Behind the Scenes of the Inaugural Balls
Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 6:06 PM 
Photo credit: Pete Souza / The White House
We are enamoured with this newly discovered photo from behind the scenes of the Inaugural Balls, taken by White House photographer Pete Souza. Beyond capturing a spontaneous, touching moment between our President and First Lady, it also helps to answer two lingering style questions. Did Mrs. O have a coat that coordinated with her Inaugural ball gown? And, what shoes was Mrs. O wearing underneath those flowing layers of ivory chiffon? I
n a thoughtful, gentlemanly gesture, President Mr. O lent his black tuxedo jacket to warm Mrs. O's shoulders. If there was a coat or cape or cashmere wrap to match her dress, the jacket wouldn't have been necessary. But for the sake of this photograph alone, we're happy it was. And to the best of our knowledge, it was the only coat that Mrs. O wore on Tuesday night. On the subject of shoes, we get just a glimpse of Mrs. O's ivory satin, open-toed heels. The designer? WWD reports, like much of Mrs. O's footwear throughout the Inauguration, they were also Jimmy Choo. For more behind the scenes photos, click here.
Jimmy Choo in Outfits, Shoes
Reader Comments (63)
*swoons*
Love at last!
I love how the staff is looking away and trying to give them some space! It must be really hard when you're surrounded by so many people all the time to ever have a moment.
Anyway, those two crazy kids are so in love. And so darn lucky!
This makes me love them even more.
Oh this picture is just darling. Nothing sweeter and more romantic than a man giving a lady his jacket....
i love this picture! its so telling....
thanks for sharing it!
mary jane
http://www.vintagejones.blogspot.com
It reminds me of a high school prom scene from a teenage movie. How endearing.
www.zazzle.com/mizzbella
Most excellent!
Sweet photo. Sweet scene.
CarolineG, the dress is not "dirty". The fabric is just bunched up so it looks darker and I think the bottom layers were a more cream color.
Anyway, your nitpicking would probably surprise Michelle. I doubt that in that photo she's thinking "Oh if only I had a shawl."
No doubt she's happy with the improvisation!
I'm swooning silly!!! The obvious electricity between Barack and Michelle, yet the necessary restraint in front of the staff. Haven't seen such a turn-on since Daniel Day Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer's glove scene in "Age of Innocence"
Siiiiiiiihhhhh!!!!!
Great photo. Regaqrding the dress..it should have been dance-tested...it did not maneuver well. It did seem too long and got in the way...but she looked lovely.
Such an charming, touching, romantic photo.
As for the gown being " too long " I believe this gown had a short train, which means that the length and trailing fabric was purposeful.
W/ this train trailing behind Mrs O, I would think there mustn't be any way to prevent some soiling, ( I am sure all those gowns w/ trains one sees on the red carpet etc, must suffer the same fate) though I agree w/ Doreen's assessment of the above photo. That's not 'dirt' that is bunched fabric shadowing.
Thanks for the shoe info Mrs. T. Of course I was wondering....
Okay, this is PATHETIC but I'm tearing up thinking about how in love they are. I always love seeing these photos of them because their mutual adoration is so clear. It's what everyone hopes for, you know? They're a fairytale in so many ways -- only a REAL LIFE fairytale!
Kristan
http://jbu.phuzzymath.net/
i heart this picture, it is currently my facebook profile picture
*Sniff* Even if they weren't the First Couple, I would still be swooning at this picture of a couple in love. It just makes it better that they are though :)
What about this website? Gives a little clue to the staff ball dress: http://roadkillrefugee.wordpress.com/2009/01/24/obamas-remarks-at-inaugural-staff-ball/
Okay, fully tuned into the Obama Staff Ball now. How did we miss this until now?!? Stay tuned for a post tomorrow AM.
MAB, thanks for linking to the videos. Very inspirational.
Here's a picture from the Staff Ball:
http://news.webshots.com/photo/2529658450104214576YxQoMi
She looks beautiful as always.
A fantastic photo! They always look so happy together- they're just an amazing couple. I'm so proud!
I love how everyone is looking in different directions, esp the guy staring so intently at the metal wall lol. I love that pic, their too cute
How cute are they? I love this picture.
I absolutely LOVE the earrings she's wearing in the staff ball photo!
What an example of 'true love'! these photos are precious; their joy is palpable. The photo of Malia snapping her Dad's photo before his 'big date' is timeless.The Obamas set a wonderful example for couples and families!
Thank you for posting this. How cute are they!? Even their relationship embodies hope.
ok I am swooning for the second time today. Good Lord this couple is AMAZING!!!
Just looked at the video and photo for the staff ball - thanks MAB and Mrs S.
This dress ( is it even a gown ? I cant detect the length...) is more low- key than the gala Wu gown, but still certainly elegant and cleanly chic. I love the narrow cut and spare ornamentation.
Is the fabric a wool jersey w/ silk velvet trim ?
I have searched high and low for more info, but alas have turned up nothing.
I cant wait to see if you can find us more details Mrs T !
Oh so cute, can we stop bickering about the dress, its ancient history. Some people don't know when to stop. Some women are serial naggers.
oh come on, what is this obsession with schedules, fittings, meetings with the designers and so on and so forth, what about some spontaneity for a change???
Well done, Mrs O.
This is so beautiful I want to cry. I pray for a real man to be that way with me. You see God's Blessings all over them. If you believe in prayer continue to pray for their union and family.
I think this photo reminds me about how horrible the dress was. The jacket is at least hiding the non-slimming effects of the dress, and whatever was hanging off of it. Being objective about her clothing is allowed and I don't think enough people looked at her choice "objectivly." She seems less stylish/put together then Cindy McCain or Sarah Palin, who have very distinct styles(even w/out the RNC footing the bill). Mrs. O's style is defined by "no style." She's smart, attractive, engaging, but a style "icon" she is not.
Sarah Palin looked like a mom on a bad 80's sitcom before the RNC spent 180,000 dollars to make her look chic and Cindy McCain is looks like an alien ice queen who forgets to take the hanger out of jackets before she wears them. She's rigid and stiff and her clothes are boring.
It's downright silly to say that Michelle does not have "style". You may not like her clothes, but then if you think pre-makeover Palin was a fashion hit, you don't know much about clothes.
What a wonderful photo. What a beautiful thing to see: real, actual, weak-in-the knees kind of love in the White House...maybe for the first time! This first family is a God-send.
Even with all the hubbub, they are in their own world! Hope they have the ability to keep that up! Wonderful photo
What an intimate and lovely shot! I wanted to tell you that I have been using your blog in my Clothing and Textile classes (high school). Our very first assignment was to design an inaugural gown for Ms. Obama. I used your site to show students the importance of the inaugural gown and to give my students a glimpse of Ms. Obama's signature style. I chose about 20 of the best sketches and posted them outside the classroom. Now we are comparing her actual gown with the student sketches. This assignment has been a real hit with the students and teachers have taken notice as well. Too bad it only hapens every four years. Today I hope to inspire my students with the screen print done by another student and show them the Etsy page. Kudos. Love this site and LOVE Ms. Obama!
omg, I was so excited to come here and tell you guys this....we started out spring semester today (Parsons), and guess what our first assignment it? Design 3 different look for Mrs O!!! yayyyy
she really is having a HUGE influence on fashion, and Im so excited about it...here is to hoping Anna Tamma's class comes up with something fabulous for Mrs. O!!!!
I swear I'm not PMSing but I just cried looking at those pics. I've always felt like they have such intimacy, they often make me feel like I'm intruding when they have those moments....just beautiful.
It's always interesting to me that if girl A doesn't like the way girl B dresses - Girl A declares Girl B doesn't have style. just because you don't like it doesn't make it so. Mrs. O's style is impeccable and I certainly don't like everything she wears - but it suits her style.
Who is taking this picture and why is no one fazed by the pic snapping?
*sigh!* They look like two kids in love going to the prom...only they're the Prez and First Lady going to the Inauguration. It just warms my heart, and give me hope that true love still exists, even though it can be difficult sometimes. Sniff!
Caroline
Pete Souza is the official WH photographer and he shot those pics
Layo G, you'll have to put photos of your designs up on Flickr or a blog or something and then direct us to your page. Would love to see what you come up with!
Nyro, you couldn't be more accurate! I swear I hate pettiness, but Palin (and her family) looked straight out of the sticks before those RNC dollars were trickled down.
Cindy McCain may want to take a vacation from injection foreign substances from her face. Just a thought.
And I'd so much rather be described as a "smart, attractive, engaging", with "no style" than a cleptomaniac pill popper who did a stint in rehab.
Oh, and I absolutely love this photo. Chivalry is dead? Clearly Barack didn't get that memo.
@ tpanderson:
How wonderful!What a nice thing to say about Mrs-O.org--this is such a classy site that I refer to often! :)
tpanderson, I love comments like yours! I'm so glad you've found the site useful for your class. Any future Mrs. O assignments planned?
Layo G., Your assignment sounds amazing. You'll have to keep us posted on your progress (and you're always welcome to post your work here if you like).
Like everyone else, I absolutely love this photo.
She seems to be a good dancer, but the dress had no 'hook' or loop to hang onto while she was on the stage w/hubby. They managed to turn an awkward situation into something watchable. The relaxed attitudes in the photo were reassuring. That said, she needs to play up her positives and not accentuate the poor posture and odd gait. Going sleeveless is not the best strategy when your hips are ample. Balance the top with the middle, get a good masseuse for the anterior rotation in those shoulders, and be happy in yourself.
I just love this picture so much. Love like that never goes out of style.
"Ample hips"? Sheesh.
Monsaid, I'm sure Michelle would thank you for your advice but I must say she has really amazing arms and shoulders and looks divine in sleeveless anything.
Aren't they just adorable! Michelle Obama has excellent style. However, as much as I love First Lady Obama, I didn't care too much for any of the styles on the day of the inaugural. I thought the lemon or acid green dress she wore during the day looked too matronly. I also thought she's too young for this look. As cold as it was, she could have changed the way First Ladies have looked in the past and wore tall suede boots with a little 2- inch heel. I also thought that the black cape coat she had on a few days earlier with the purple gloves and purple scarf would have been perfect for this occasion. The off white dress she wore for the balls really turned me off. Despite that a lot of very well known designers gave her props for wearing white, that was the last color I was expecting her to wear. With her complexion, I thought something of color would have looked much better. I think purple is her color and that would have looked hot! Also, she needed a dress that would turn better that the Jason Wu dressed she wore. She seemed so uncomfortable each time she tried to make a turn especially since she had to pretty much pause the turn to move the dress around. She could have been really different and wore a black lace, silk chiffon dress that was just long enough to sashay in an elegant way each time she made her turn during their dances. I also would have liked to see more bling. A nice semi-low, but conservative lace neckline with diamonds dripping from her neck and an ostentatious bracelet on her wrist would have been a show stopper. She has such a beautiful figure that the dress would have been somewhat fitted in the waist and hips with a bit of flare going down the leg to her feet ending with a bit of extra fabric at the back but not so much that it wouldn't turn as she turned. Lastly, the shoes - a pair of strappy black sandals with diamonds or rhinstones. I also wish Mr. President would have worn a black bow time instead of white, but that's just me! Come on - this is the most formal occasion you could ever attend, so go all out!
Velvet, if you hate pettiness, you should not be petty. I am certainly NO fan of either Sarah Palin or Cindy Mccain, but your comments are pretty mean. We shouldn't bring partisanship to the blog.