Sunday
Nov132011
Aloha Chic
Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 9:03 PM 
Photos by Susan Walsh / AP Images
The First Lady debuted a yellow floral dress for the APEC Spousal Luncheon at Kualoa Ranch in Ka'a'awa, Hawaii today. In the middle photo, the Mrs. O poses with the First Lady of Vietnam.
Update: Thanks to reader Claire, who has discovered that Mrs. O's dress is Jean Paul Gaultier Femme.
tagged Jean Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier
Reader Comments (45)
Both ladies are breathtaking.
Absolutely gorgeous. Love this dress. One of my top 5 favorites dresses she has worn!
Ditto, she looks absolutely stunning and the dress is perfect!
FLOTUS certainly does love her big loud prints....only someone who is as tall could carry this off! Not my favorite look for anyone.
IVA, this dress is beautiful! A nod to Hawaii, while remaining modern and chic. The colors are stunning against her skin. I LOVE IT!!
Simply elegant and elegantly simple....wonderful choice for the occasion.
How beautiful is our First Lady? Just breathtaking! And what a gorgeous, unique dress. Wow!
Oh man. I LOVE this dress. Look how great it makes her skin look! I want to just separate her from the first lady of Vietnam so I can get a look at the front hemline.
http://theobamadiary.com/2011/11/13/hawaii-hosts/
this has a better look @ the dress
She look stunning. More photos on Obama Diary
Lovely, indeed.
What I am wondering is if that is President Obama's sister sitting at the end of the table next to the first lady of Indonesia?
Also the first lady of China came. The first time I have ever seen her. Can't find her here, but in the first picture of the Grey and Pink series, she is the very short lady in the shiny bright blue outfit next to her husband.
A splash of colour on a Monday morning when the sun hasn't even come up here yet is very welcome, so dual thanks to Mrs. O and Mrs. T!
What a beautiful dress! It really suits Mrs O and I agree with IVA that this is one of my favourites. It is just such a pity that her toes are hanging over the edge of her sandals.
see more pictures of this dress at www.theobamadiary.com.
I came here this morning to ask about this dress, and here it is.She is beautiful.
Have not posted in a very long time, though I visit the website daily. This dress is absolutely gorgeous. the Obama Diary - http://theobamadiary.com/ - has bigger pictures, so you can really see the detail of the dress.
A very colourful nod to the island of Hawaii. The dress is gorgeous and so is the wearer.
@Sharon Nelson, I think you are right , that does look like Maya Soetoro-Ng. This is a beautiful dress on a beautiful woman. FLOTUS knocks it out of the park everytime with her accessories.
Gorgeous
Lovely dress, the print is very nice. The picture of Mrs. O (by herself) on the OBAMADIARY is awesome. She should frame it. The dress looks great on her and with the lovely scenery on the background, something she should definitely frame.
I love, love love it!. The dress pays homage to the Hawaiian culture so beautifully.
Yes, I'm pretty sure that IS the president's sister at the far left of the photo. I noticed her, as well. Yay, Maya!
I am almost 100% sure thats his sister. Great. Glad they brought her along. I am not a fan of print but it is very fitting for the occasion and she can pull it off because of her height and the colors.
She looks great. She (they) really are doing a great job representing the USA
Here is a video with a dress or blouse(?) that we have not seen. But more importantly, is the speech that Mrs. O is giving. She is so invested in the futures of women. She is very passionate about her husband's ability to make America better for all women. It gave me goosebumps, had me tearing up, and shouting I'M IN, all at the same time. This is why I admire this lady. She shows that you can be both brilliant and humble. Mrs. O and her husband are a gift to this world. Americans need to start appreciating them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaXtEwTszac&feature=player_embedded#!
WOW, she is absolutely stunning in this dress - how very lovely!
That is a stunning dress!
Not only is the dress absolutely stunning on Mrs. Obama but the cutter's work on this border print makes the dress a real work of art. Centering one of the big flowers at her waist and then managing to drape the dress in such a way that one of the borders trims the neck line (or cutting and piecing it in that way) is just awsome. I can't even find enough words to express my enthusiasm.
All the APEC coverage has me glowing with pride on many levels. I was born in Hawaii, so I'm proud that Hawaii did such a beautiful job of hosting. The weather was stunning, The Obamas looked wonderful and so relaxed. I thought the lunch that Mrs. O hosted was pitch perfect with the gorgeous, Hawaiian themed gifts of sterling silver orchid brooches and the silver and Koa wood cufflinks, the organic, island grown food that was prepared, all against the most breathtaking views imaginable. And I haven't yet mentioned her clothes! So perfect, so elegant while evoking the islands. She is so statuesque and elegant and has such an easy smile and grace. I've just been basking in the glow for days!
Wow Wow Wow! She's wearing this dress.
Pretty dress and lovely colors on her. This looks like a dress specially for Hawaii. Can't really see her wearing this mainland. Any word on the designer?
Alisa--thank you for sharing what the gifts were. I was wondering about the little boxes.
lovely dress, she's beautiful with
No one has claimed this dress yet?! It is supa-dupa-gorgeous. The cut. The color. The fabric. Simply beautiful.
She disappeared in August to our dismay. But now I know why. She was gearing up to work on our behalf. She is a great woman and First Lady. Four more years!!!
You really have to know yourself and be comfortable in your skin to pull this off. Not everyone can wear this dress and not have the dress wear you......our Michell wears this dress. The prints are fascinating and the work well with this asymmetric hemline. The colors and prints are bold, lively and playful. Somehow it looks like Duro Olowu to me. We'll see, I hope!
The hint about who made this dress is in the trim where the lacing is placed. We have seen that sort of trim on another dress--but where?
Perfect for Hawai'i. Only someone as statuesque as Mrs. Obama could wear something this dress. She looks lovely.
Not sure if my first post went through, so forgive me if I'm repeating myself: can I venture a guess of Barbara Tfank? This is different from the others of her dresses we've seen Mrs. O wear, but the bold floral, shimmery fabric and feminine shape make me think of her.
In any case, what everyone else said!
Lovely. What a tribute to Hawaii.
Peace.
Who is the beautiful and well attired woman with the pearls behind Mrs. O?. She is so striking and attractive. Love the dress, pearls and smile.
I love the barefoot look.
Love the style, fit and color of this dress much more so than the Vera Wang frock.
Very pretty.
Yes Carolyn, the delicate, doll-like woman with the soft dress, pearls and the beautiful smile looks likes a First Lady
Here she is, Carolyn:
http://news.daylife.com/photo/07Ez7m80hm5Lt?__site=daylife&q=michelle+obama
"First lady Michelle Obama greets Fang-Yui Lien, spouse of the Representative of Chinese Taipei"
She is indeed doll-like, lovely, very simply elegant.
What a beautiful dress! Mrs. O can pull off this look where many women could not. The fabric appears to have a sheen to it - stunning!
Hi there - finally cracked the designer of this wonderful dress the First Lady wore in Hawai! It is Jean Paul Gaultier, as seen here at this link: http://www.yoox.com/item/YOOX/JEAN+PAUL+GAULTIER+FEMME/dept/women/tskay/75C64FF0/rr/1/cod10/34209658SK/sts/sr_women80
Cheers, Claire
Loving that dress! The top picture shows why I follow this blog - Im from Australia and thats our 'First Bloke' / First Husband - at the back of the line. :sigh: dark suits dont really stack up to those gorgeously dressed ladies!