Mrs. O Sparkles at Governors' Dinner

Photo credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Tonight the Os will welcome the National Governors Association to the White House, hosting their first black tie dinner at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. As we mentioned earlier this week, Earth, Wind & Fire is slated to play, which will surely make for a fun evening. From the White House press release:

"The White House is the place where our bond as Americans is strengthened," said Desiree Rogers, White House Social Secretary.  "We look forward to welcoming the nation’s governors to celebrate our democratic ideals, our diversity, our shared values and the best of the American spirit." 

We're curious to see how Mrs. O will interpret black tie attire at the White House - a cocktail dress or a formal evening gown? (Of note, the reference to "black tie" came from Lynn Sweet's very reliable column for the Chicago Sun Times.)

Update: This afternoon Mrs. O spoke with a group of culinary students from L'Academie de Cuisine in the White House kitchen before the Governors' Dinner. The Huffington Post has a slideshow here. The dress is a cocktail length cobalt blue gem from Jason Wu's Spring 2009 collection (runway image here). As many have already observed in the comments, the dress is quite similar to the white Jason Wu dress that Mrs. O wore for an interview with Barbara Walters in November. We imagine the materials and construction - raw silk with hand embroidered rosettes - are the same. Lynn Sweet at the Chicago Sun Times also has the scoop on the menu, china and flowers for tonight's event, which can be read here.

Update: Mrs. O has changed dresses! The First Lady is wearing a sequin, strapless gown by Peter Soronen paired with a dramatic multi-strand necklace of pearls and crystals by Tom Binns. The dress is the "twilight gown" from Peter Soronen's Fall Winter 2008 collection. As is Soronen's signature, the top part of dress is a corset, with a long bias skirt, all in sequins. The color, we're told, is actually a deep purple / ink blue. With her hair pulled up, our First Lady Mrs. O is the epitome of style and glamour this evening. The Huffington Post's "The Other Red Carpet" slideshow is a must see.

Charming, Chic, Classic Mrs. O

Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

First Lady Mrs. O spoke at the Department of Transportation this afternoon, and we have an early report thanks to meta:

"The First Lady just appeared before the Department of Transportation and she looked really beautiful. Her remarks were very warm and gracious. She’s wearing what looks like a large pattern houndstooth short bolero jacket with a large gorgeous pin over a black turtleneck dress - crisp and chic. Her hair is swept up in a low twist. She looks terrific."

By the description, it sounds like Mrs. O's bolero might be this jacket from Peter Soronen. Update: Wow o wow, we are loving everything about this look - the Peter Soronen jacket, the soft updo, the pearl metallic bead cluster brooch (also worn the Kennedy Center). The more we study this ensemble, the more we adore it. Mrs. O's jacket and pin bring an unexpected mix of pattern, texture and proportion, while her black turtleneck and trousers serve as the perfect, pared down backdrop. Mrs. O's updo gives the overall look an easy, feminine sophistication. As a side note, we believe the last time we saw Mrs. O with her hair swept up was on the second night of the DNC in August, when she was also wearing Peter Soronen - one of our all-time favorite Mrs. O looks. The White House has released First Lady Mrs. O's remarks from her visit today, a few of which are included below:

"As you have heard, I have taken on what I think is the fun task of coming to every department in Washington -- because I want to meet my new neighbors -- learn more about the community, get to know our co-workers, every one who's going to be standing side by side with us over this wonderful journey that we're on."

"But it's important as a reminder to let people know that the nation's business is carried out by all of you, dedicated public servants like the folks standing behind me, all of you here, who have devoted their careers, who have been doing this work for decades.  So my job is simple:  I'm here to say thank you.  Thank you."

A Marriage of Art and Fashion

Designer Isabel Toledo and her husband Ruben spoke at Kent State University in Kent, OH last night as part of a visiting artists series. The Kent State University Museum was host to an exhibition of the design duo's work in 2000, "Isabel and Ruben Toledo: A Marriage of Art and Fashion", and continues to offer a comprehensive online collection of the designers' work, viewable here. For a short video segment on Isabel and Ruben Toledo's visit, including comments on the lemongrass dress and coat designed for First Lady Mrs. O, see below

The Pinstripe Pantsuit is Back

Photo via U.S. Department of Agriculture

First Lady Mrs. O visited the Department of Agriculture this afternoon, wearing a black pinstripe pant suit (we love the inspiration being noted in the comments section - from zoot suits to YSL). Mrs. O gave the look her usual personalized twist by adding a pair of black and white floral pins to the lapel of her jacket. And in the spirit of recession friendly style, it seems Mrs. O reached deep into her closet for this look. The same suit was a staple on the campaign trail throughout 2007 and 2008. In fact, Mrs. O wore the suit (even paired with one of the same pins), almost a year ago to the day. The photograph below was taken at a Women for Obama luncheon in Providence, RI, held on February 20, 2008. Note the fantastic high-waist on the pants. Photo by Frank Mullin via Flickr user Barack Obama / Creative Commons

Mrs. O's remarks to the department today can be heard in a video from Politco, just after the jump.

A Cappella at the White House

Photo Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

As The Washington Post's The Reliable Source blog first revealed, First Lady Mrs. O hosted a group of local Washington, D.C. 6th and 7th grade students at the White House today. Nearly 180 students in total were gathered to meet the First Lady and hear Sweet Honey in the Rock, a Grammy-winning a cappella ensemble of African-American women that specializes in songs about history, civil liberties and freedom. As has been pledged by Mrs. O and the White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, the concert is part of an effort to make the White House more open and welcoming to the public. First Lady Mrs. O echoed these sentiments in her words for the young students: 

"As the people's house, we believe the White House should be a place for learning and for sharing new and different ideas, sharing new forms of art and culture, and history and different perspectives.  We want you to visit and we want you to take advantage of these opportunities and maybe see something for yourselves that maybe you never thought you could do or be. So I'm happy to welcome you here for our little Black History Month celebration.  I'm glad you guys are here."

On a style note, Mrs. O was smartly dressed in a classic white shirt and sage green v-neck sweater, paired with the same pinkish tweed (with hints of green, thanks Yola) J.Crew skirt seen in the March Vogue feature. A patent leather royal blue belt (worn throughout the campaign) and red kitten heels added polished touches to the look. For a short video of Mrs. O's remarks: