Wednesday
Nov042009
First Sweetheart
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 9:42 PM 
Photo by Tim Sloan / Getty Images
President and First Lady O are hosting an event to celebrate classical music in the East Room of the White House this evening. We love the flattering sweetheart neckline on Mrs. O's white sheath, and the "acres of gold bangles" add just the right touch of glimmer.
Update: The fabulous Danielle Datu, an Assistant Editor for mystyle, has pointed us to this double face wool sheath dress from Talbots. And indeed, we've confirmed with Talbots that it's their design.
tagged Talbots
Talbots
Reader Comments (68)
Hi chimene,
The dress is by Peter Soronen, worn for the annual Alfalfa Club Dinner in Washington.
There's actually a photo of said dress that accompanies Peter Soronen's Q&A in the Mrs. O book.
Best,
Mary
Here is the photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/3484818972/in/set-72157617357737487/
oh wow, thanks so much, <G!!> that's definitely the photo, now to see if I can find the other side of the dress... oh my, the silver glitter sheath at the Governor's Ball (Mar 10/09) was PS too!
still looking for a front view; oh well. I think I'm going to make my own scrapbook of what I like best... thanks again for the link!
Hi chimene,
That's the only photo of the red dress that's been publicly released. But, fingers crossed, maybe that means it will be worn again!
Mary T.
please delete
sorry. did not see the last 4 entries and had answered chimene's question which would be duplication. could not get the entire post to delete
thanks
Chimene, I too looked for that red evening gown to see what the front looked like. Never found one photo. Designed by the corset designer Peter Sorenon, it may have been too decollete in the front for them to approve release of photos. His evening designs are often very low cut.
Here is a typical Peter Sorenon evening look, including the neckline. He starts with a corset (some might call it a bustier) and works around that. If that red evening gown had a neckline anything like this, it is possible that photos of the front were squelched.
http://mylt.ltcdn.com/all-the-looks/sites/mylifetime.com.all-the-looks/files/imagecache/fullsize_435x620/81250448.jpg
Sorenon's name in photo credits is misspelled.
Sorry to bounce back in so soon, but here is some info on that red dress (and I too misspelled Soronen's name):
“There has been a huge interest in special orders, which honestly has helped maintain a business in this gloomy time,” said Peter Soronen, whose pieces — such as the custom-made cherry red dress Obama wore to the Alfalfa Club dinner in March; the cluster-sequined gown she wore to the Governor’s Ball, and the floral dress she wore on Easter Sunday — are sold through Ikram, the Chicago boutique owned by Ikram Goldman, the First Lady’s de facto stylist. (While Soronen’s spokeswoman would not give out specific prices, she said the latter two dresses retail in the upper $3,000 and $2,000 range, respectively.)
http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/the-first-lady-effect-2138191//?full=true
Now we know that some of her clothes, for which we go searching, are custom-made and will not necessarily be found on the respective designer's website or in their runway slide shows at style.com.
The Alfalfa Club dinner was closed to the media, so in great part, that's why we didn't see photos. The lack of photos may also mean - fingers crossed - that we get to see the dress again in its full glory.
There are different types of doubled faced wool (and it is double faced, not double face). Start with the concept that most fabrics have a "face" and a "wrong side". Double faced fabrics look the same on both sides, although the colors may be different.
Often used in coats or capes that can be reversible, or are unlined with minimal finishing around the edges and sleeves. I have a light weight double faced coat that is charcoal on one side, beige on the other. It is not intended to be reversed, but the inside beige is revealed when the collar and sleeves are turned back.
It mainly means that both sides of the fabric are finished. There is no "wrong side".
That said, I am not clear why it would be used in a sheath dress like this one. Would have to see the garment to understand their thinking. May just be to have body without lining?
PS. on double-faced wool (and I notice some clothing manufacturers ARE calling it double face now):
Martha Stewart, in instructions for making a blanket with heavier weight double-faced wool, describes it thusly. Pretty good description:
Double-faced wool -- two layers that are held together by a web of threads -- is available at most fabric stores.
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=f112c137bf22f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&lastnavigatedchannel=13fbf423088ee010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=taxonomylist
I do think both terms are acceptable. Of Mrs. O's designers, the fabric is most frequently used by Michael Kors, and he describes it as "double face wool", while others write/say "double-faced."
The seaming on this dress is interesting, both front and back. Recommend you go to Talbots site where you can easily find this dress. View the ivory model (like this one), zoom in and roam around over the dress with your cursor. You'll be able to see that the handling of the seaming provides lovely shaping and decorative, rather architectural detail.
Mrs. T, having dealt with fabrics for decades, to me it was always double-faced. (And I misspelled it in one of my posts, calling it "doubled-faced". Yikes.) I too notice that current designers use the term double face. No big deal. Just what we're used to.
This fabric goes in and out of style every few years. In the past it was pretty heavy - wonderful for blankets and unlined blanket-looking coats and capes, with finished but unhemmed edges. I notice now that it is in lighter weights. Some are more like double weight fine knits that are firm enough to handle like woven fabrics. I love my medium weight black/beige coat, which is perfect for Southern California.
I foind that clothing items at Talbots run a little large. AT 5"7" I find that the pants are usually too long in the crotch and tool short in length. I mainly purchace sweaters, skirts, and dresses.
I have given up on Talbots clothes. They are cut for "women's" bodies, which accounts for the longer rise in their pants. I need Misses clothes - shorter rise, narrower thighs, no baggy seats.
Very nice. Hard to go wrong with Talbots.
One word: HOT!!!