Pretty Holiday Plaid

Image by Jason Reed / Reuters Images

First Lady Mrs. O and her daughters greeted a horse-drawn cart that delivered the White House Christmas tree today. The 18 ½ ft Douglas-fir, which hails from Shepherdstown, West Virginia, will be displayed in the Blue Room of the White House through the holiday season.

Mrs. O was dressed in festive attire for the occasion, wearing a plaid bow blouse by Love Moschino, paired with a red cardigan, black trousers and a wide red belt at the waist.

To see a video of the tree's arrival, click here.

Giving Thanks

Photo by Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images

The Os got a headstart on Thanksgiving today, handing out food at the Martha's Table food pantry in Washington, DC. Many will recognize Mrs. O's turquoise top and vest; they are piece by Rick Owens, first worn in Paris this summer.

Today the first lady also released her Thanksgiving greeting, which we'll share below:

Tomorrow, many of us will gather around the table with family and friends to give thanks over a feast of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy -- and let’s not forget pumpkin pie!

But for some in this country, the feast will not be as bountiful.  In fact, it won’t be much of a feast at all.  Hunger is on the rise in America -- hitting its highest levels in nearly 15 years.  A recent report released by the USDA reveals that in 2008 an estimated 1.1 million children were living in households that experienced hunger multiple times over the past year.

To combat hunger this winter, we’re launching, in coordination with the Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the United We Serve: Feed a Neighbor

Barack and I are committed to doing all we can to end hunger by making food programs more accessible to eligible families.  But government can only do so much -- it will take all of us working together to put an end to hunger in America. initiative -- a program that empowers you with all the resources you need to mobilize against the hunger crisis in your community.  Learn how you can get started today:

That’s why we’ve made it easy for you to get involved at Serve.gov. Find local volunteer opportunities like delivering meals to homebound seniors, offering your professional skills at a food pantry, or planting a community garden and sharing produce with your neighbors.  You can also create your own volunteer opportunity using our anti-hunger toolkit.

This holiday season let’s recommit to serving our communities and working together to feed American families.  Get started giving back today.

Thank you,

Michelle

First Lady Michelle Obama
The White House

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We appreciate everyone who makes this blog such a delight.

A Peek at Jill Biden's Gown

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

For those who have been asking to see Jill Biden's Reem Acra gown from Tuesday evening, please see above (far right, deep V back). Though just a peek, it does appear to be lovely!

Please let us know if you see other photos, as we've not been able to find any.

Chic Bochic Earrings

PRNewsFoto/Bochic

For those curious about Mrs. O's earrings last night, we're delighted to report that they are one-of-a-kind Bochic earrings, made of rose cut diaminds, amber and tourmaline stones.

In the Bochic press release, designer David Joseph said: "We are incredibly honored that Mrs. Obama chose to wear Bochic earrings last night. When we designed the earrings we wanted to integrate both Eastern and Western design elements. We were drawn to the orange hue of the natural amber and the rose color of the rubellite tourmaline, which are traditional Indian colors. We also added rose cut diamonds to create a vintage feel. These one-of-a-kind earrings are handcrafted and completely unique. The First Lady was an absolute vision."

Mrs. O Sparkles in Naeem Khan

Image by Nicolas Kamm / Getty Images

Image by Nicolas Kamm / Getty Images

Official White House Photo / Pete Souza

First Lady Mrs. O has debuted her ensemble for the state dinner, wearing a gown by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan. The strapless gown features hand cut sterling silver sequins sewn on champagne silk chiffon, which create an abstract floral pattern. The dress is entirely handmade, requiring three weeks of work by 40 people, completed in Naeem Khan's family workshop in India. The custom, one-of-a-kind gown was made by the designer with the theme of Mrs. O's first state dinner in mind. The evening honors the stateside visit of Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and his wife, Gursharan Kaur.

Mrs. O accessorized her ensemble with oversize Bochic drop earrings, featuring a fleur de lis at each ear and tear drop shapes made of gold and purple stones. Mrs. O completed the look with a dramatic stack of gold and diamond bangle bracelets on her left arm, a coordinating champagne-colored wrap, and her hair swept into a loose, romantic updo. 

Earlier today Mrs. O hinted that she might turn to an Indian-American designer for her gown this evening, when she chose a skirt by another Indian-American designer, Rachel Roy, for the state dinner preview event. This is Mrs. O's first time publicly wearing a Naeem Khan design and what a debut! Mrs. O is bringing a modern brand of glamour to the White House, the likes of which we've not seen before.

For those who want to watch the coverage live, Politico has a livestream here. The White House will also live stream beginning at 8:15PM EST, here.

As a sidenote: Naeem Kahn is scheduled to be panelist on Larry King Live tonight at 9PM EST. Perhaps Larry will ask about the dress?

Update: We just watched Mr. Naeem Khan on Larry King Live. Of interest, both the designer's father and grandfather designed for Indian royalty in their careers. Mr. Khan relayed that he designed 3 or 4 gowns for the event, which were coordinated through Ikram Goldman in Chicago. The brief had been "Indian, chic, simple, but very glamorous." With that, Mr. Khan chose the color, embroidery, cut and all other aspects of the gowns. He called the moment of seeing the first lady in his design, "So joyous," continuing, "For me to be part of this historic occasion, being Indian, it is beyond amazing. It is an incredible moment for me."

Read more about the Naeem Khan's perspective (and the Halston influence beyond the state dinner dress) in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, here. Thanks denisegirl!

Official White House Photos by Pete Souza