Take Your Child to Work Day

Mrs. O met with children at the White House this morning, taking a series of their questions as part of "Take Your Child to Work Day". With little hands enthusiastically raised high, questions touched on a range of topics -- from Bo to the White House Kitchen Garden to the Secret Service.

Mrs. O is wearing a Junya Watanabe asymmetrical argyle cardigan in fuchsia, similar to the cardigan she wore in London. The cardigan is paired with the white Moschino bow blouse, last seen in Prague, and belted at the waist with the silver studded Sacai belt worn on the cover of Essence. The layered tops are paired with black pants. Today's ensemble is a great example of Mrs. O's knack for re-mixing and wearing what she loves.

Update: As Politico reports, it seems Mrs. O also squeezed in a visit to the Office of Personnel Management, yet another stop on her tour of federal agencies. "She shook hands with employees, worked the crowd and also welcomed John Berry, the new agency director, who she said recognized the importance of diversity."

"If you're going to do a bow..."

Image used with kind permission from Flickr user Bulldogmi

Dave of Bulldogmi.com has been kind enough to let us highlight a story he posted on his own site this weekend. Not only did Dave and his wife Kathleen score a prime position to hear the President speak in Prague on Sunday, they managed to shake President Mr. O's hand and have conversations with both Rahm Emanuel and the First Lady. If that wasn't enough, they even inquired with Mrs. O about her Moschino bow blouse - and yes, we love them for it. Here is the resulting bit of banter:

Kathleen: “I loved the Vogue cover”

First Lady Mrs. O: “Thank you so much”

Kathleen (and woman over my shoulder): “Love the bow too”

First Lady Mrs. O: “It’s a big bow”

Bulldogmi: “That’s funny. All the women down here said the same thing.”

First Lady Mrs. O: “If you’re going to do a bow, I think it should be a BIG bow.”

Bulldogmi: “I agree…I always do the same when I wear a bow”

First Lady Mrs. O: [Laughter]

To read the full post and see more pictures, click here.

The Week in Review

Photo by Stefan Rousseau / Getty Images

We honestly don't know how our President and First Lady survived this whirlwind of a week. Six days, four countries, and for Mrs. O , ten (10!) thoughtfully, often symbolically, selected ensembles. Let's recap:

Tuesday (Washington D.C., London) #1 Ivory tulle tweed coat with grosgrain trim by Thakoon worn over a black Michael Kors dress and paired with an oversize rose jewel brooch #2 Chartreuse Jason Wu cocktail dress, paired with a black Michael Kors duster and studded Alaia belt

Wednesday (London) #3 J.Crew Constellation sweater in ivory with beading and sequins paired with Dazzling dots mint green pencil skirt #4 Ivory and black silk crepe dress by Isabel Toledo, paired with a black Azzedine Alaia cardigan, and black satin opera coat by Jason Wu

Thursday (London) #5 Junya Watanabe argyle, asymmetric cardigan, paired with a full-skirted teal dress by Jason Wu and Jimmy Choo "Glacier" pumps

Friday (Strasbourg, Baden Baden) #6 Floral silk jacquard dress with black mesh trim and coordinating, reverse print coat, both by Thakoon #7 Black knit and ruched dress worn with black bolero jacket, both by Azzedine Alaia

Saturday (Strasbourg, Prague) #8 Cropped, double-breasted black jacket with leather detailing at the seams by Azzedine Alaia, paired with black trousers; floral Etro top and white blouse worn underneath #9 Fitted Narciso Rodriguez black knit dress paired with Azzedine Alaia black bolero jacket and black kitten heels

Sunday (Prague) #10 Oversize white bow blouse by Moschino, worn with a black pencil skirt by Michael Kors, black cardigan and studded belt, both by Azzedine Alaia

The genuine multiplicity that exists in Mrs. O's wardrobe was on full display this week. We saw her style oscillate between demure and daring, restrained and whimsical, vintage-inspired and avant garde.  Though already described as a style icon, which she undoubtedly is, we imagine Mrs. O's fashion sense will be known for many things, rather than one iconic image that perfectly encapsulates her style. 

She is a multi-dimensional woman, with a multi-dimensional wardrobe to suit. There was much speculation with regard to what the week would bring style wise. Would Mrs. O embrace a French designer as Jackie Kennedy had in 1961 when she famously wore Givenchy? Mrs. O would, wearing a dress and coat by Azzedine Alaia while in Strasbourg, France (as well as a cardigan and belt by the designer throughout the week).

Would she continue to champion her favorite American designers? Indeed, as ensembles from Jason Wu, Thakoon and Isabel Toledo were all sartorial stand-outs. Would there be any "high-low" mixing? While not exactly "low", more reasonable options from J.Crew again entered the mix, and more than held their own with chic sparkle. Might Mrs. O play it safe? We need not say more than Junya Wantanabe (though we are still practicing the pronunciation). The image at the top of this post, in which Mrs. O wears a black satin opera coat by Jason Wu as she walks into Buckingham Palance, represents our favorite look of the week - radiating a romantic, effortless chic from start to finish. We would love to hear your favorites please.

A Statement Bow

Photo by Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images

First Lady Mrs. O visited St. Vitus Cathedral at Hradcany Square in Prague today, wearing an oversize bow blouse by Moschino, a Michael Kors black pencil skirt and her signature Azzedine Alaia belt. The bow blouse, certainly the focal point of the ensemble, is from Moschino's Spring 2009 collection, seen here.

We've seen several sides to the First Lady's wardrobe this week - at times showing grown-up restraint, and at others, modern femininity. We love, then, that one of her final sartorial notes projects a delightfully fun and playful spirit. For the full graphic effect of the bow blouse with black overcoat, click here.

While We Wait for Mrs. O's Return

Image via Flickr user Lawyer Mom [Steph] / Creative Commons ...we thought we'd go back in time once more. Above is a photograph taken in August 2008, as Mrs. O hosted a roundtable event with military families in Norfolk, VA. The photo caught our eye, lovely in its own right, but also because of the trio of beaded brooches Mrs. O wears at the collar of her crochet knit cardigan. We've recently learned and wanted to share the origin of said brooches: once again, Moschino! Onto a few "must-reads": Jason Wu was in London this week for a dinner hosted by Net-a-Porter's Natalie Massenet.  Bot Grazia and Vogue U.K. were on the case and have subsequently run short interviews worth a read. In Grazia, Jason Wu speaks of his design ethos:

"I've never been trendy and I don't design trendy things. I design for real women, older women with feminine bodies. And I want my pieces to be relevant in 30 years' time."

And in Vogue U.K., he weighs in on the now infamous Sleeve-gate:

"I was amazed by that - was it really an issue? I mean, we're not living in the past - and it wasn't as if there was a high split in her skirt or she was showing cleavage."

Finally, we'll leave you with a short video of highlights from Charlie Rose's recent interview with Valentino, Giancarlo Giammetti and Matt Tyrnauer, Director of the newly released film "Valentino: The Last Emperor". The full interview, well worth viewing, can be seen here.