Tangerine Twist
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 11:00 AM 
Image by Saul Loeb / Getty Images
First Lady Mrs. O stands alongside Indian First Lady Gursharan Kaur as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives in the East Room of the White House.
Mrs. O wears a tangerine-hued brocade dress and coat by Isaac Mizrahi, from the designer's Pre-Fall 2009 collection. Click here to see a shorter jacket in the same fabric. Many will recall that Mrs. O wore another dress and coat combination from the same collection to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Metropolitan Museum of Art American Wing back in May. To see that ensemble, click here.
We love the fresh pop of color on both women. Simply radiant!
For more context of the color choice, reader mjohnso2 writes: "it appears to me that the First Ladies chose to dress in green and tangerine in reference to the colors in the Indian Flag: saffron, white and green. According to Wikipedia, Saffron means courage and sacrifice; white means purity and truth; and green means faith and fertility." Fascinating! Mrs. O has been known to use her wardrobe to convey meaning, and this may be the best example yet. What do others think?
More photos of the first ladies follow below:
Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton
Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton
Isaac Mizrahi
Reader Comments (73)
Thanks, mjohnso2 and Mrs. T for the fascinating info about the Indian flag. What lovely symbolism! It surely appears that the First Ladies dressed to honor those colors.
Mrs T. Thanks for explaining the colours of the Flag and their
meaning. Regal outfit, and that this colour represents COURAGE - wow.!!
Mrs. O's confidence continues to shine brightly - yes we are looking at
"Courage" in this absolutely fabulous ensemble. Perfect earings with an
exoctic touch. Green for "faith and fertility", great colours for
table settings. The green also reminds me of what Mrs O has
been telling us about growing our own food. I am just soooooo happy to
be apart of this and I'm going to say it a million times. God Bless the Obamas
I don't like the coat dress combo, it seems a little bulky, probably the material. I do love the color and the dress alone though.
If the coloring was intentional, it's a lovely nod to the Indian people. Remember when Princess Diana used to do much the same thing - like the very famous "Rising Sun" white and red polka dot dress she wore on an official visit to Japan? It's a great idea!
Thank you, Isaac Mizrahi! Including a self belt in the design eliminates the need for one of those huge belts Mrs. O favors. Wish more designers would do that for her.
I love the color of the ensemble, and the earrings--stunning! She just looks so happy lately--maybe she's adjusting more to the demands of the position. Remember how during the first month or so she'd occasionally appear in public without makeup and hair not looking its best? She hasn't done that in a long time.
Judging by her example, the only way to be an effective first lady is to have lived your life up til then in such a way that you are already prepared for the position. She was already at ease with meeting people, reaching out to different groups, being active in the community.
The First Lady who follows her will have a difficult time living up to Mrs. O's example.
I love the color! The dress without the coat looks smashing! Has anyone noticed what beautiful skin our First Lady has.
STRONG FORU, Yes I have noticed her beautiful skin. I remember her first interview
on Larry King Live during the campaign. I thought to myself, show your arms Mrs. O,
that's a part of your beauty.
She has been blessed with that soft, velvety, glowing baby skin, so enhancing that
natural sheen would'nt be time consuming for her IMO. Also, how many ladies
can dress for a fancy occasion without stockings. I wish I could remember a saying
I heard years ago to describe her skin type - something like this,' brown skin smoothed
over with baby powder.'?
at Ari: Yes Prabal Gurung is also Asian and is quite an emerging designer and he hails from Nepal, the land of Mount Everest and Gautam Buddha which is my native country as well. Prabal Gurung has done all the Nepalis very proud and his clothes have been worn by many celebrities such as Demi Moore, Rachel Weiz etc. Way to go Designers!! and thanks to all the Celebrities and Mrs. Obama for supporting designers from the Developing Nations. Hats off to you
Fabulous outift, Mrs. O.....love the fabric and the color, but I especially like the gold shoes!
Willow: From a fellow Northwesterner....it's Willamette with two l's.
I agree with marabout40...she outshines everybody in the room!
Our first lady doesn't stop, she looks amazing in the gown. OMG! Beautiful pattern, shear and elegant. She keeps getting better and better. The coral dress/jacket is nice too. I am thinking she can wear any color. President Obama looks very handsome too.
Our first lady doesn't stop, she looks amazing in the gown. OMG! Beautiful pattern, shear and elegant. She keeps getting better and better. The coral dress/jacket is nice too. I am thinking she can wear any color. President Obama looks very handsome too.
I just keep coming back and coming back to look at these pictures. I am a cold hearted pragmatist, but I am being sucked into this fairy tale vortex that is Mrs. O in this dress. And I can't get over her hair. What a combination of beauty and brains.
@jestina - I hope you got some sleep.
PS: I meant to post this under "Mrs O Sparkles"
She looks stunning here too!
This colour is really beautiful with a dark skin.
@Bob
You sound jealous.....
Most First Ladies, Queen and Princesses have long used color, jewelery, etc to convey meaning. Nothing new or original with Michelle doing it.
Great color, but what's with the greasy legs?
I think the dress It fits her perfectly. I never though a traditionl dress will look so cool.
please, please, would anyone post the link for the room decor, flowers and furniture pictures?
Both of them - very classy.
This rich brilliant color (tangerine, mango, some exotic Eastern food.fruit, etc) reminds of the beautiful shantung gown in a similar shade, designed by Oleg Cassini, worn by Jackie Kennedy on her trip to India, and so prominently displayed in the recent exhibit of her clothers. Mrs O is the only first lady since then for whom one could imagine, years later, a similar retrospective exhibition; both have the same very disciplined approach to fashion: taste , creativity and a distinctive look,--and an almost intellectual collaboration with certain designers.,
Aware of MO's comments in past re pantyhose. However, the sheen on her legs appears more consistent with the sheen from a certain type of hose rather than "grease"
That is nice. She is now a powerful women. I seen her in a kids show too.
Jane W
Thai Green Curry