Mrs. O & Bo

Image by Evan Vucci / AP Photo

Mrs. O hosted children of White House employees this afternoon for 'Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work' day. Making a special appearance was first dog Bo, who per the New York Times, was a very active participant in the Q&A session!

For the event, the first lady chose a Spring ensemble: a pink top and floral cardigan, paired with neutral-hued trousers and green pumps. Does anyone recognize the cardigan?

Update: Mrs. O wears a pink thread-embroidered cardigan by L'Wren Scott.

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

The New Power Suit

Image by Win McNamee / Getty Images

First Lady Mrs. O hosted a "Let's Move" event at the River Terrace School in Washington, D.C. today, joined by Olympian Shani Davis and several other Olympians and Paralympians. Mrs. O led students in a series of exercises, giving new meaning to the term "power suit." For the event, Mrs. O dressed in a vibrant red pant suit, paired with a pink and red sequined camisole. 

Update: Mrs. O wears the Sequined starland tank from J.Crew, available here (thank you canyongal for the find!).  

Eco-Chic Baubles from Monique Pean

Jewelry by Monique Pean

Accessories may seem to receive less attention on this blog, not because they're less admired than the first lady's clothes, but simply because their designers are often more difficult to pin down. Thus, I was excited to learn a bit more about the jewelry Mrs. O wore at various stops during her recent trip to Mexico, and hope you enjoy too!

The pieces Mrs. O wore on her arrival and departure from Mexico City are the work of jewelry designer Monique Pean. Hers is one of the first luxury collections to highlight the importance of sustainability. She uses 100% recycled gold, with the goal of reducing the demand for the dirty mining of precious metals. She also utilizes fair trade, and devastation-free and conflict-free stones in her pieces. Ten percent of the profit from each piece of jewelry goes to support Alaska Native art and culture, or to provide clean water wells to developing communities in need.

The fashion industry has taken notice of this potent combination of style and substance. Ms. Pean received the CFDA/ VOGUE Fashion Fund prize in 2009, and is the recipient of the 2009 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award for Accessories. Ms. Pean was just named as one of ten women on the rise in the May 2010 anniversary issue of O magazine.

A bit more on the Monique Pean pieces worn by Mrs. O, three of which are shown above:

- Monique Pean mammoth hand-carved scrimshaw cuff with southeast asian drawing style (bottom left)

- Mark Davis for Monique Péan Fossilized woolly mammoth ivory bangle with black spinel and smokey quartz, 20mm, 18k recycled gold (top left)

- 25,000 year old fossilized woolly mammoth ivory bead, champagne diamond and 18k recycled white gold necklaces (right)

Garden Fresh

Reuters Image by Mike Blake

En route back from Mexico City, First Lady Mrs. O stopped in San Diego, CA for a visit to the New Roots Community Farm. Above, Mrs. O visits with Khadiga Musame, a refugee from Somalia, while admiring the locally grown chard. For the stop, Mrs. O dressed in gray trousers, paired with a blue camisole and pale yellow sandstone cardigan, embellished with light blue flowers. What an incredibly full week for Mrs. O!

Update: Mrs. O wears a J.Crew chiffon forget-me-not cardigan in sandstone sky, available here.

Suit Savvy

Image by OMAR TORRES/AFP/Getty Images

The first lady met with twelve Mexican student leaders for a roundtable disucssion before departing Mexico City today.

Mrs. O ended her impressive style run with a modern white pant suit that features sheer (or gray?) insets on each sleeve. The first lady paired the suit with a gray top and heels. More to follow.