Cats, Hats and Argyle

Image by Mark Wilson / Getty Images

First Lady Mrs. O is at the Library of Congress today to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday and to kick-off the National Education Association's Read Across America celebration. As part of the event, Mrs. O read Dr. Seuss's "The Cat in the Hat" to a group of children wearing red and white striped stovepipe hats.

Mrs. O turned to a collegiate argyle cardigan by Moschino, paired with black trousers and belted at the waist for the appearance. Pearls and ballet flats completed the library look.

Tickled Pink

Image by Saul Loeb / Getty Images

Yesterday the first lady spoke to the annual meeting of the School Nutrition Association in Washington, D.C., where she was warmly received by a crowd of several hundred.

Per the Washington Post: "In her 25-minute speech, the audience of hundreds of food service directors applauded as often and as earnestly as if the first lady were delivering the State of the Union: 15 times in all. And they gave her standing ovations at the beginning and end of her speech."

For the appearance the first lady wore a hot pink dress, with origami folds at the neckline. A jeweled brooch completed the lovely look. Thanks to reader 'Nora' for the title suggestion!

Update #1: Mrs. O's brooch is a 1960s Schreiner piece, acquired from the Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection and purchased at Ikram in Chicago.

A few words of perspective from the fabulous Carole Tanenbaum: "What is wonderful about Mrs. O's style is that she is comfortable in her skin and therefore wears clothing casually but elegantly. This is true even when we think of her in evening wear. She choses fabrics that move with her body. Her approach to jewelry is the same. She wears her brooches in unconventional ways, and they look especially great because of this!"

Also, a full-length image of Mrs. O's dress can be seen at InStyle.com, here (thanks to reader 'chrystelle' for the lead).

Update #2: Thanks to reader Rebecca for the tip that Mrs. O's dress might be Talbots - it is! Mrs. O wore a Summer 2009 ponte knit dress from Talbots. Though no longer online, it may be available on sale in some stores.

Desiree Rogers Steps Down

Image by Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

A surprise announcement out of the White House today -- Desiree Rogers will step down from her role as White House Social Secretary next month. The always reliable Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times has the full story, here.

Following the announcement, the President and First Lady released this statement:

"We are enormously grateful to Desiree Rogers for the terrific job she's done as the White House Social Secretary. When she took this position, we asked Desiree to help make sure that the White House truly is the People's House, and she did that by welcoming scores of everyday Americans through its doors, from wounded warriors to local schoolchildren to NASCAR drivers. She organized hundreds of fun and creative events during her time here, and we will miss her. We thank her again for her service and wish her all the best in her future endeavors."

This calls for one last look at the greatest fashion statement of Desiree Rogers's White House tenure - the blush chiffon and pearl Comme des Garcons gown worn for the state dinner in November, above.

Lovely Knots

Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

Image by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images

Yesterday Mrs. O met with the first lady of Mexico, Margarita Zavala, during a visit to the White House. Per the New York Times, the women "discussed obesity, diabetes, addictions and the situation of undocumented Mexican minors in the United States."

Later in the day the president and first lady honored leaders in the arts, awarding the National Medal of the Arts and National Humanities Medal to 20 recipients, including, per the Washington Post, "singer Bob Dylan, actor and director Clint Eastwood, painter Frank Stella, and Nobel laureate and author Elie Wiesel."

For both appearances, Mrs. O wore a violet dress by Jason Wu, embellished with french knot embroidery. The dress was last seen during a White House preview event for the Governors Ball in 2009, here.

Sitting Pretty

Photo by Marvin Joseph /The Washington Post via Getty Images

Photographed above, the first lady sat for a Washington Post interview with Robin Givhan to discuss her Let's Move inititative to help combat childhood obesity. For the interview, the first lady wore a Moschino sheath dress adorned with a fabric rosette at the right shoulder, last seen in November 2009, here. To read the full article, chock full of insight from Mrs. O, click here.

Update: As reader Ouapiti notes in the comments, Mrs. O also wears a diamond brooch by Garavelli, which was an anniversary gift from the president.