Friday
Nov272009
Pretty Holiday Plaid
Friday, November 27, 2009 at 6:09 PM 
Image by Jason Reed / Reuters Images
First Lady Mrs. O and her daughters greeted a horse-drawn cart that delivered the White House Christmas tree today. The 18 ½ ft Douglas-fir, which hails from Shepherdstown, West Virginia, will be displayed in the Blue Room of the White House through the holiday season.
Mrs. O was dressed in festive attire for the occasion, wearing a plaid bow blouse by Love Moschino, paired with a red cardigan, black trousers and a wide red belt at the waist.
To see a video of the tree's arrival, click here.
tagged Love Moschino
Love Moschino
Reader Comments (50)
I really like this look. Her legs look miles long! She always looks fab in dresses and skirts, but when she has on the right pair of pants, she is unstoppable. I love the playfulness of the plaid with the bow too. What a cute, casual way to kick off the holidays!
The footage has images of the scene that look like vintage Christmas postcards. Or perhaps like a Hallmark kleenex-moment movie. Beautiful
Sasha and Malia are tooo cute. Mrs O ever fashionable even when she is not trying to be. Love them.
I see President Obama and First Lady Obama as my own president and first lady even though I do not live in US - such is their global appeal. We here in the UK adore them.
More pics of the state dinner at http://www.savablogs.info/2009/11/obamas-first-state-dinner-photos.html
Her outfit is so fitting for the occasion. The top paired with the cardigan looks extremely 'Christmas-y'.
I so loved Michelle Blouse it was really pretty.
Does anyone know where the plaid shirt is from?
Love the paid bow and the cardigan very festive. Wished there was a close up view. I had to smile
when Sasha asked if this tree was the biggest they've ever had. They girls are so adorable and
my goodness they have truly grown up sooooo much in the last 10 months.
I am sooooooo getting tired of those belts. cant deal with it anymore. no matter what style she's got, her crazy obsession with those belts is starting to put a mark on her image.
Lovely picture, First Lady looks festive.
Did you people see that french Elle has named Michelle the most stylish woman in the world?! and she beat Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who got second place! Well deserved Mrs O :)
There's a good chance I'm overthinking this, but how on earth did she get the sleeves of the plaid shirt to show up ON TOP of the red cardigan?
I think the blouse is Moschino, but am working to 100% confirm. We may not know for sure until Monday. Stay tuned!
Also, am I crazy or did a link to the Love Moschino plaid shirt disappear?
CHRISTMAS IS HERE!
And with just weeks to go, I can't wait to see this tree all dressed up in the Blue Room. Mrs.O sure looks like a package herself in this very appropriate plaid blouse & red sweater. It is indeed beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the White House and I'm sure the girls are going to have a blast!
Hey, check out Malia in her sweater and thin gold belt! Me gusta!
Hummm... how does that saying go again? Oh yes,like mother like daughter...
sorina ....I kind of disagree with you on the use of her belt for this outfit. The belt looks great with this outfit unlike others she's tried to pull off in the past. The wide red belt looks wonderful with her shirt . She only runs into problems with using a belt too much when trying to make it fit for almost all her outfits. But for now this belt looks great on her...
I love my first lady but belts are not always flattering on her.
Proud to be an American! Love the Obama's and the great change they have brought to that stuffy old mansion and office we love so much. I can't wait for the Oprah special at the WH.
Front view, closer up. Sweater appears to be raspberry in this photo, while belt looks to be cranberry Sweater looks too tight over this blouse, but the belt us UNDER the sweater!
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/009LdkTdA8gki/610x.jpg
I don't think of bow blouses as being casualwear, but that's me. No complaint here. Festive look.
This is such a lovely picture to start off the Xmas Season. I like how Flotus and the girls are color co-ordinated and they seem to have mom's fashion sense. They always look like little girls, which is a joy to see. These outfits reflect their personalities and I really like these colors. Very nice, indeed.
Rocky, I noticed Malia's thin gold belt as well. It really did bring a smile to my face ;-) And as always, lil sis wants to be like big sis because the gray scarf Sasha is wearing looks like the one Malia wore yesterday. Or maybe it could be the other way around and Malia borrowed Sasha's scarf, you never know.
I really like Mrs. O plaid blouse with the big bow. She definitely is a gift to this world!! <3
@ Mica, I had wondered the same thing myself. First wondered if the cardigan had a band of coordinating shirt fabric on the cardigan sleeve. This would be the easiest explanation but seemed unlikely. In this picture, the upper arm fabric appears more bulky than would be expected for the shirt and cardigan alone so I wondered if she had on a second duplicate cardigan under the shirt, then folded the shirt sleeve cuff back up over the top cardiganr sleeve then folded or scrunched the sleeve of the underlying cardigan up against the shirt. Had to laugh at myself.
Here's the shirt:
http://www.moschinoboutique.com/item/store/LOVE+MOSCHINO/tskay/BD67EC2D/rr/1/cod10/38142066VF/areaid//sts//mm/11001
Clicked submit too soon. Re the tricky business with the sweater/shirt sleeves, if you look at the closeup frontal view I posted up the thread (from daylife) and look at the Moschino puff-sleeved blouse with a band (see link I posted), it appears that she wore a long sleeved sweater or tee that matched her cardigan UNDER the blouse, and pulled some of the sleeve down below the shirt sleeve band. Then she put the cardigan on over all and scrunched the sleeves (may be 3/4) up over the full part of the puffed sleeve, exposing the shirt sleeve band.
Hard to follow but look at the photo and the shirt displayed at Moschino and you'll get it.
Love the colours and the pants are superb! Shame the cardigan looks a little 'bulky' at the sleeves.
Savablog, we are so proud and thrilled to share our magnificent First Family with the world! Our first lady never disappoints with her fun, smart, quirky, lovely style! Rock on Mrs O, rock on!!
Hope everyone had a safe and lovely thanksgiving.
This is a beautiful plaid blouse, and Mrs. O. found some great trousers. The belt, however, is not a good look with this particular outfit. It is very heavy-looking draws the eye away from the gorgeous blouse. Love the bow, as it draws attention to her pretty face. Malia's belt looks good, since it is thin and sits at her natural waist. Great picture!
LatinaDem, I think the fashion world is finally owning up to the fact that fashion is not about a size zero woman able to wear a label well and I am glad that they are celebrating it. A true fashionista in my opinion is someone like Michelle Obama. Someone who can respect high street brands and high end couture, someone who isn't scared to mix and match by throwing on a belt, brooch, some funky jewellry some contrasting NOT matching shoes. That is the main reason why I visit this site. Michelle inspires me with her choice of clothes and whilst I don't always love every single item that she wears, I do nonetheless admire her for having the confidence to wear what SHE likes.
I love the way the First Lady and the White House princesses look. I love love love little Malia's belt. You go, girl. I can just see these little princesses dressing up my mummy's clothes and having fun with clothes the way their mum does. Michelle is wearing a very Christmasey blouse. I love it.
I hope they have fun decorating the tree. Does anyone know if they are inviting children over to help out or will it be a private occassion ?
Well said, Lady Cha Cha. The Obama's have brought love and fun to the White House. I don't think any American has seen so much of it ever. I love the fact that they have opened it up for everyone to see and enjoy.
Elle, the Parisienne's fashion bible, has announced its 2009 best-dressed list, giving first place to Michelle Obama in the "political chic" category. :-)
http://www.elle.fr/elle/People/Style/Politique-chic
@ Mica & Jazz - I think she folded the sleeves twice in order to get that look.
I love the ensemble though. Very festive. Love the way Malia and Natasha are coordinating. Malia looks like she will be Michelle's height very soon. Adorable family!!
http://www.nbcdfw.com/around-town/fashion/Michelle-Obama-Tops-Political-Chic-List-76999057.html
She made the best list in Elle french fashion mag!
@Sorina,
Regarding your post, "I am sooooooo getting tired of those belts. cant deal with it anymore. no matter what style she's got, her crazy obsession with those belts is starting to put a mark on her image."
Your frustration can be solved very easily, don't look!!! Stay away from any and every source of info about Mrs Obama. No need to further frustrate yourself, just simply don't look. Find some other site to peruse, and stay away from this one where Mrs Obama is the center of attention.
The "crazy" one is you for doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Considering that Mrs Obama loves her belts, chances are she will be wearing one often. So, since you're sooo tired of those belts, don't come here where her belts are featured. Another thing, don't worry your frustrated-tired self with her image, she's handling it extremely well w/o your input, consent or approval.
Our First Lady looks sharp as always, very festive in this outfit. Malia and Sasha are both such adorable young ladies. Note on the belts - take notice of several anchor women on different news channels are featuring belts in their ensemble. Wonder where they got that idea from?!?!
This blouse is probably Moschino. It has the same bow style of the ones worn in Europe - one in black and another in white.
The kids are having such a wonderful time. Kudos to POTUS and FLOTUS for keeping good ole family traditions alive and festive for their children :)
The haters all need to just put a sock in it and celebrate this fashion forward First Lady that we have. People are into it because it's the first time we've had great fashion on a young First Lady since Jackie Kennedy and she reflects the millions of mothers in their forties everywhere. When they complain about the money spent, I am sure we are not paying for any of it. The designers give these clothes to her. Plus she always makes an effort to wear off the rack things from J. Crew, White House/Black Market and other affordable brands. I was so proud to call them our First Couple when they walked out for their first State Dinner. It's a big moment on the world stage and those photos follow the Presidency forever (think of the iconic photos of The Kennedys and The Reagans), so it was appropriate that they look stunning and formal. Her dress was impeccable. They do us proud wherever they go.
This is strictly a remark on fashion so please, no one start going off. Let's keep it civil.
You can see very clearly in the photo posted by Jazz that the FLOTUS needs to wear sweaters and blouses that hit her at the widest part of her hips in order to not look so square and boxy on top. Look where Malia's sweater hits: perfect proportion (plus the child has been blessed with a long waist). About 5-6 inches more fabric on Mrs. O's blouse would have done the trick, even with the belt.
That aside, it's nice to see what a great job she's doing raising the girls and juggling so many duties.
The belt is so stylish and fun. It's great to see Mrs. O mark her outfits with thoughts to the occasion. It does put a GOOD mark on her image - as a woman who loves to dress for herself and with a slant to the playful.
annAZ: Since you appear to be a new poster, perhaps you did not read Mrs. T's post asking us to be civil to one another. Please take note, and please do not call other commenters "crazy." That's a pretty loaded word to be tossing around, along with words such as "hater" and "troll."
@annAZ
I don't know Sorina or anything, but I'm noticing a theme in the comments thread as of late.
People mention their dislike of Mrs Obama's use of belts and then someone will come with some variation of "If you don't like it, don't look" or "She's going to wear belts regardless of what you think, so get used to it".
I am of the opinion that as a fashion blog, it is normal and expected for people to comment on not liking a particular piece of clothing or accessories.
What isn't normal, I don't think, is comments devolving into "Don't look if you don't like it" replies or people having an issue with someone's opinion.
The only person, I feel, that should try to steer the comments into a less repetitiveness conversation (in terms of anti-belt comments or anti-anything really) is the moderator/owner of the site Mrs T.
I feel if she is okay enough with the comments from folks that don't like Mrs Obama's use of belts that she approves the comments for all to see-rather than deletes-then those replying shouldn't hit people who just simply don't like an often repeated accessory with "She's going to do it anyway".
They know that, you know that, everyone knows that it is an individual's right to dress however they want.
But just as people positively comment about her awesome constant use of brooches and pins, let people have issue with her belts, you can skip over their comments or let them go in one ear and out the other.
Just my two cents.
A ha!
In this picture: http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/93450952
You can see the slightest hint of a buckle on the coordinating plaid print strip on her cardigan.
I assume now that Moschino sent these mini-belts (if you will) and Michelle added them herself on top of the cardigan.
We all know, thanks to the Mrs O book, Michelle likes stuff custom made (adding a modesty panel here, longer skirt there), so I bet this is what happened.
Honestly though, I think the cardigan/shirt combo would have looked just as awesome without the coordinating arm bands, but she still looks lovely all the same.
Plaid blouse perfect for the occasion - like a huge christmas bow. Love it. Casual and
simple. Mrs. O just knows how to combine her clothes with the theme of the moment.
As they say back home. You've got it.
NICE MRS O CAN PULL EVERYTHING TOGTHER LOVE HER PLADE SHIRT I BET SHE GOT THAT FROM PRIS WHEN SHE AND THE FAMILY WENT SHOPPING ON SASHA BRITHDAY. SASHA HAIR IS OUT ITS NICE MALIA FINNLELY NOT WEARRING TWITED HAIR AND SHE IS DRESSING LIKE HER MOM SHE WEAR A GOLD BELT AROUND HER WEIST.YOU CAN TELL FROM THE PIC.
First, I think the belt looks great, particularly because it is resting on her waist and it's a wonderful width for the pants and the blouse which is tucked in and looks neat as well as being flattering to her figure. But as for the different shades of red or rasberry or cranberry i.e. the reds in the blouse versus the reds in the belt versus the reds in the sweater -- I've noticed this many times before, where her color choices really appear to clash or be off and it just occurred to me that perhaps she suffers from a form of color blindness where she really cannot make those distinctions between shades of red. That would explain several of her earlier choices. Just a thought. Also, does Malia look different to anyone? Her eyebrows look different to me. Maybe she's at an age where she is experimenting. Sasha looks just the same.
There are two different sweaters or a cardigan and a tee - the tee or sweater is under the shirt.
The plaid shirt has puffed sleeves with a band that would hit above the elbow. It has been put on over the tee and a bit of tee sleeve pulled down and left exposed.
The cardigan is over the blouse - you can see the fullness of the shirt's puffled sleeve underneath the cardigan. through her shoulder and upper arm area. Cardigan sleeves pushed up so that shirt sleeve band and tee sleeve below it are exposed.
Three layers: Thin sweater or tee. Then the shirt, with a bit of the sweater or tee sleeve pulled down, exposed below the shirt sleeve band.. Cardigan over blouse/tee, sleeves pushed up to expose the sleeve band and the tee/whatever that is below that.
We have seen her do this "exposed" layering before, but with multiple sweaters.
I studied the photo with a high-powered magnifying glass and there are no buckles on those strips of shirt sleeve band that show below the cardigan. Just the pattern of the plaid.
A shirt with short puffed and banded sleeves is a rather unusual thing to layer between two knit sweaters or a tee and a cardigan. Lots of fabric to bunch up under a thin and rather small sweater.
From a belt skeptic: This one really does the trick! I love the bright gold buckle. The belt appears under a cardigan, for a change. Terrific holiday look.
BeeGee, thanks for explanation. I thought it was at thin gold belt. I am sitting here
figuring out the layering, turning up the sleeves on my blouse. GOT IT!!!
@AnnAZ
As the holiday season is in full swing it seems this is the time to be nice and civil to all.
I think you could have chosen nicer words to express your dislike for those of us who are growing weary of the prominent belts MO tends to frequently wear.
I don't always dislike the belted look but I will always feel free to "look and comment", if you don't like what I or anyone else writes on this blog, maybe you shouldn't read the comments and just look at the pictures.
Back to the picture: I think the girls are getting very tall and very lovely. Malia will be gorgeous by the time she is 16. I think MO's belt works this time!
The hell with the clothes - those girls are SO grounded I'm just in awe.
***
Mica, for myself, I would say that yes, it is a fashion blog and yes, you can comment on what you like. I'd also say that seeing as we are watching the sartorial choices of a lady who loves belts and will persist in wearing them whether we like it or not, is insane to keep making negative comments about 'em. That's just how it looks to me. it's getting to the point where every time I see a belt I just sag with boredom. Before I've even read the comments. Cuz you can bet your buttock that the fourth or fifth comment in is going to be an irate, surprised "Why does she wear belts?" remark.
Funnily enough, BarbG said recently that when people say "she's going to wear what she wants, she paid for it, get over it" kind of thing, it makes her want to scream. I had to laugh, because of course from my perspective, the persistent "why the belt, why that way, why so high, why so wide" comments make ME want to scream!!! I guess I just wonder why not comment on something else. There's plenty else to talk about.
Anyway, I don't doubt that this won't be the end of it so hey, whatever.
All:
I noticed a comment that said, "Finally, Malia is not wearing twisted hair." I think the kids should be off limits. It was a little comment in a larger post, but 'tweens have enough self image issues w/o our comments on their hair or other things beyond their control. Twists are very trendy right now for this age group. Our issues shouldn't become their worries.
Just sharing . . . thanks.
@Christen, Mica & River Rush,
I stand by my previous post. Perhaps you should look up the definition of "crazy" and "obsession" and then tell us if those words accurately describe our First Lady Michelle Obama.
Let me remind you of the unquestionably derogatory remark made by Sorina about First Lady Michelle - "I am sooooooo getting tired of those belts. cant deal with it anymore. no matter what style she's got, her crazy obsession with those belts is starting to put a mark on her image."
It is one thing to personally dislike a piece of clothing or accessory, that's fine. But when you cross over to characterizing our First Lady as "crazy" and "obsessed" then you've taken your "fatigue and frustration" with her fashion choices way too far.
In colloquial conversation "crazy" is defined as "doing the same thing over and over expecting different results" - now that's crazy. So since the likelihood exists that First Lady Michelle is going to wear one of her many belts, the best solution to your "tiring" is to abstain from looking at her fashion choices. Quit torturing yourself.
I admire First Lady Michelle's boldness, confidence, and fashion forward thinking. She is a standard bearer for "stepping outside the box", "coloring outside the lines", and doing what pleases her first and foremost. I may not always like everything she wears, and you may feel the same way, but watch how you "express" your distaste or disagreement with her choices for her.
lorns, your post made me smile.
I was really bumfuzzled by those sleeves, but when I saw the puff-sleeved shirt at Moschino's website I had an "Aha" moment. "So THAT'S how she did that!"
I think that this is absolutely the cutest outfit that I have seen her wear in awhile. It is very fitting for the occasion and also down to earth as the woman next door would wear this outfit as well. This is a winning holiday outfit in my book.