Thursday
Oct012009
Remarkably Fabulous
Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 1:49 PM
First Lady Mrs. O is attending the opening ceremony of the 121st IOC Session at the Copenhagen Opera House this evening, wearing a gold dress with fitted bodice and full pleated skirt, adorned at the neck with a trio of brooches. Gold accessories and a soft chignon give the look an extra dash of polish.
This ensemble has officially taken our breath away. Head to toe fabulous!
P.S. Any ideas about this dress? We thought it might have been Isabel Toledo, as suggested in the comments, but that's not the case. We must know who designed this beauty!
Update: It is confirmed, Mrs. O wore an orange lame pleated dress by Rodarte. Hooray!
Photos by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
tagged Rodarte
Rodarte
Reader Comments (167)
@Jazz--thanks so much for the info! I gotta watch it live...bags under my eyes it is for work tomorrow! :)
I'm loving the golden chocolate hue..classic. Rock on Sister Michelle!!!! Wooooooooo!
A bronze fantasy. The dress is a work of art and the shade looks amazing on her. She looks like a collector's Barbie. Stunning. Stunning. Stunning. Did I mention she looked stunning?
SHE LOOKED NICE TO BAD WE DIDNT SEE HER SHOES.
In my opinion this look of Mrs O., has to go the very top of the list as the MOST exquisite. She is doing America proud.
I am in utter anticipation to know the designer. Has anyone found a totally full length shot, what kind of shoes is Mrs O wearing?
This looks like a Maria Pinto dress, she has worn something similar to this before. Also, here is what Oprah, and Mrs. O will be wearing tomorrow. Maria designed many of the female delegates outfits, so I am pretty sure both O and Mrs. O are wearing Pinto.
http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/celebrating-the-wizard-of-oz-maria-pintos-olympic-style-2320505#/slideshow/article/2320505/2320522
@BeeGee:
"The dress she wore for the endless photos with the G20 representatives was pumpkin.
This dress is bright gold - even has a sheen in most photographs."
It definitely has a lovely sheen. Yet, the fact that people who are actually seeing it in person are describing it as "cognac" or "pumpkin" means that it is probably not BRIGHT gold. I know that we've both seen some pictures here where Mrs. O's garments appear different colors in different shots. It's just a trick of photography and lighting (and our monitors!). I'd take the word of the folks who are looking directly at it.
"I am not keen on crinolines, especially if they are in a distractingly different shade and hang unevenly below the hem of the gown. "
I can understand just not liking crinolines. But, just like how photos can be a bit tricky with colors, I'd be careful with thinking that the crinoline is a "distractingly" different shade or that it's hanging unevenly. I think she's just moving, and that the clothing is moving with her, and photos capture that. She's not "styled" like a runway model would be, where everything hangs just so.
I think the crinoline is supposed to be seen, and I suspect it's supposed to offer a little interest by looking different (while still coordinating, overall, with the rest of the garment.) I think we all remember this dress, with a visible crinoline:
http://mrs-o.org/newdata/2009/5/18/o-mazing.html
And this one:
http://projectrungay.blogspot.com/2009/04/shelley-o-watch-day-2.html
and this one:
http://www.zimbio.com/Michelle+Obama/articles/515/Michelle+Obama+Wears+Azzedine+Alaia
I think it's safe to say that dresses with visible crinolines are a style "signature" of hers.
Of course the crinoline is supposed to be seen! And it looks like a different color because it's a different fabric. It's a net and the dress fabric is - probably - silk. I can understand how people could read the dress as a shade of "pumpkin" or "cognac." Gold has a yellowish tone, and this definitely does not. Nor does it look like a metallic.
All that said, it seems pretty clear to me that the message was "gold" - as in Olympic medals.
I forgot to say earlier that I think her hair looks fabulous. Softer than we've seen.
I was also struck by how much jewelry she had on - hoop earrings (a first?), bangles, and brooches. And yet, not too much for my taste. This was not a night for subtlety!
I just found this close-up that shows more of the cognac look, and her fantastic face, make-up and hair.
Close-up, Cognac
I love this full length shot. Forgive me if it's been linked already.
I don't want to just be contrary, but this picture, in my opinion, shows that crinoline is clearly hanging evenly, clearly coordinates and is not a drastically different color, and adds a nice visual to the rest of the dress. The brooches don't even seem to be too much (to me)
I like this a lot.
Wow! Rock on Michelle, rock on!
Theothermimi: You are a woman after my own heart! I laughed so hard at your comments - You write my thoughts so well - lol.
dee84 writes @ 7:04:
"She looks done for the Gods and her face is BEAT."
OK, you hip, young thing. Can you translate for us oldsters? What does BEAT mean, exactly? Clearly it means something really good, but can you (or someone else) help me out here? ;-)
Thanks.
This is a pretty good photo of the Bangles
i literally gasped when this picture loaded. its beautiful
@Willow
The phrase "Beat" means that the First Lady's makeup is exquisite :-) We may need to include a slang section for translations in the future..lol The bloggers on this site are definitely diverse and I love it !!!
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are our 21st century's Camelot Royalty, and they didn't come from wealth...Only in America...lol She represents America o well...I am so proud of her. Go Chi-town !!!!
@Willow
"Beat" is gay lingo for something fabulous or fierce! lol
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Beat
Scroll down to adjectives.
The IOC presentation is on live now on MSNBC
I'm watching it on Fox now. (MSNBC is running The Ed Show in my time zone.)
I caught a glimpse of the First Lady from a distance. She seems to be wearing a yellow sweater or some other type of yellow cover over her arms.
Michelle is wearing a large yellow bow.
I've never been interested in the process of choosing a host city for the Olympics until now.
Michelle is a eloquent speaker.
it appears as though there is a bow or tied sash at the back.
A few pics:
http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=2&language=en-US&family=editorial&p=michelle%20obama&assetType=image&src=quick
President and Mrs. O were a dynamic duo. Mrs. O was so sincere in her plea to allow Chicago to host games that can inspire the next generation, and President Obama was his magnificent self, urging the committee to choose a nation made up of many nations.
Mrs. O wore a shade of gold (or yellow) again, but this time more subdued, and appropriate to her speaking role. She looked lovely, (carrying on her message about the gold.) She had on a dress, I think, with a large bow (of the same fabric) at the waist on her left side, I think. She appeared to be wearing a yellow, short-sleeved sweater over it.
They certainly did us proud. I hope we win the vote! :-)
This is my favorite so far.
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Olympics/ss/events/sp/092706olympics/im:/091002/ids_photos_sp/r1584296310.jpg/#photoViewer=/091002/483/cph11510020725
YOLA,
Thanks for the pics. They provide a better look than I got on TV. Mrs. O looks wonderful! That yellow dress is gorgeous. Also very good with her skin, of course.
I like this look for the Olympic presentation, but the fit around the waist was very off. It fit well in the bust and the hips but there was a large pocket of loose fabric around her tummy. She's an hourglass and if you don't get the waist taken it, it causes bulges.
I'm not a fan of the belts and cardigans, but I actually liked them with this dress. I also liked the snake print. At least that's what it looked like. I like that all her clothes this week had patterns that actually looked like texture. Very interesting and modern.
WOW !!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely totally speechless !!!!!!!
This is a good picture of the dress.
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Olympics/ss/events/sp/092706olympics/im:/091002/ids_photos_sp/r1584296310.jpg/#photoViewer=/091002/483/cph11110
This dress is drop-dead gorgeous. Her hair and makeup look fabulous, especially when she is sitting next to Oprah, who wears sooo much makeup. Maybe O. could get a few pointers from Mrs. O. about how to look glamorous in a more subtle way.
Christina, thanks so much for your direct links to photos. It's great to just click on the pink instead of typing in a very long web address and making mistakes in the process.
Here are couple of my favorites so far:
Full Length
Close-up at Lecturn
The fabric in this dress is interesting, shiny, amazing, and beautiful.
She was a winner this week. Good luck Chicago!
I think this outfit is a total home run. The dress fits her beautifully. I like this new twist on a belt. With her magnificent height and thin waist, she can wear things -- like that wide, bowed belt -- that some of us could never dream of. I think this is an A+.
I loved the outfit and thought that it was signature Mrs O: sweater, bow, belt(although fabric), with the medal shoes. I loved the dainty earrings, all in all, I feel that Mrs O continues to convey a soft confident feminine approach.
Well put Willow!
BBC described the Obama's speeches as a ying and yang; a perfect complement to each other...
I too stayed up to watch the OIC presentation; Mrs Obama's speech was so heartfelt and sincere and moved me to tears...
President Obama was at his eloquent, unassuming, elegant and dignified best; He reminded the world why inspite of all that's been thrown at him, he remains above the fray and refuses to get down in the mud even when we sometimes wish he would-
How else can one honestly sell the message of, or argue for uniting a diverse people and bringing back decency, integrity and all things noble to the way things are done...?
There's no denying that this is a man who leads by example...Noble, decent and nary a shoulder chip in sight..
No other words. Simply stunning
Wow! Wow! Wow! Elle est simplement magnifique! I heart gold and it suites her. Love that the brooches are back though I've never seen her in these. I wonder who designed them. Crinoline is dressy and so appropriate for the opera ; something about it's dreamy fantasy nature just feels right . Overall A+++
My Goodness! FIrst Lady MIchelle just keeps hitting homeruns. She won't let up and let us admire just one outfit!LOL
I swear, I never knew there were so many ways to bring attention and definition to the waist! @ Operafanatic, hoops are not a first for her. I saw her in them mostly during and before the campaigns.
It is an outstanding dress. Superb. The only thing I am not fond of is the netting showing at the bottom of it. I should also say that I think her hair style here is among the best that I have ever seen.
What an awesome cocktail dress. It's just beautiful. So warm and affectionate and fun. I just love it. She's definitely going for the glowing colours this week - I see Getty has reams of pictures of her in bright spring yellow with the President. They look pleased to be together! http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/91324749/Getty-Images-Entertainment
Not sure I'm liking Oprah's ruffles and Imelda Marcos hair though. It's a bit heavy for her.
This one just made me laugh out loud.... http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/91318009/Getty-Images-Sport
"I think you're amazing. And pretty cute."
"I know." * grin *
Oh and YouTube now has Mrs O arriving at Amalienborg for lunch with Queen Margrethe II, along with a few others. Nice grey/black print dress.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gmg4bvTV-I
That Yellow dress is A-MAZING!!! I love Michelle's use of color, even when fashion dictates that fall colors be drab and boring! love her!
Michelle LaVaughan Obama - I salute you !!!!!
Still on last night's looks... Last Oprah loves herself some ruffles. A lot of her evening wear looks the same! She wears the same style over and over again. I noticed she also has on gold shoes. The message this delegation is bringing to the IOC is gold, gold and gold. Loves it!!!
Full length view of Mrs. O's dress today:
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/91318064/AFP
My verdict: Cute, little dress, silly big bow.
The O's seem happy to be together. Date night in Copenhagen, anyone?
Posh--
I swear that man has some kind of special magnet in his upper body that draws him towards her. You frequently see him leaning towards her like this. This is about as happy (sustained) as I've seen him since the inauguration.
Politico has a video of the complete speech for both of them including the kiss inbetween.
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/1009/obamas_olympic_pledge_e289fb91-1866-4a47-8810-0c0229cff134.html
You're absolutely right Sharon. My husband came fitted with one too. It's very nice!
Oh my GOD. Give Chicago the damn Olympics. I just cried through that WHOLE speech.
Mrs O is definitely not a fan of simplicity - however, I agree it suits her.
It is a great dress. I wish she wouldn't slouch though.
American Royalty
@ Michelle: Please stop SHOUTING! We can hear you just fine without the all-caps. Now, back to the fabulous fashions.
Loving the arms, too. Lady O has definitely raised the bar on the Jackie O style.