Saturday
May232009
Happy Memorial Day!
Saturday, May 23, 2009 at 6:19 PM 
Photo by Alexis C. Glenn-Pool/Getty Images
The Os are off to Camp David for the long weekend and looking ready for the summer season. We are loving Mrs. O's easy, chic head to toe weekend look.
Speaking of which, there's something familiar about Mrs. O's short sleeve cardigan. Might it be from Isaac Mizrahi's Spring collection for Liz Claiborne? (This print is what sparked the thought.) Update: We've confirmed that the cardigan is indeed Liz Claiborne!
And as Gail points out, Mrs. O's dress (particularly from this angle) appears to be a pleated poplin dress by Gap.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day!
tagged Gap, Isaac Mizrahi, Liz Claiborne in Outfits
Gap, Isaac Mizrahi, Liz Claiborne in Outfits
Reader Comments (53)
He deserves a long rest! Good for them both!!
Happy memorial day.
http://ebonyintuition.blogspot.com
If I am in pain from the absence of true democracy and freedom of my right to express myself and be the one to bring my honorable life work to people, at least I am happy to see a beautiful couple are free to be who they want to be! You both deserve the Rose Garden and I love you dearly!
A much deserved rest. Enjoy your memorial day holdiay, free from all of us... Mr.POTUS it has been a rough past week so go ahead and unwind and enjoy your weekend.
Love to POTUS and FLOTUS.
Wow...something about that photo suddenly makes me feel like I'm looking back in time. It's probably because something about the quality of the image photo itself (the coloring? the focus? I don't know enough about photography to put my finger on it) looks old-fashioned. Anyway, it makes me feel like I'm looking back at them from sometime decades in the future, which makes them look so young and innocent and makes me feel bizarrely nostalgic! Don't know if this makes sense to anyone.:)
She looks so summery and bright. I'm absolutely smitten with her pewter ballerina flats. Obviously she is decked out in the most perfect kick-back-and-relax-it's-Memorial-Day-outfit on the planet.
Haave a safe and Happy Memorial Day everyone! :)
http://cafefashionista.blogspot.com
The photo is also kind of strange in the sense that both their arms, hands, legs and feet are perfectly synchronized!
They look so very happy. Hope they get some much deserved rest.
Greetings President and First Lady Obama and Family –
I wish you a PEACEFUL, RELAXING, ENJOYABLE and FEARLESS Memorial Day and” THE NOW.” (Because THE NOW is all there really is). Everything happens in the NOW.
The Obama’s are truly spiritually enlighten or on the path of Enlightment. I can tell by their inclusion rather than exclusion mentality, trying their hardest to use the Golden Rules. From a sister of like mind, recognizing the spirit from within. The Obama’s strive to educate and enlighten rather than divide and conquer. They’re always in my prayer.
PEACE and LOVE
I love that they look as if they're just coming over to share some barbecue on the patio!
A very nice summer time relaxed photo. Her hair, sunglasses,
and hoop earrings are very cute!
They look so happy and in love...
Love this picture ... it's TIMELESS!!!
This is my favorite picture of all because they look like
they are going on their first date!!!
So beautiful!!!
I believe her dress is from The Gap
http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=36287&vid=1&pid=585659
A different angle of the dress
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//090523/480/bc0a61c35ebb4966a50e0928ff381047/#photoViewer=/090523/480/72b3eea453bb4090aa3983550f58f099
I love the care-free nature of this picture, i believe this is the same outfit she wore to teacher-parent conference a few weeks back, and i love the hair pulled back, it makes her look frech and young
Words cannot express how happy I am for FLOTUS and POTUS!!!!!! I wish them all the joys their hearts can hold as they embark upon a time for rest and relaxation. Just looking at them lifts my spirit and brightens my day. I guess you could say that I am part of their admiration society.
I think the sweater is Liz Claiborne New York. Got mine at Macy's and wore it to GW's graduation on The Mall last Sunday!
Make that "cardigan."
Yes, I'm confident that is a GAP dress. I like the cardigan and dress combination with the flats.
You ladies are so good at spotting the designers of Mrs. O's clothing. I do think it is from GAP, and wouldn't you know, one of the only 2 sizes they have left in that dress is mine, so I bought it! Also picked up the silk tank dress and some flip flops as well. Mrs. O makes my shopping so easy!
Read "What`s wrong with Michelle Obama`s style" by Kara Jesella on Salon.com.
@Martha Nakajima,
That Salon article was great, thanks! I misinterpreted the title and thought it was going to have a negative slant but it was very objective and well written. Of course, if you read the title another way, it's quite a flattering headline--just depends on the person. I like articles that talk of the historical meaning of Michelle's clothes and not just the designer's names. It gives more insight into Mrs. O's personality and thinking.
@Martha Nakajima
Thanks for the info on the Salon.com. Enjoyed reading such a thoughtful article.
@Janelle
Agreed. I was so geared to read another negative article on MO's clothing choices that I didn't even notice the "?" at the end of the title (What's wrong with Michelle Obama's style ?") Then once into the article and realizing the true nature of the article, I looked again at the heading and only then paid attention to the question mark. Had to smile at myself for my own MO defending "blinders"
@Martha Nakajima,
Thanks so much for that great article. Really, really smart. Amazing to read an article on Michelle's style I could agree with every word of! The author, Kara Jesella, gets ALL the nuances -- political, personal, feminist, fashion -- and states a case for femininity and power that those of us who are radical black feminists can fully support.
I knew the argument was in good hands when Jesella stated early in the piece: "Michelle's predilection for printed dresses, independent American designers, and oversize costume jewelry does say something about her appearance. And the first thing it says is: She's really, really into it. I mean, any woman who shows up at the United Nations wearing a Tracy Feith dress -- with its ever-so-slightly off-kilter cut and bold floral pattern -- isn't afraid to be noticed."
Here is the link, which might make the article easier to find: salon(dot)com/mwt/feature/2009/05/19/michelle_fashion/index(dot)html
I enjoyed that article as well, and the link in it to the site "The First Guns" is enjoyable as well. There hasn't been a new post on that site since April, but the posts that are there are funny and incisive.
Christina, Thank you for pointing to the First Guns site. I hadn't checked it out earlier. It is top-notch, a real hoot. Though the "guns" having been updating, the posts they've already made serve, I agree, as a "funny and incisive" cultural summary of the media response to Michelle so far.
The link to First Guns is: firstguns(dot)tumblr(dot)com/
"haven't been updating"
Happy Memorial day
http://obamamichelle.blogspot.com/
Hi, discriminative posts there :-) express's concerning the intriguing advice
I think it is so great she wears clothing everyone and anyone could buy. I think thats one of the many things that makes so many people like her. They feel like she's the type of woman who you could be friends with. I have to say I'm loving that cardigan and those flats.
OMG! If it's the one I think it is I think I have that cardigan. It's from the Liz group called Petal. It's a silk cotton blend, from one of the first collections for LizClaiborne by Isaac Mizrahi.
The First Lady is a good example to all. While designers have their place and time, it is good to know that you can be a fashionista at a moderate price.
@rachael
I feel you on that nostalgic note girlfriend.
Actually ,seeing them together like this makes me want to break out in song...
SUNNY DAY, SWEEPING THE CLOUDS AWAY
ON MY WAY TO WHERE THE AIR IS SWEET...
I get the feeling that Mrs. O has a jump rope in her oh so cute tote,the hula hoop is in the family van and the bikes are pumped and ready to go!!! I hope they have loads of fun.
Cheers!
...hum hum hum (sesame street melody)
Love that tote bag! Is it white or silver? I know she has used it alot lately and in some of the pictures it looks silver. Any idea on who makes this bag?
Just looked at the pictures from the parent teacher conference afternoon and there's a close up of this same tote. It's mainly white with the bottom portion done in silver leather. Who makes it? I'd love to know!
They look so happy and relaxed for the long weekend, and so gorgeous too!
The beautiful cardigan is Liz Claiborne, one of Isaac's amazing designs. I love it.
Ahhhh... love them!
I hope that President and Mrs. O had a re-creating weekend. Im glad he has Michelle and thel girls to help him forget about all the world's problems and to enjoy life, at least for just a short time, before he has to get back to it all.
We finally saw the first four segments of the night of Poetry, Music and the Spoken word over the weekend. They were great. I could listen to Esperanza Spalding forever. Umm Umm, she is fine. James Earl Jones is a treasure. He moved me, even though I didn't understand every thought or emotion Shakespeare was expressing. I still think that Michelle looked more beautiful that night than she has at any time.
We also watch "Love Jones" this weekend -- a beautiful movie. The intimate and soulful female voice at the opening grabbed me and didn't let go. What a song. I discovered her name in the closing credits: Dionne Farris, and "Hopeless" a fabulous slow, smooth, soulful song. The whole soundtrack was terrific, some of the best jazz I've heard in a while. It smoothed out the wrinkles in my soul. I appreciated this peak into a rich culture, with it's own language and meanings that I didn't always understand. It was great to see African Americans portrayed in ways we don't often see in movies or on the TeeVee.
I hope you all start the new week renewed from a relaxing weekend.
I am not enchanted with the "blah," grayish color of the dress. I noticed it also came in black, and I think that would have been a much more flattering color, especially with the rest of her ensemble. The rest of the outfit is spot-on.
I'm also interested in this bag. I just saw another one in a slide show photo on Huffington Post. They were returning from Camp David in March, and she was carrying a shoulder bag. It was black, shiny leather, and the shoulder strap was a large-link chain. Anyone have any more info on the bags?
Check out a collection of MO's look book.
http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/04/michelle_obama_slideshow.html#photo=1
there is a bit of "gray" in that cardigan
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/26/michelle-obamas-memorial_n_207502.html
Willo (is this our Willow or someone else?)...
I am glad you got to see Love Jones!! It is one of my favorite movies of all times. You are 100% correct about the soundtrack. Is is wonderful. I have a copy that I need to see if I can find because now I have hopeless running through my head.
Mmm, pretty fresh and casual. I like it. Hope they had a great time!
That cardi is totally from Liz Claiborne New York. I'd recognize it anywhere. Isaac Mizrahi has done wonders for that line. It's clear to see that Mrs O is one of his muses.
A fresh weekend look! Mrs. O looks great!
Kisses from Paris!
xoxo
www.chicsetera.com
Hi Brook - Yes, It's me, Willow, who say "Love Jones" over the weekend. I noticed I made a few typos in that post.
To the commenter about the "nostalgic" look of the photo -- I think it's what they are wearing. They could be this cool couple from the 50s or 60s photographed in a moment in time. And the dead on look into the camera makes it seems as if they are looking out into the world and not so much at the photographer. Love it, too!
well the gray dress is sold out online, just the black left. I got it in my local gap store for 31.99 it was the last size 4. the only other one left was a size 14.
They look very casual chic. I have that dress from the Gap. I had to order it online last month. The color is demre. The dress is great. It can be dressed up or down. Her silver ballet flats are too cute. They look like a pair I saw in J. Crew last month.