A Print with Intrigue

Image by Win McNamee / Getty Images

First Lady Mrs. O met with 11 students from the London borough of Islington at the White House this morning. The students were rewarded with a trip to the United States sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in London for winning an Islington Black History Month essay competition.

On the fashion front, the first lady wore a sheer, printed blouse with a tie neck and billowing sleeves. I'm curious to know what others see in the print. To me, it reads of an underwater world, populated by jelly fish and bursts of coral. 

Also of note is that we've seen this blouse once before, in the very early days of this blog. Mrs. O wore same patterned top for a campaign appearance at the Minneapolis Club in October 2008, below.

Photo used with kind permission from photographer Kim Ellison

Update #1: The blouse appears to be from Alexander McQueen's Spring 2008 collection. Several of the Alexander McQueen pieces we've seen Mrs. O wear in the past originated from this same collection. On the runway, the blouse can be seen here, and a similar version, here. As reader 'parisbreakfast' has noted in the comments, Alexander McQueen was praised for the digitized sea-reptile prints used in his Spring 2010 collection. Perhaps we see an earlier iteration of the print in the blouse above.

What a tremendous, thoughtful gesture by Mrs. O to honor the late designer. Fashion as message is the most inspiring kind.

Update #2: Reader 'CRD in LA' writes: "the print also evokes a signature Liberty of London pattern: Ianthe, created in 1900 at the height of the Art Nouveau movement." Fascinating!

Update #3: Thanks to 'ouapiti' who directed us to the White House photo of the day, below. We can see that Mrs. O paired her Alexander McQueen blouse with a navy pencil skirt and boots.

Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

Bundled Up

Image by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images

The president and first lady visited Sidwell Friends School today, where the president braved the cold sans overcoat and Mrs. O bundled up in a burgundy, belted coat, worn with an ivory scarf. Tomorrow Mrs. O will meet with students from the London borough of Islington at the White House.

Per the ever informative Lynn Sweet:

Thursday, February 18: First Lady Michelle Obama will meet with students from schools across the London borough of Islington who were rewarded with a trip to the United States sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in London for winning an Islington Black History Month essay competition. This event builds on Mrs. Obama's efforts to engage young people in the United States and around the world.

In April 2009, Mrs. Obama visited the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School (EGAS) in Islington. One of the ten students participating in the First Lady's event currently attends EGAS. This 11:00 AM EST event - held in the Old Family Dining Room - will be covered by a US pool and a UK pool.

Narciso Rodriguez

Narciso Rodriguez's Fall 2010 collection, inspired by "beautiful curved lines and shadows," offered a palette of burnt orange, grey-green and black hues, melded together with dreamy ombre effects and curved panels of muted silver sequins. As a collection, it was understandable and cohesive, strong but graceful. As style.com described it: "minimalist with firepower."

Which of these wearable gems would you add to Mrs. O's wardrobe?

Mrs-O.org in Vogue

On November 19th, an email popped up in my inbox that sent my heart racing. The note was from Mark Holgate, and the subject read, "American Vogue March 2010."  Vogue was putting together a story on fashion bloggers and asked if I would participate. To be asked was an incredible honor, so far removed from my reality, I could barely process.

A few weeks later I met the other bloggers and the Vogue staff in the lobby of the Conde Nast building before we ventured together to a warehouse in the Bronx for the photo-shoot. The bloggers selected have substantial followings in the online fashion community, and increasingly, the offline one too. Several are essentially famous. (If having a bag named after you by Marc Jacobs doesn't qualify -- that would be Bryanboy -- I don't know what does.) They include: Bryanboy, Tommy Ton of Jak & Jill, Todd Selby of The Selby, Yvan Rodic of Facehunter, Garance Dore, Hanneli Mustaparta, Catherine Kallon of Red Carpet Fashion Awards and Michelle Phan of YouTube fame.

This blog, frankly, has a much smaller following than those above. And I'm sure, for many, it's an unexpected choice for the story. That it was included is a reflection of the broader cultural resonance of Michelle Obama's style, I believe, and of how opinions about the first lady's style are first shaped online. Perhaps, too, the Vogue editors were going for a bit of range.

Later in the week Mark Holgate, a Senior Fashion Writer for Vogue, came to BBH, where I work full-time as a brand planner and also blog. We chatted about fashion blogs and their increasing influence. I shared a few anecdotal stories of how Mrs-O.org has evolved over the past 18 months, and specifically, how surreal this all feels, particularly for a girl who has no background in fashion or politics -- simply an all consuming interest in the first lady's style, a slight addiction to style.com and a supportive employer. How this has all grown in such a short span of time is at once magical and mind-bending.

I want to thank everyone I met and emailed with at Vogue for this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And of course, to all of you, the Mrs-O.org community, for your support. Our shared enthusiasm for the first lady's style is what defines this blog. I'm very grateful you're all a part of it.

xoxo, Mrs. T

P.S. For those wondering about Mrs. O's whereabouts this week -- it's been quiet only because there's a full schedule in the days ahead. On Thursday the first lady will meet with students from the London borough of Islington at the White House, on Friday she'll be in Philadelphia to support her Let's Move initiative, and on Saturday she'll be back in Washington to address the National Governors Association, followed by the annual dinner. (Last year, the aforementioned brought us the Peter Soronen "Twilight" gown.)

Zero + Maria Cornejo

Images via Style.com

There are certain qualities to Maria Cornejo's work -- easy but quite exact silhouettes, geometric references, a defined color palette (blue, black and usually something more acidic), and in the last few seasons, abstract prints (originating from photos taken on the designer's iPhone) -- that are distinctly her own. When a Zero + Maria Cornejo dress or jacket appears in the first lady's wardrobe, the strength and clarity of this design signature makes it easy to spot. All the more fascinating, is that within this tightly defined space, there's still sufficient room for Maria Cornejo to experiment and evolve from season to season. Her clothes add a different dimension and modernity to the first lady's wardrobe, and quite wonderfully fulfill that role.

There are several pieces from the Zero + Maria Cornejo Fall 2010 collection that would be a great addition to Mrs. O's closet. A few favorites are included above, and the full collection can be viewed on Style.com. The designer also gave an interview to Sabine Heller of the Huffington Post this week, which touches briefly on the first lady. An excerpt is included below; the full interview, here. Enjoy!

SH: Who do you design for?

MC: Strong, brainy women like Michelle Obama, Tilda Swinton and Sofia Coppola who wear my clothes in real life, and not just when they are getting photographed.

SH: When did the first lady start wearing Zero?

MC: I first saw Michelle Obama wearing Zero on The Daily Show with John Stewart in 2008. Her most notable appearance, however, was during G20 Summit in Pittsburgh.

SH: What is it about Obama that you admire?

MC: Her compassion, intelligence and the fact that she's an inspiration to so many. She has a lot of humility.