Remembering D-Day (Updated)
Saturday, June 6, 2009 at 10:24 AM 
Photo by Yves Forestier/Getty Images
President Mr. O and First Lady Mrs. O are in Colleville-sur-mer, France this morning to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day, honoring the Allied soldiers who gave their lives during WWII.
Mrs. O and Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy were once again stylistically in tune, both dressed in white dresses, belted at the waist. Mrs. O wears a white sheath dress, topped with a white coat of minimalist lines. Her ensemble is cinched closed with a wide, silver belt. Jimmy Choo Lantern heels complete the look.
Per the Daily Telegraph (Thank you Mara!):
The French president’s wife chose Dior again, but dropped the grey in favour of a youthfully chic and flattering cap-sleeved ivory satin sheath with a gathered neckline – just the sort of arm-revealing dress Michelle Obama has made her signature.
However, the American First Lady chose to relinquish what her husband jokingly called her “right to bare arms” for the day, choosing to put a coat by Narciso Rodriguez Michael Kors over a dress by Michael Kors Narciso Rodriguez (both New York designers), though the belt she wore was by Givenchy.
Update: In fact, the Daily Telegraph had their details backwards. Mrs. O wore a dress by Narciso Rodriguez in optic white nylon crepe, paired with a Michael Kors coat in white double face stretch wool.
And there we have it - American with just a dash of French, the latter perhaps a nod to her host nation. Mrs. O's sartorial savvy continues to delight!
Givenchy, Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, Narciso Rodriguez in Outfits
Reader Comments (182)
I love Mrs. O look today. I love the white & silver combo. I personally love the belt. Also, I love the fact that she had a change of shoes, glad to know that I am not the only one who carries a spare pair of flats in my bag when I am wearing heels!! I'm just having a love fest for MO!!
Ooh! I just read the cutest story @HuffPost's Style section about how MrsO's spokeswoman got a engaged in Paris. it was a surprise and most of the staff was in on it.
Get this the Fiance works for the WHpress office and Prez Obama was qouted saying he pulled a "SMOOTH MOVE".
Adorable, all the best for them. Now if only someone in my life would see the light soon ;-)
They are both beautiful. Mrs. O is really coming into her own. I love it!
I wear white dresses quite often, but until I saw Mrs. O pairing her white dress and duster with a silver belt and shoes today, I wouldn't have considered wearing white with silver (accessories). What a great (and beautiful) idea!
Both Mrs. O and Ms. B look lovely!
I like the outfit but not the belt. far away the belt looks good but up close the belt is too big for this outfit. but I like the metallic/white combination.
Also I wished she hadn't belted the coat on the outside. Just belted the dress.
It definetly seems Carla and Michelle are coordinating their outfits which is smart.
No one outshines the other if the stay in the same color palette or their outfits have the same feel.
Sailorsgirl, she's Mrs. B-S (she goes by Bruni-Sarkozy.) Which is unintentionally hilarious.
Take a look at Mrs. B-S's neckline. I almost swooned when I saw a closeup. That's amazingly difficult to sew; it's probably pieced by hand.
Brenda:
Thank you!
Mrs. B-S it is, then! ;-)
Even though I think the belt is ok with this outfit, I'm still of the mind that the belts truly need to go. I think she relies on belts to show off her waist and to keep her from looking boxy. Which is good. But the way to go about that is not to put a belt over every duster, jacket, coat, and of course, cardigan you wear. 99% of the time, that just makes you look bulky and boxy and does everything but show off your waist. Basically, it appears that she's using belts to do what she needs to higher a tailor to do. In other words, she needs to get her clothes fitted. She obviously wants to show off her shape. But the way to do that is to get the clothes tailored.
Notice she didn't start doing the belt thing until she stopped wearing Maria Pinto. You never saw her in a belt when she was wearing Pinto. I think it's because those clothes were fitted. Now, she's wearing clothes off the rack and not being fitted by the designers, so the clothes aren't fitting her body properly. I think the last time she wore anything that looked truly tailored was the tomato red Maria Pinto dress she wore to visit the Bushes in the White House. If she wore a similar dress today that she bought from Ikram, it would not look great and it would not be fitted to her body and you can guarantee she'd put a belt on over it to get a fitted look, which then ends up looking not fitted at all.
For this outfit, to me it's either watching a duster that appears to be too big for her flying around or let her wear a belt that may or may not ride up. I think in this case, the belt is totally needed because that duster is too big around her waist. She needs a slim cut through the body. I'll put it like this. Basically since she left Maria, she's been wearing fat lady clothes and she's not fat. So what does she do to take all that extra fabric? Throw on a belt. As much as I do like this outfit, the cut is boxy and should be on a boxy woman, like Barbara Bush. It's not for someone with Michelle's shape.
Basically, as long as she doesn't get her clothes tailored, and you can tell they aren't tailored, she's gonna wear belts to find her shape that the ill fitted clothing robs her of.
Tess, I totally agree with you. The belts were bothering me too and you hit the nail on the head regarding fit. In fairness she may not be able to afford all designer clothes but she can afford to get a tailor to get off the rack to look better. Many woman (my age) have to do so. FYI the scary thing about the belts is they are a really bad idea for many short woman as they cut you off. making you look shorter I hope we don't start seeing imitation. I am short and never wear belts like she does. She can get away with it as she is tall. Shelly
Well-put Bianca. I really wish people would stop projecting their very limited and god awful fashion sense on Mrs O.
Eleroy....I agree with your statement. Some of the Outfits that Mrs.Obama wear I would never buy and then there are some I would like the one she wore today. But I don't like it either when people project there desires for certain outfits on others.
I find it very hard to believe that these looks were not coordinated. I'm sure they were. Forgive me if someone has already made this point. I love the simple lines and both ladies look elegant. I like the silver belt because it adds punch. The shoes are also lovely. Right on!!
I just looked at some pics on Huffington Post. I completely agree the duster/coat should be more fitted and the belt should perhaps be slimmer, therefore sitting lower on Mrs. O's waist. Or if she wears a thick belt such as this it should not be worn over a duster/cardigan/coat. I do love the color of the belt, though. Pewter, maybe?
Did anyone hear that one of the White House staffers flew to Paris and proposed to one of Michelle Obama's staffpersons last night? How romanic is that?
"White House assistant press secretary Tommy Vietor took an overnight flight to France last night to surprise his girlfriend, Katie McCormick-Lelyveld -- press secretary for First Lady Michelle Obama -- with an appearance and a marriage proposal. Ms. McCormick-Lelyveld said yes."
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/06/for-obama-aides-paris-is-for-lovers.html
A cute story you may enjoy. The First Lady's spokeswoman, Katie McCormick Lelyveld received her proposal of marriage from her boyfriend, Tommy Vietor, an assistant White House Press Secretary, this morning in Paris. Engaged in Paris! How romantic.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/06/katie-mccormick-lelyveld-_n_212227.html
Perhaps, just possibly, Mrs. O. loves belts and loves to wear them. While I do appreciate different opionions...will you anti-belt people please I beg of you GET OVER IT. That Givenchy belt is so sharp.
Regarding getting her clothes tailored, in an article put out a month or so ago in an interview, Ikram said that FLOTUS is fastidious about the tailoring of her outfits often sending them back several times to the designers for various nips and tucks.
Also tess did you forget the Maria Pinto "Sidona" purple dress, that Mrs. O. wore with an Azzedine Alaia belt, when POTUS accepted the Democratic nomination on June 3.
Shelley,
It's all about tailoring. Maria Pinto's clothes are actually some of the least expensive designer clothes she's worn, yet those are the clothes that she's always looked best in. Why? Cause they were tailored. It's all about the fit. You can have on a beautiful expensive outfit, but if it doesn't fit properly, it's not going to look great.
The main reason I'm actually cool with the belt on this outfit is because it does need some shape. You can see from how it's bunched up in the back that it's just way too much fabric for her up top. Her top is narrower than her hips and she needs that duster to fit close to her body up top and then flare out at her hips. But it's not cut that way, it's cut for a boxy shaped woman. Therefore, she needs to get a tailor to put some princess seams there to make the jacket curve inward just as her waist curves inward. For her body type, the most flattering jacket is one with a structured shoulder, high arm holes, fitted through the rib cage, and flared at the hip. A box shape just swallows a woman who has a waist and hips. If she didn't have on the belt, she'd be swimming in that duster.
I think it's obvious that she wears belts to "tailor" her look. The belts will go away when she gets a tailor. She wasn't wearing them before when she was working with a designer who had a mannequin form of her measurements in her shop. Hopefully, for the sake of belts all over the world, she'll go back to her old ways. LOL!
I think Tess is spot on. MO is an impressive woman on substantive grounds and also physically imposing. But her sense of "what works" is just not well developed. Often, clothes that could and should be beautiful are spoiled because (1) they are not fitted properly or (2) she puts together elements that don't work together. Really wish she would work closely with someone to develop a better sense of what works for her. A good start would be to quit throwing together elements from different designers (such as today's drss and duster) and calling it an outfit.
Eleroy, you are too funny!
It's amazing how you do sense the awful 'fashion sense'/'style' of the authoritative critics that pretend to know on this blog.
Their categorical pronouncements are so arrogant and boldfaced it would be revolting and distasteful if it weren't so amusing.
The biggest problem being that in a bid to dissect and correct Michelle's fashion taste and style, they end up exposing their very own terrible and non-existent sense of fashion and 'style' -
Too, too funny-
I love the belt. Givenchy it is. Givenchy was a favorite of Jackie O as well. She had her designer, Oleg Cassini, copy many styles from this design house.
Michelle wears what works for her. We've seen this look before. Sheath + duster + belt. And we will undoubtedly see it again. She keeps it fresh by mixing and mingling textures, patterns, colors, finishes, and designers.
Tess & JRG:
I completely agree with you. A thinner belt of the same color would have worked so much better for Mrs. O. I do not understand her insistence on unflattering wide belts.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1191344/First-Ladies-duty-Twitter.html
Link to the DailyMail website (UK paper) shows Mrs O, Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy and Mrs Brown.
I live in France and watched yesterday's events on French TV. No critique or even special mention of what any of the ladies wore on the government channel which is normal but some grousing that the Obama daughters did not attend. (They took a cruise on the Seine in a Vedette.) Sarkozy's 11 year old son by ex-wife Cecilia did attend. Also, Obama did not visibly visit any tombs which was also criticized.
I'm sympathetic with leaving the girls in Paris. They are young, especially Sasha, to be exposed to all that violence, suffering and death. There were five at the retaurant dinner including one daughter (probably Malia). POTUS had leg of lamb and ile-flottante, the others steaks and creme brulee. No photos or fashion commentary in the French media. Only Mme and the girls will have lunch with the Sarkozys today, very clever. No snub but careful avoidance of being used by Sarko on the day of the European elections. The opposition parties would have all cried foul if POTUS had had lunch with PORF (President de la Republique Francaise) today.
Nothing Mrs O wears ever works for you "Christen", never.
Begs the question then, when are you going to give up?
I still prefer Mrs Bruni. She always looks delightful.
Are there any further news on the Paris trip by Mrs Obama and the Obama girls? Looking forward to knowing what they did in such a fabulous place. Read that they visited Notre Dame (which was open just for them for an hour) and that they planned to do some shopping.
Thanks Nakajima for the extra gist. Glad the clothes worn were de-emphasized.
The Obama's can't win for losing. They would have been skewered if they'd taken the girls to the ceremonies at Normandy! As for the president not seen visiting the tombs, either way, some might still have accused him of posturing; exploiting dead soldiers for photo opportunities.
They really can't please everyone it seems - how very human!
According to Le Parisien (only Sunday paper in France), the guest list for Sasha's birthday lunch is all the Obama women, including Mrs. Robinson, the Sarkos, her mother(Marisa Bruni-Tedesechi), and the two young sons of the Sarkozys by previous partners, Louis Sarkozy and Aurelien Enthoven (son of French celebrity intellectual Raphael Enthoven). Both boys are about Malia's age. Should be a great party. I wouldn't be surprised to see Sarko's mother, Andree, turn up, as well.
Tess, Christen, & JRG. if you are new to this board, you will learn soon enough that if you are not an unabashed Mrs. O gusher, your opinions are less than welcome. In all fairness, Mrs. T's posts are always informative and a pleasure to read, but objectivity from the most posters is a myth that will not soon be dispelled. . . .
I also say: Bring Maria Pinto back! It was one of her looks that first put Mrs. O on the map (Purple sheath dress). Her Red White house visit dress was fierce too. Michael Kors and Pinto seem to be 2 designers that fit Mrs. O best. (And no, I am not saying she should ONLY wear them! Just that she uses their clothes as a guideline to mold her looks)
Mrs. O always looks stunning, but I believe the costume would have been better without a belt at all and just left with a flowing duster.
And yet you remain Jojo?
Boo hoo too - now hitching your wagon to the bring Maria Pinto back campaign? Not terribly good cover for your general anti Michelle sentiments psSsst...
There are new pictures of the First Family visiting the Pompidou Centre online at Getty Images.
"extra gist"? What in the world does that mean? Has "gist" acquired a new meaning?
We do have SOME unbiased posters here--and I consider myself to be one of them. I did notice another Susan posting recently and I'm not sure how we are supposed to differentiate or even if that is important.
I don't think some posters realize that a person can be a fervent Obama supporter and think Mrs. Obama is a wonderful First Lady, but still not like every fashion choice she makes. And while she is free to choose her look, others are free to comment since this is a fashion blog.
All that being said, I will say that white was the right color for this sort of memorial event. I thought her dress was very appropriate and attractive. I didn't mind the belt either. And, I don't blame her for changing into other shoes later. The fact that she did should give us some hint as to why she doesn't always wear what one poster called "real heels." She does a LOT of walking and not all shoes are equally comfortable. And, it's not just about personal comfort--but often about blisters and that sort of thing.
Looking back at the Eiffel Tower photo, I wasn't wild about that outfit. I'm not sure that shade of green is the most flattering. Love her in white and in purple though!
JRG: You are being very mean; you know what was meant.
My goodness, Mrs. T has created such a wonderful meeting place for us to visit and to not only share our views but to enjoy different views (even when we disagree), but let me tell you, there are days when I read some of the comments and wonder why I took a break from my 3 and 4 yo kids to come in to visit a blog that feels like Pre-K.
Come on everyone, in the words of our POTUS, let's disagree without being disagreeable.
Sorry you found my comment mean. But, honestly, "gist" is a real word with a real meaning, and that meaning doesn't fit as the term was used here. That's why I wondered whether it had acquired a new meaning--perhaps come to be used as a slang term of some sort.
Some pics of the family visiting the Pompidou are on Getty Images: http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=2&language=en-US&family=editorial&p=obama%20france&assetType=image&src=quick#
Her outfit today is hard to see in the pictures but it looks like some sort of zebra print with a white cardigan over it with black pants? I think she's got her hair pulled back in more of a bun instead of ponytail.
I think I'm wrong about the hair. Might just be a high ponytail?
Le Journal Du Dimanche has a slide show where you can see Michelle and Carla's outfits
http://www.lejdd.fr/dossier//international/obama-debarque-en-france/premieres-dames.html#gallery
Jojo,
I'm not at all a newbie so for anyone who tries to call me a hater, that's their problem. I have posted plenty of posts giving major props to the First Lady. I don't see how saying I think she should use a tailor is a diss, but if they take it that way, oh well.
love your posts... know that you'll want to correct your spelling of the word "sartorial"
I loved Mrs. O's white and really think the belt is what made it popped! Mrs. Sarkozy's outfit looks nice but it really did nothing for me. It reminds me of visiting links posted of what Mrs. O is wearing and you see it on the model... they do the clothes no justice IMHO.
The outfit at the Pompidou Centre is chic. I don't know if it's a dress or a top but I like the animal print. Of course, I could do without the white cardigan, but I imagine the top/dress could possibly be sleeveless.
I wonder if the Obamas did not bring the girls to the Normandy remembrance is because of time zone issues. If the children had been sitting up there dozing, that might have been cause for criticism as well.
Now I understand why alot of the first ladies just wore pant suits. Its easier than to deal with all these nitpicking from individuals. Fashion was not her calling, it was the media that imposed it on her. I hope she counts to break out of this imposed "fashionista" mode created for her. She loves clothes yes, but the level of projection from other has become ridiculous. Wear what you want Mrs O and do your thing.
@Christina,
I totally agree. When you're dealing with young children, people love headlines if the children aren't always smiling or are squirming or yawning or falling asleep, laughing or just doing things that children do. All the photographers and camera crews would be fixed on them the whole time waiting for the right moment and would detract from the importance of the ceremonies since there is such an interest in the girls. Plus the world papaparzzi would begin a campaign for the best headline photos. I would have been surprised if they were there yesterday for such worldwide coverage. Mrs. O is very protective of her girls, and I love that. While in Paris, there hasn't been that many photos of the girls which is good, even though I would love to see more photos because they're so cute. I look forward to the next batch of Pete Souza photos from the WH where I'm sure we'll see some great behind-the-scenes shots of this visit. I like that the WH is open to sharing those moments with us even if it's a few weeks later.
After looking at more photos, I think I would have preferred Mrs. Obama's ensemble without the belt. But, I can also see how it makes the outfit "pop" as someone stated. I just think that belts without loops to hold them in place tend to ride up.
@ Tess maybe she just loves belt. Maybe that is her own signature look, every first lady had theirs. The bottomline she is not given up the belts because she loves it. She dresses for herself and not us. If belt is her thing so be it. We don't have to like but its her choice. I read on WWD that they send her clothes multi-times for tailoring. She just seems more comfortable sometimes with the belt. I hope with the new blog Mrs T. it would not be dissecting her looks everyday but maybe just special occassions will do, like D-Day. I just think its unfair to look at what someone wears everyday that my opinion
@Briana:
You bring up a point I've been thinking about for a little while. In the Mrs O and Nancy Reagan thread, someone posted toward the end something like "doesn't the 'queen of the fashion world' know that stripes and florals are a total no-no?" Now, besides the comment being needlessly snarky and actually incorrect (florals and stripes are frequently paired,) it also made me start thinking -- who ever said that Mrs. O was calling herself the "queen of the fashion world?" Since when did she decide to adopt that role? She is just the woman who is married to the president, to be quite frank. And though I love her and many of the things she does, she doesn't really owe anything to any of us, whether to wear fewer belts, more Maria Pinto, or whatever.
I feel as if someones we are shoving her into a role she didn't ask for, and then smacking her when she doesn't meet the standards that we have created for her. But she didn't ask to be our "fashion queen." She's just a regular woman likes cardigans, belts and flats. It's much like the criticism that Bonnie Erbe has leveled at her for not being enough of a professional woman and too much of a "mom." Why are we creating all these boxes and not just letting her be what she is?
Anyway. There's no answer to any of this, of course, it's just something I was thinking about since I read that "queen of the fashion world" comment.
Obviously Mrs. Obama loves belts. Duh!! But since this is a blog where people are invited to share opinions (defined as a statement of a personal point of view), people are free to say politely that they don't care for the belts. I would guess that most of these people have the basic intelligence to realize that Mrs. O doesn't read this blog before dressing herself each day or before going shopping, so I doubt that anyone thinks the posters here have the power to change how she dresses. But since our opinions (defined as a statement of a personal point of view) have been asked, if some honestly think an outfit would be better without a belt, why does anyone have a problem with that???