Tangerine Twist
Friday, October 17, 2008 at 4:14 PM 
Photo used with kind permission from photographer Brett Marty, www.brettmarty.com
Mrs. O was back on the campaign trail yesterday at a rally in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA sporting an autumnal palette of blacks and oranges. Wearing a dress with bold, graphic print and a long, slim black cardigan Mrs. O pulled the look together with yet another of her signature pins, this time in a flamboyant tangerine shade. Has Mrs. O's influence sent sales of brooches soaring, we wonder? Taking a break from her usual ballet flats, she accessorized with black kitten heels.
So who is behind today’s frock of choice? With its bold, splashy print the look has a lot in common with the Thakoon dresses Mrs. O has been favoring lately. However, our research suggests this may in fact be J. Crew's Abstract Rose dress in wool flannel. The one inconsistency is the flash of printed fabric at the hem. Did Mrs. O secure a special edition perhaps?
Date: Thursday, October 16
Venue: Campaign rally at the Soliders and Sailors Memorial, Pittsburgh, PA
Reader Comments (7)
A new close up of the dress - definitely J. Crew:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unitedsteelworkers/2949383603/
I love your blog -- thanks for keeping it strictly fashion focused. I had to post about it on my tumblr! (http://meebobebo.tumblr.com/post/55291591/my-sister-sharon-and-i-were-chatting-the-other-day)
I love her style, but I actually think she needs to wear nice, bright colors more. As a fellow brown-skinned woman, I know how good they look on us. And I think they might have an effect on everyone's morale (as color is known to do). As long as they're not totally OTT.
To me, a bipartisan angle on this is, oddly enough, is the first Mrs. Bush (Barbara). Remember the blocks of bright, simple colors she always wore? Like those blue suits with the simple pearls? Made a strong impression on me, and even though she's not considered some sort of Fashionista First Lady, I always found her style to be very strong and positive. I think Mrs. O can have the same kind of effect, but even more so because she's more fashion-forward.
I love seeing Michelle in that J.Crew dress. The one she is wearing is actually a strapless version. She is wearing a sweater over it so it is hard to tell. You can see pictures of it on my blog. I have written about it here.
http://jcrewaholics.com/dresses/the-abstract-rose-print-dress-at-jcrew/
I LOVE it that Michelle wears such great shoes--stylish and chic yet flat or reasonable heels. I hope that look counteracts the atrocious ultrahigh heels you see on models and in stores these days.
Ooh, love these comments.
Julianne - I'm glad you like the blog and thanks for posting about it. We're trying our absolute best to keep a laser focus on Mrs. O's fashion, so good to know it's appreciated!
Anusha - Great comments and an interesting parallel with Mrs. Bush. I also love Mrs. O in really rich, bold colors. I read recently that fashion tends towards black in economic downturns - I guess because designers think it's a safer bet for their businesses. Anyway, a bit of bold color can really brighten things up and I think we need more of that right now.
Leigh - I wasn't familiar with jcrewaholics.com, but it's fantastic! Did you see our earlier post about Mrs. O in J. Crew's Sketchbook Roses Belle Skirt?
http://www.mrs-o.org/?p=654
I think J. Crew is a great match for Mrs. O - hopefully there's more to come.
Pammer - 100% agree with your sentiment on the flats. Incredibly chic, but practical at the same time. I also love that Mrs. O's been able to pull them off with both day and night looks.
I love your blog. I thought I was the only one obssessed with Mrs. O's looks! I agree with the young woman who said she should do more color. Her skin is so pretty - tangerines, bright yellows and greens are so stunning on her.