A Proclamation of Personal Style
Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 9:22 AM 
Photo by Joel Ryan/WPA Pool/Getty Images
As part of a day of events scheduled around London, First Lady Mrs. O joined the spouses of world leaders attending the G-20 conference at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden this morning. Per Politico, Mrs. O wears a Jason Wu dress and an asymmetrical Junya Watanabe cardigan. We recognize the green Jimmy Choo "Glacier" pumps from the Inauguration.
To our knowledge, this is one of the first times the First Lady has publicly worn Junya Watanabe (unless he's also responsible for that tiered black ruched number? Hmm...). Watanabe is a Japanese fashion designer who began his career at Comme des Garcons. We're excited to have a new name in the First Lady's wardrobe, and more importantly - to see Mrs. O making one of her boldest fashion statements yet! Mrs. O's remarks at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in Islington, north London are a must see (thanks to those who linked to the video):
Jason Wu, Jimmy Choo, Junya Watanabe in Outfits
Reader Comments (330)
Okay. Sorry. Love the dress. HATE the sweater. If she needed a cardigan, anything but that one. Just hated the mix of argyle and sequins. And it does nothing for her.
Is it buttoned improperly? Or is one side simply shorter than the other? Bad construction? Intentional bad design? Don't know. Don't care. Ditch that cardigan.
I say thumbs down, and mainly because of that dreadful cardigan. I don't like the color combination or the asymmetry. What's up with the mismatched shoes?
Without these two things, her outfit would've been fine.
Kudos to Mrs. Obama for going outside the G20 bubble and visiting that school.
@toi22 look upthread chicagoan posted the link to the sweater designer. It was farfetch.com
Hi to everybody,
i would like to send a bunch of flowers to Mrs Obama suring her short visit here in France.I tried to contact the american embassy here in Paris,one of the secretary cutted the phone down on me... they cannot help!
is anyone out there can help me.... there are a specialised flowers shops for delivery but i have no idea which adress will be the right one so Mrs Obama can get my fresh flowers
Thanx
@queen--this is probably a security issue so I do not know you will be able to send her flowers. maybe someone knows how to get around that.
I have listened and read a lot all day and whatever we think of the outfit the trip for Michelle was a total success. They are officially ga ga for her in the UK
I love her style from head to toe today. I like that she is not afraid to, first, be herself; and she is not afraid to explore fashion. If but one suggestion I would of have made is to leave the cardigan unbuttoned. Our First Lady is representing us well!
I'm not a fan of asymmetry and deconstruction so I don't care for the Watanabe cardigan. But I do appreciate her fashion-forwardness.
So far, my favorite has been the yellow Wu dress with the black Kors duster all belted together with the studded black Alaia belt she wore when disembarking from AF1. The J. Crew outfit from yesterday was very nice too.
Okay. I did a search and went to Style.com and looked at all 98 fashions for Junya Watanabe's spring and Fall 2009 shows.
I was not impressed.
In fact, two of the fall outfits reminded me of stage costumes I saw in a production of Help, Help the Globolinks by San Diego Opera about 40 years ago. Except they were very colorful and his were a monochromatic black.
I'd love to see something others think is creative and inspiring by Watanabe as his runway shows for this year were not. Not to me at least.
Personally, I think Ms. O should stick to Jason Wu and Isabel Toledo. They seem to really suit her. (And Crew too.)
Mrs. O looks fabulous. Most of you women that post on this site have no idea the courage it takes to live fully in your own truth, including fashion. Someone in an earlier post said "IF Mrs. Bown had worn this outfit there would have been an outcry!". You're right, look at Mrs. Brown, she doesn't have the height or physique of our First Lady. Finally, after seeing the pic of the sweater on farfetch.com, I love it! You go Mrs. O! Be yourself and silence the haters!
She DESPERATELY needs a Liz Tilberis...
well I was on the J Crew sight last evening checking out the pencil skirt she wore w/ the sparkly cardigan and what do you know today it has sold out.
Thanks for the link to farfetch.com.
Saw some more Junya Watanabe. Still not impressed. And now I know why. None of his clothes look like they are designed to fit properly. Saw that cardigan in a different colorway. It's designed to look awful and ill fitting. Assymetrical, but not in a good way. Sleeves two different lengths. No wonder she kept pulling them up to her elbows (to try and hide the fact?) The sequins just don't belong. And one side of cardigan longer than the other so it looks like you buttoned it wrong. She should have left it unbuttoned to try to hide that. Just NOT the look for a together woman like Mrs. O. I'm also not impressed with the $800 price tag.
http://www.farfetch.com/shopping/women/search/item10013720.aspx
I am British and I can tell you that Britain is completely in love with Michelle - black, white, male & female, my whole office was abuzz today with how beautiful, stylish and confident she is.
Hey BC....great to have news straight from our British counterparts! It's nice to know both sides of the ocean are on the same wave-length...
:)
Glenise,
The comments are not mixed up.
Your name will be UNDER your comment, not above it.
Hope that helps.
Thanks BC from EVERYTHING I have read coming out of London they are completly enamored with Mrs O and her style.
PEOPLE - the dress may be dark green. It looks that way in some photos. Hence the green shoes.
And the point of a crinoline is fun, not to make the wearer look like they have small hips.
FRIDAY's schedule for MICHELLE OBAMA:
All times are U.S. Eastern time
3:35 AM Barack and Michelle Obama leave London.
4:45 AM The Obamas arrive in France.
9:00 AM The Obamas depart Strasbourg, France en route Baden-Baden, Germany.
1:00 PM The Obamas attend the NATO Concert.
5:00 PM The Obamas depart Baden-Baden, Germany en route Strasbourg, France.
5:20 PM The Obamas arrive in Strasbourg, France.
@ Debra at 4:16 pm - you are what Mrs. O is about. I've been picking up a few cute flat shoes for the spring for the past few months with Mrs. O in mind.
She is inspiring us to step out of the comfort zone and try something new...whether it be with our wardrobe, volunteer work, diet, or even in our personal relationships. Mrs. O is about living life HER way, and with some spunk.
If anyone wonders how our President manages under the scrutiny and with all of the problems, her zest for life and for him and their children, is the reason.
Do you think Mrs. O will be as big a hit in France like she was in London?
You know since their First Lady is "Ms. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy" in all..lol
Additional footage from today--very touching. Mrs. O was about to cry.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/video/Michelle-Obama-Move-By-London-Girls/Video/200904115254757?lpos=video_News_in_Video_Home_Region_2&lid=VIDEO_15254757_Michelle_Obama_Move_By_London_Girls
MICHELLE IS FRESHHH!!! DON'T HATE!!!!!
MAKE YOUR OWN STATEMENT IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!!! SHE IS!!
DON'T FIT IN AND TRY TO PLEASE EVERYONE ELSE!!!
THAT WILL DRIVE YOUR CRAZY!!!!!
For everyone trying to get this look, check out J Crew's argyle sweaters (3 colors!). You could easily add beading or sequins to those, or even wear a thin, sequinned scarf with them. For the bolder among us, I imagine they'd look good buttoned off-kilter if this asymmetrical look takes hold.
Any fashion historians here? The off-buttoned look has been around before, hasn't it?
At skynews(dot)com, there is a more footage of Mrs. O today with the children. Go towards the bottom right of the home page, "Latest News in Video", then "Michelle Obama Moved by Students".
Mrs. O almost cried.
Also the dress is green to go with the shoes. I so wish she either took off the cardigan, opened it, or wore a solid color. But she is bold and confident. The dress moved so nicely though.
(My link won't post and held up in moderation).
Is it at all possible that Mrs. O. chose the cardigan as a sweet nod to PM Brown's heritage? He is Scottish, after all. Argyles were huge this winter -- every member of my family got something argyle for Christmas, and we all wore them.
Btw, I've been to both Strausbourg and Baden-Baden. They both have some of the best shopping (and restaurants) in Alsace-Lorraine. I hope Mrs. O. gets a bit of tourist time. And the President will be able to find cool things for the little Os.
@Donna No Shock
Thank you for the link to the cardi.
Just saw some video from the BBC, and the British editor of Vogue loved what she was wearing--especially the seam in the back of the cardigan. She was impressed that she had the courage to wear it.
Even though the cardigan wasn't my thing, most of the press is good in the UK regarding the outfit. Maybe too, they like Michelle's personality so much, it overshadowed any drawbacks to the outfit today.
I'm in tears after watching that video. She's so beautiful inside and out. I'm proud to call her our Frist Lady. I can't wait until she arrives in Frances tomorrow.....I guess I'll be up late into the night to catch our President and First Lady. We should be proud!
All of the three major networks ran long pieces about Michelle's visit to the school. They interviewed the girls who were just over the moon about Michelle. What a shot in the arm for them, well done,Mrs. O!
I believe this is my first time leaving a comment on this blog (even though I'm a huge fan Mrs. T. :-) ) I may be speaking hyperbolic about this outfit, bc IMO this is (thus far) one of Michelle's most inspired choices. Don't anyone else realize that Michelle not only went completely retro with the hairstyle, pearls, and 50's inspired silhouette with the Jason Wu dress, but then she quantum leaps decades with the assymetrical Junya Watanabe cardigan? She manages not only to be retro, modern, and futuristic all at the same time and all she really wore was a simple dress and a cardigan. That's genius!
When I first saw the picture of the blue dress and cardigan, my immediate thought was "what the #$%@# was she thinking?" Then, by the time I saw the video and saw other photos, it's as though my eyes adjusted and suddenly, it is the smartest, most cheerful, absolutely perfect choice for the occasion, and a look only Michelle could pull off. I've seen this happen over and over, most notably the dress on the election night. I think her look is so fashion-forward and spot-on, that she has to educate our eye to her perfect taste. And, I too am in tears at the video. We will have a different world because of her influence and world exposure. I have much gratitude for her service and dedication.
I don't like the sweater. The dress is a pretty color. I agree with some of the others in that Mrs. O look her best in the sheath dresses.
Good Lord! $800 for that cardigan is highway robbery!
-
Other than being on pins and needles waiting to see the clothes that Michelle will wear in France and am also getting very impatient to see if she will be speaking French while being there! If she does I think that it will be absolutely wonderful, but I am not not looking forward to the media comparing it to the time that Jackie Kennedy spoke French while there.
I wonder what other languages Michelle speaks, if any.
Benjamin and Eve - Thank you. You both brought in perspectives that were new....and how brilliant to say " she has to educate our eye to her perfect taste." Because.....she is educating us in ways we can only appreciate after reflection. This is a woman who has blessed us with her intelligence, compassion, and ability to make friends. She is uber-confident, but does not flaunt it. She is kind, she is open, she is transparent. Her mother did a good job. Amen.
Fabulous!! The teal dress and shoes are gorgeous. Teal is beautiful on Mrs. O. Although I'm not crazy about the print on the cardigan, overall she looks terrific. Mrs. Brown's outfit is a real yawner, especially with the black, heavy stockings. When are people going to realize this blog is about style, not substance. Just because someone may not like something Mrs. O. wears, it does not mean that he/she does not like Mrs. O. This is certainly true in my case.
Mrs.O has large hips, I find it a bad choice to go with a prom skirt to begin with. This dress does not flatter her figure, her lower section looks huge. Then there is the quirky-odd cardigan. I don't think the colors of the cardigan are a good accent for the dress, the back of it shows stitches or something like it, and it contrast the elegant look of the dress. Finally her shoes don't match.
I am no fashion editor, but I think this was a miss.
Did she really pay 800 bucks for the sweater from patchwork hell?! Oh, no. She needs to get her money back cause that's highway robbery!
The president will be having a townhall in France and apparently there's gonna be some kind of NATO concert that he and Michelle will be attending. So lots of events for new outfits and touching moments. I hope Michelle visits another school. She does so well when it comes to speaking to and inspiring young people.
Mrs O wore the J.W. cardigan because it had 'cultural appeal', for the arts & educational visits, so it was very appropriate. Also a very bold and daring choice, which leaves a lasting impression with the British public, who have crowned Mrs O, First Lady of First Ladies.
Alarm bells are going off literally as Mrs O prepares to go head to head with Frances' First Lady (who is probably jumping through hoops preparing her own statement ensembles, Carla's panic was made public knowledge when she failed to accompain Sarkozy to the state dinner).
Mrs O's confidence is the most attractive thing about her, which makes her our guilty obsession.
Soon we will be seeing the patterns of the J.W. cardigan appear on clutch purses, scarves, shoes and totes.
I have to agree with some of y'all, the outfit didnt get me excited at first but having taken a second and third look. I like it (minus the cardigan of course)!
Mrs O once again ignites strong reaction from people with her choices. But at the end of the day she is who she is and that's why we love her.
Personally looking forward to the next outfit in France!!!
U go girl!
Christen, I have seen MrsO in person and she does NOT have large hips. I think her choice of this outfit was genius. I just wish I could afford that sweater!
@Primetimemom
If she doesn't have large hips they are still the most prominent portion of her figure. NOT what she wants to accent.
I just watched the video, I like the outfit even more now and the SS guys were just freaking out when Mrs. O started to reach down and huge the girls in the audience.
How anyone could hate on her is a mystery to me.
And hips? She's got 'em, she flaunts 'em....as long as she is happy who cares what anyone else thinks about her hips?
All of you who say you love the outfit... great... but please understand that it is not the outfit, the main thing here is the events she is attending with this type of outfits. I read about the lady who was inspired by her when selecting her outfit to go to work today. That's exactly the point, they are nice outfits to wear for work or other events, not for an official visit to London. Plus, the repetitive cardigan look is just too much now. Is this supposed to be trendy, out of the box? What I see is a lack of ideas on what to wear. Let's be fair, the outfits, some of them, OK. But fabulous, inspiring, etc like some of you say... no way! I think we were all left with the expectation that she would be wearing really nice, modern, elegant outfits for all these events. Not rolled-up sleeves cardigans three days in a row. I think we were expecting a lot more, specially when we have seen her so elegant back home. I am begining to think that the "default" is for everyone to accept everything she wears when in reality, when it is nice, it is nice. But when it is a miss (not necessarily the outfit but the event where she wears it to)... let's simply accept it as a miss...
And, please don't mix her inteligence, good manners, excellent connection to people, with her outfits. These are two different things. She is a really wonderful person which we all respect so much and are greatful for her humanity, etc. But that doesn't entitle her to an automatic approval on everything she wears.
ZOMG! Teh hips, she has them, the horror!/snark.
So what? and why should she *not* draw attention to them? Nothing wrong in a slim beautiful woman accentuating her curves, trying to make herself look like a boy would be foolish, she has them let her flaunt them as Jules said.
Well said, EMC!
oh and one more thing--the audience for this trip was Europe, not us obsessive Michelle consumers of fashion.;-)
They loved her, judged her to be elegant and classy and *appropriate*. Go read Vogue UK. So however much we may not have liked what she wore by the measure of the reception she got there she succeeded.
EMC, was not fond of the green skirt and sparkles yesterday but this is outfit I like.
Part of being having a "personal style" is being a little quirky and wearing stuff that other people may not like. But what comes through is that Obama herself is genuinely fond of clothing and has fun picking and wearing them.
So, for all those concerned that this blog is somehow turning into a "everything MO wears is the best ever!" ... well, for any outfit, there is at least one or two people who may feel that way for real, just because MO projects positivity about fashion so well.
What is with all the hips comments, I answered someone that said she didn't have wide hips. She can have them and sell them if she pleases. I just said a prom skirt is not most desirable in someone with wide hips, any fashion consultant will tell you that.
EMC, I totally agree with you.
Groupies!
Let me start by saying I love Michelle Obama. I love what she wears, says, and does. But...this outfit is simply horrible. It is not flattering to her at all. The dress makes her bottom half look HUGE, and though the cardigan is not mis-buttoned, it looks like it is. She looks mismatched and disheveled. After so many A+ outfits, this one is clearly an F. Oh well...she's human after all! I'll end by saying I still love Michelle Obama. Remember, we all make mistakes!
I think she has done America proud for the past couple of days,I wish she was the first lady of my country.What I love about her is that she is marching to the beat of her own drum and she wears what she likes.These arguments about whether or not she is dressing appropriately is utter rubbish and isnt even worth discussing.I figure those are the people who want her to wear head to toe Oscar De La Renta where ever she goes,thats not going to happen !!!!.As for those people who are talking about her shoes not matching her dress.The idea of matching your shoes and bag to your dress and is so out dated .This is not 1959 its 2009.As long as the colours you are wearing are complimentary then its fine.At the heart of the matter is that clothing is such a personal thing what is ugly to me is beautiful to someone else and vice versa.