We couldn’t let history in the making pass us by without writing our modest contribution!
Yesterday was truly an amazing day for the USA. President-elect Mr Barack Obama was sworn in. More than the panoplie of Obama derivative products, the First Lady’s outfits for the Inauguration Ceremony and the Inauguration Balls coming after really created a media storm.(more after the jump)
Even if speculations circulated for quite some time and many designers have courted the First Lady with sketches and ideas, she went for an almost unknown designer: Isabel Toledo. Her Spring 2009 design was on everyone’s lips yesterday and the search engines buzzed Isabel Toledo’s name on the four corners of the fashion world (and beyond).
What’s obvious is that Michelle Obama’s yellow suit by Isabel Toledo was a blessed choice in a sea of dull blacks!
The Inauguration Ball dress was truly a masterpiece! Completely unexpected as well, the First Lady’s choice was a young designer: Jason Wu. Original from Taipei, Jason grew up in fashion chez Narciso Rodriguez and last night was his Magna Cum Laudae graduation: an asymmetrical one shouldered floor length dress decorated with crystals and small organza flowers.
The First Dance was so emotional that you could even see Beyonce (singing Etta James At Last, you have the first dance clip at the end of this article) with tears in her eyes, almost crying by the end of the song.
The first official day as President of the United States started with the multi-denominational service at the Washington National Cathedral. There again, the First Lady’s outfit was an amazement for everyone: Tracy Feith. Who heard that name before raise your left arm! I had no idea who he was!
Apparently he has a thing for hippie chic, mixing very bold prints with a retro design. (and he’s even in the works for a Target line). Once again, Michelle Obama’s outfits call for change! Would you have preferred her to have a more classic/predictable wardrobe?(via wwd, washingtonpost, dailymail)
6 comments
I loved all of her clothing choices, they were all unique,lovely and stylish! I am so glad that she gave an audience to unknown designers also she was very diverse in her choice of designers as they are from all different ethnic backgrounds and that represents America today and the world. It was a nice change to see someone who is contemporary and knows what looks good on her and wears it with confidence. I think that First Lady Michelle Obama is going to be fun to watch and her clothing choices will affect the way American women dress, and the outfits that Sasha and Malia wore were lovely,they looked so cute and pretty! I also like what Dr. Jill Biden wore for the inauguration her red coat and black boots were fun and modern!
I think that Washington/White House fashion will now be earmarked as something to watch !
At first, when Michelle Obama appeared, I thought “Whaaat?” and then “My gloves!”but through the festivities I began to like that outfit. And admired her for walking on her heels and bare legged or in thin tights in in the freezing cold. While all men and other women where dressed so warm. Her ball gown is beautiful too. And Malia and Sasha looked so lovely. What a cute girls. And what a breath of fresh air this family is.
As Ellington I also liked Jill Biden’s outfit. As well during the day as the night. But I’ve to say that my fave outfit was Michelle’s camel/black suit at the music event last Sunday.
In the first place this was a historical day for the USA but people all over the world were watching this as you there did. I’ve watched it from the start. Seeing everybody coming in until the first dance of this lovely couple started and then it was alas over for me but it was in the middle of the night here and I had to get up early the next day. Besides that this was historical it was quite a thing to view for a foreigner! I did expect of course that many people and that was so moving and impressive to watch. “The Beast” good grief! All that security. I understand that of course but still….A star-studded event? Well, we live in different cultures….Though I loved Beyonce’s performance.
My eyes did hurt because of watching tv for so many hours lol!
Oh, I’ve to say that I did love to see Bush leaving on that plane and to read later on the underlines: “Bush has arrived in Texas”.
I wonder how many boys that day have been born and have been named Barack in the USA. Because there’s a little Dutch baby-boy born that day named Barack in honor of your new president!
The white dress was lovely, but Isabel Toledo’s green outfit was.. awful!
Of course it was the moment that mattered more than the outfit, what I just find a bit silly is how fashion editors and journalists have been rushing to praise the green outfit like mad (even though they would be insulting it if anyone else was wearing it in other circumstances – i mean the fit, the colour, those shoes!!) just as a way of showing their approval of Michelle Obama. Her personal style is only a small part of her, and these fashion journalists need to realise that you can appreciate her as an exciting First Lady and a good person even if her personal style has dodgy moments. It seems so fake how they’re praising her like mad for something which doesn’t seem to be her strongest point, while totally ignoring the ‘real’ person beneath the outfits.
Sasha and Malia were so well dressed though!
Dear Hapscial London Blog,
It has been stated before that you do not like the colour green at all, so maybe that is the bases of your opinion of Michelle’s inauguration outfit. Michelle’ outfit was considered yellow, but I found that on tvs that I watched on it appeared greenish yellow. So you think that everyone is just being nice to her because she is now the First Lady? I don’t think so, a lot of those who praised her outfit that day dissed the outfit she wore the night when Barack Obama won the election( the red and black dress). So everyone one else is blind but you are the only one who can see? I don’t think so. I love the colour green but that is not the reason why I liked what she wore that historical day. It was a beautiful outfit and it suited her personality. And yes we all are more than the sum parts of our fashion choices as is Michelle Obama but she IS going to be looked at because she is First Lady.
In a way you’ve agreed with me that it was (rightly) all about the moment, not the outfit. She could have worn nearly anything and it wouldn’t have mattered because of the beauty of the moment. I think external factors definitely come into play when we consider an outfit.
Sure you think the outfit has intrinsic value, while I don’t, but that’s just a matter of opinion – fashion would be very dull if everyone liked the same things all the time. Also, don’t take what I said badly – I think society’s so obsessed with appearances people take it as a great insult if you say you don’t like someone’s outfit, but I don’t believe that.. as I said before a particular outfit is only a small part of a person. I was recognising the beauty of the monent, but saying personally the outfit did nothing for me (and also having a mini rant about superficial British press coverage).
It was never a matter of agreeing with you or taking it personally at all if you liked the outfit. That it was an amazing moment in history (the first African American President of the US and the first African American First Lady) was and is a given. What I did not care for were your comments that everyone was just sucking up to Michelle, not that you did not like the outfit. Hate the outfit if you deem it necessary that is your opinion and right, but to say that everyone was just being nice to her that day and she could have worn anything and they would have been drowning her with praise in some sycophantic way even if she wore a bin bag and a rope belt* is a bit much. That is what I take umbrage with not you liking or disliking her outfit. Also I think that her personal fashion style is a strong point with her, the fact that she knows what she looks good in and she does dress well and tastefully, her style is a foil to her other attributes. She is a young, highly educated, loving mother, wife and the First Lady and what she wears will be looked at. She will most likely not wow everyone all the time but then again who does.
* my hyperbole
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