Taking a Stylish Stand (Update)

 Image by Win McNamee / Getty Images 

This morning Mrs. O spoke in support of health care legislation at the White House, dressed in a boldly printed black and ivory skirt, ruffled blouse and muted green cardigan - all belted at the waist, of course.

Click here to read Politico's coverage of Mrs. O's speech, including a video.

Update: Thanks to the tip in the comments, we've discovered Mrs. O's skirt is Diane von Furstenberg, the Bhare Skirt in African bands from the designer's Fall 2009 collection, seen here.

First Lady Fabulous (Update)

Photo by Jim Watson / Getty Images

The President and First Lady attended the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute dinner in Washington this evening. Mrs. O has wowed with her knock-out glamour, in a look that has all the makings of a classic. We love our first lady in sequins!

Update: Mrs. O's black sequin boat neck dress is Michael Kors!

Bold and Beautiful (Update)

Image by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

This afternoon the President and First Lady Mrs. O attended a Medal of Honor ceremony for U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti who was killed in Afghanistan in June 2006. For the occasion, Mrs. O debuted a new floral frock in a bold, red rose print, accessorized with green kitten heels and chandelier earrings.

Update: Thanks to Leslie who has observed similarity in the print of this DVF dress and the one Mrs. O is wearing above. The cuts are of course different, but the prints bear a striking resemblance. We will look into this and report back. 

Image by Win McNamee / Getty Images

Later in the day, First Lady Mrs. O shopped for fruits and veggies at the opening of a new farmer's market two blocks from the White House. The new market will be open every Thursday for the next seven weeks. Note that Mrs. O's shopping basket matched her dressed down ensemble. Perhaps a coincidence, but a stylish one!

Mrs. O spoke at the opening of the Farmers' Market, sharing:

"You know, when we decided to plant the White House garden, we thought it would be a great way to educate kids about eating more healthy. Right, kids? Vegetables? Yay for vegetables! But as it turned out, the garden has turned into so much more than we could have ever expected, and it's a really fun thing to do as well. This has been one of the greatest things that I've done in my life so far. It's just been a tremendous honor, and working with the kids in the D.C. community and hearing how they've learned and how they're growing and how they're sharing the information with their families just warms my heart and makes me hopeful for the future."

For the full remarks, click here. Also, as observed in the comments, Mrs. O appears to be carrying a Bolga Market basket, traditionally woven in the Northern Ghana town of Bolgatanga.

More on Suno

Two looks from Suno Fall 2009

W Magazine nabbed a quick interview with screenwriter turned fashion designer Max Osterweis of Suno. He talks about the genesis of his line and reveals further details about the Suno tunic that wound up in Mrs. O's closet. Fans of Suno will be delighted to know that Mrs. O has bought at least 5 pieces from the designer, so we should expect more to come. Click here to read the piece.

(As many will recall, Mrs. O wore a Suno tunic when visiting San Francisco earlier this summer. The line was inspired by textiles the designer has collected through his travels to Kenya. Click here for our earlier coverage.)

En Garde

Image by Jim Watson / Getty Images 

Mrs. O kept to her classic belt and cardigan combo, paired with a (perhaps new?) printed skirt and kitten heels, for a White House event to promote Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games this afternoon. The President and First Lady Mrs. O participated in a faux-fencing match as part of the festivities, which also included demonstrations of gymnastics and judo on the South Lawn.

P.S. Stay tuned for highlights from fashion week, including Spring 2010 picks for Mrs. O.