stitched detail unless it is the one with the stretch panel.
As for the dress, I saw dresses in the Sale area, but they were sleeveless and the necklines were not even line this one.
Private label stuff happening here? It would be no surprise.
*New York Magazine makes sourcing errors in its Look Book. Mrs. T's are usually more accurate.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/21/state-dinner-style-see-wh_n_364980.html
take a look at these photos and see whose gown could be worn today and still be elegant and fabulous
All I want for Mrs. O is that her outfits stand the test of time. She is a wonderful FLOTUS!!
Of course she has a RIGHT to wear whatever she wants...and has her own style but there already is a photo history with thousands more to go
color, fit, fabric and style are all factors in creating a fashion history that stand the test of time
I do not want her to be "someone else"....she is beautiful and unique
Barbara,
Thanks for the huffington post link. So much to read. I will look at the gowns later.
I agree with your last line. Same here.
I thoroughly enjoyed the montage of first Ladies Fashions on HP and remember some of the press surrounding these dresses. I think if any of us survived fashions from the 80's we know how today's "pretty cute" is tomorrow's 'utterly ridiculous". I hope what I'm about to say does not cause a verbal smackdown that makes a pro wrestling match seem like playing with cotton balls, but we know that Our Michelle is going to be held to a different standard. Stating the obvious, she is a pioneer being the very first African American First Lady of The United States (let's just get that pink elephant out of the way) and her choices are already under the microscope and under attack. Because we have so many resources, through technology, we not only see what she's wearing instantly, but we can also see and hear what people think about it. Granted, it's a double edged sword, and we are all priviledged to live in a country where we can freely express our views both pro and con. However, she has seemed to handle it all with a great deal of grace and style.
Look at that montage and remember or research what some fashion critics had to say at that time. For instance, when Laura Bush wore that red/fuschia irredescent gown in 2001, I distinctly remember someone said (rather crudely) "was that dress made by Oscar de la Renta or Oscar Madison (from The Odd Couple). In 1998 when Hillary Clinton wore the red ball gown, someone said(quite rudely) "that's the best she's ever looked...which ain't saying much" .Yet when she wore the champagne/flesh colored gown when Tony Blair and his wife were in attendace the dress was called "inappropiate and vulgar" by some and praised as "finally getting her act togeher" by others. Even Mrs. Barbara Bush was skewered in 1992 for her beautiful blue gown. There was a "famous fashion critic" that sadly commented "that her eyes looked more bugged than usual" (for God's sake, she has Graves, a Thyroid Disease).
I used those examples to show that being overly concerned with how history is going to recall this is useless.Our Presidents only need to put on a tuxedo and go! On the other hand as women we have so many more options to choose from. Women are always held to a different standard and historians will say what they will. Whether our Michelle will be called "someone else" is not something she will ever be able to escape, as a matter of fact, I don't think any of our First Ladies have ever been so fortunate.
@Charlene in Detroit agree on your post, that is why I think it is disingenuous at best for Barbara to say "the dresses stand the test of time" The key is time. As you noted Laura was ridiculed for her red dress but now according to Barbara all have stood the test of time. Therefore, going by that premise, Mrs Obama gets to wear what she wants and time will dictate whether it stands the "test of time or not" Photo history or not. Heck Hillary was picked on but now she stands the test of time because she was her own individual who wore what she wanted to.
My problem is the incredible double standard. The same statement just made now by Barbara could have been made about all the first ladies during their time and now according to Barbara's own statement "they now stand the test of time." So I would prefer to wait until that "time" to see the photo history on what they say about her style, thus as every other first lady got the chance to wear what they wanted, good or bad, criticized or not, Mrs Obama gets that chance without being told to look at the photo history.
Thus let her be. with the color,fabric and style she wants. In my day to day life, I see people more influenced by her fashion than any other whether in jersey or in accra, so I am for let her be and folks get to have their critic. But the critic cannot be based on a double standard that all the first ladies where somehow perfection.
Very interesting.
Thanks Me, I cannot promise you that I am always going to bite my tongue, but I am definitely trying my best, especially when I know what I want to say is not nice.
Charlene and Briana, I totally agree with the both of you.
Hey guys. I found 2 interesting video's from Politico.com talking about how official State dinners operate and what can be expected from the Obama's fashion and culinary wise here and here .
The part I found most interesting in the second video was how even Mrs.O's choice of dress designer and color will have a direct effect on the culinary and decorative decisions made. The florists will have to work with the dress designer (I predict either Jason Wu or Thakoon) to identify the exact color and use that as a template for what colors will be in the floral arrangement and what kind of table cloths and china will be used.
I have an email into Anne Klein to try to learn more about the dress / skirt and blouse. Will keep everyone posted! (I guess it makes sense that it would be a new label, as I didn't have luck confirming with my regular contacts.)
Coming from Denver which in my youth was a tweedy, plaidy earthen color town in winter, I went to college at SMU in Dallas (a few years before Laura B). There I discovered the most peculiar dress code imaginable. You had to start wearing "dark cottons", my Denver winter colors in cotton, immediately after Labor Day with temperatures in the 90s. Then when the prairie winds began to blow cold around Thanksgiving everyone changed to pastel wools, the fuzzier and more etherial the pink, baby blue, or lilac angora sweaters the better. Winter colors in summer fabrics and summer colors in winter fabrics! After that experience I stopped associating clothing colors with seasons. Moreover, as global warming makes its way across the fashion scene, it seems normal to dress for the weather, including the indoor temperature which may be fairly warm in the WH. If you look at the runway shows there are no seasonal colors or styles any longer.
Thanks Ari, Informative about Mrs. O's fashion choices and fashion advisors. I love that
strapless gown.
Nakajima, we have the same strange thing here on the West Coast. Temperatures in October and even January often soar into the upper 90's yet you see people bravely pretending it is an autumn day back east, or that because the calendar says winter it automatically has to feel like winter, stifling and sweating in dark colors and sweaters. However, one often does need to dress warmly, even in summer, in order to survive in the frigid a/c temps a lot of offices insist on having. You may be right about the White House because I know in many states back east and also in Europe it can be freezing cold outdoors but public places and shops often feel like saunas!
I have also observed people out here running from their cars to stores and back again on days when it is literally pouring rain dressed in Rainbow sandals, shorts and t-shirts. We do sell raincoats and boots and even umbrellas, but you'd never know it. Crazy!!!
The dress is available at annklein.com right now!