Thursday
Nov052009
Stylish Strokes
Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 5:27 PM 
Photo by Tim Sloan / Getty Images
First Lady Mrs. O visited the Department of Energy today, hosting a practice session for young people participating in the National Science Bowl.
We are loving Mrs. O's black and white Moschino jacket with Chanel-inspired lines and painted accents. A black and silver diamante bow pin, seen here, accessorizes Mrs. O's left faux pocket. What a timely choice considering the Washington Post ran an article by Robin Givhan on Mrs. O's favor for Moschino just this morning.
The Moschino brush stroke wool-blend jacket is available on Net-A-Porter, here (thanks Posh, Ari and jestina).
tagged Moschino
Moschino
Reader Comments (57)
OMG !!!!!!!!!! I love that jacket. Very dramatic, very different, very Michelle Obama. Love it.
Love It! You can't go wrong with black and white. I really really like that jacket. The painted accents (I didn't know how to describe it earlier) is very interesting and very cool.
I love her hair like that and when I try to do my own hair like that, the hump is never high enough or looks the way I want it! :-(
That's a beautiful jacket. Is it Moschino? It's the sort of thing he used to do. (Look at her face, is she not just lovely?!)
Yes Posh, it is a Moschino.
Just look at Michelle. She is LOVING her role as first lady, just loving it and she is such a natural.
Video of her speaking here .
I'm pretty sure the jacket is indeed Moschino like the one here .
Nice
Also, Huff Post has a close up of a brooch that Mrs. O is wearing. We can't see it in this Pic. It is a beautiful pin.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/05/michelle-obama-visits-ene_n_347653.html
Wow, gimme that jacket. Plus, this is height-ist, but I like the way she is usually taller than other people!
I'd put this look (along with Mrs. O's Alexander McQueen chalk-marks pinstripes suit) as among my favorites.
So chic. Wow! I love this look.
WOW!!!!!!!!! Moschino, the jacket is fabulous.I love it. the painted brush strokes is genius! And I love the bow pin.
Mrs.O is so in tuned to what is going on around her, just this morning the Robin Givhan story about
Mrs. O favoring Moschino......Mrs T this woman is phenomenal, the fashion world is so much
richer because she came by.
Excuse me....$1,720 for THIS? It looks like something from TJ Maxx. What a waste of money. It's not even all that cute, IMHO. Hope Moschino's people gave it to her.
I love the brooch! The jacket? Too far out there in my opinion, and it looks as if it may be a bit too large for Mrs. O.
Mrs. T: Do you happen to have any more info on the brooch? Thanks!
The Moschino jacket will prove to be so versatile. It will be fun to watch what else Mrs. O "mixes and matches" with this. The possibilities are endless. Because of this website, I've been "shopping my closet" and using what I have in different ways. For instance the suits I have with 80's shoulder pads, I'll use the pants and wear it with a blouse and cardigan instead of the jacket. Thanks Mrs. T for the inspiration!
As a woman, in all my 40+ years, I've never followed what someone is wearing as closely as I've followed Mrs. O. I don't want to be like her. I am inspired by her to be myself fully - in all aspects of my life. Who says fashion is not an expression of self, period. Everything she wears speaks of a woman comfortable with her self, in her self, by her self. I am loving it!
It seems strange to say that a piece of clothing has a "sense of humor," but this jacket definitely does. Or the designer did, in making it. I love how it takes the Chanel elegance and turns that look on its head.
Well, that's clever...looks like she put the pin where it is already brush-stroked on. It gives it a two dimensional effect and something so unexpected. I like her creativity. I've heard Michael Kors say on Project Runway that he is delighted when he sees his customers/clients style themselves differently than what went down the runway. I wonder what Moschino thinks about this? I think it's cheeky and I like it!
After looking @ the pictures on HP, it seems Mrs.O placed the pin ontop of the "pocket" that was brush-stroked on. Hmmm, clever still. For me, the jury is still out about the jacket, but I like the way she styled it and she looks good in it. Sorry about the back-to-back posts, I don't mean to monopolize!
Capitolhiller, we are >>><<<. I have recycled an old grey jacket with a silver belt and a brooch. that I picked up in the charity shop recently. I keep getting compliments from my work colleagues when I wear it, so much so that I can't bear to tell them that it is the same jacket that I've worn for the past 2 years !
Trinibird, I couldn't agree with you more. As someone in the public eye, you would think that Michelle would play it safe and stick to neutral colours and "safe" suits but no, she puts on her clothes, looks in the mirror likes what she sees and steps out. Gotta love her for that.
WOW though - that is a $1,700 jacket!
Michelle can wear, Jcrew, Jason Wu and Target. She just wears it well. I am kinda like that:). This Is one website that I truly love. I am so interested in knowing what the first lady is wearing. I love the black and white jacket. Who cares what it cost? If you like it, BUY IT.
Some of you guys are making a big deal about the fact that she bought a $1,700 jacket, but you forget, she is a millionaire if you include her husbands book sales and the fact that she had a $300,000+ job, which is more than almost 80% of Americans make. For some people that is extremely expensive but for her it may not be. Plus you know she's smart about what she buys and always gets a good wear out of all of her clothing by wearing them multiple times in different ways. Let's stay out of her wallet please. She likes to mix high and low fashion, and today she decided to wear a quality, unique high fashion piece. Get over it.
I really hate to post again......
Ari and nu vision I am so with you.......If I could've afford to buy a 1700.00 jacket HELL yea I would. She is NOT spending tax payers dollars.
I think right now she is THE STIMULUS package . J CREW, TALBOTS, GAP TARGET and all the others are so thankful for her.
Hey Mrs. O if you find another jacket that u like and it costs $2000.00 I say go for it girl. And dont forget to put a belt around it.LOL LOL .......
I love this jacket! Witty and fun. And no coincidence that it showed up on the heels of the Moschino article.
@Charlene in Detroit - if you haven't read the article, you will enjoy it. The Moschino designed speaks at some length about how she feels about the way MO wears her clothes - how she tweaks them to make them her own.
In regard to the $1700 jacket: I would be surprised if she paid full retail for this or much of anything else. In my experience, industry standard for high profile clients is wholesale plus 10 or so percent. She is a walking advertisement for them, and they'd be crazy not to accomodate her.
The FIrst Lady of the United States of America is wearing a $1700 jacket....OH MY GOD!!!!! (snark). If it is not appropriate for the FIrst Lady to wear expensive clothing, then I'm not qutie sure who would be appropriate to wear such clothing...I guess celebrities trump the First Lady in exclusivity?
Whatever. People who complain about price are either jealous or just want to complain. No one in their right mind, who's honest with themselves, would expect her to wear Target and JCrew all day, every day.
I agree. $1700 is small change compared to what some celebrities wear. I remember the same remarks were made about the $400 silk brooch that she wore with the orange Talbots dress.
It would be a travesty if her kids were going hungry whilst she wore Gucci and gold but hey, she studied hard and worked hard for her pleasures and she married well which is her blessing, so I say enjoy.
Thanks so much Operafanatic, I read the article and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm glad that this is another designer that welcomes the customer's/client's creativity because some have expressed that they don't really appreciate that. I really like how our Michelle interprets and tweaks her wardrobe to suit her tastes, not being stuck with only a singular way to wear an outfit.As for the jacket, it's just not one of my favorites. I can't quite put my finger on it yet, but hey, maybe I'm not supposed to! Fashion is subjective that way.
I think one of the most fun things about fashion is how subjective it is. Witness the belt wars - it's not like anyone's "right." Well, except for you and me . . .
Were you around this site for the great "Pinata Tunic at Westminster Abbey" hoo ha? Now THAT was entertaining.
Yeah, that was unique (notice the diplomacy!) and quite lively, may I add! I was sick from dealing with a round of radiation and my registration on this site would not work. Mrs.T walked me through it and that's why I post so regularly now. I've been on this site (lurking) from Day One!
All I'm saying is you don't have to spend that much to look sharp (and she probably didn't). Nor do celebs. Nothing to do with jealousy. Spend your money how you want to, it's a free country. But anyone else who would spend that kind of money on an "ok" jacket could sure see their $$$ go a lot further if they shopped smart.
HI CHARLENE IN DETROIT, I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM - and Mrs. T walked me through so now
my comments will show. I did write a few comments bfore but they did not show up. I had to re-register. Have a good wknd.
canyongal - I understand what you mean that no one has to spend that much money to look good. I agree. And I doubt Mrs. O feels like she has to spend $1700 for a jacket to look good. Clearly she doesn't, since she's not shy about wearing Gap, Target, or Talbots. I think Mrs. O buys what she likes, and what she and her family can afford. And I don't see why any of us should care to the point that each time the price is made known, of a higher end article of clothing that Mrs. O is wearing, someone must kvetch about the price. I suppose a lot of it is just perspectives and where we all come from.
What used to bug me about Mrs O wearing such expensive clothes is I know with celebs oftentimes they are borrowed or discounted.
I know as First Lady she can't get stuff for free because it'd be against some law (just like how the President & First Lady can't keep the gifts given by heads of states.
I assume she also can't get discounts because that could be perceived as illegal too. Maybe I'm wrong though.
Assuming she has to pay full retail, it just seems as odds with the down-to-earth Michelle we adore, I think, especially considering she's representing the nation in expensive clothes during economically difficult times.
Of course she's entitled to buy whateve she wants, especially since she worked hard and I'm sure she wants to enjoy the nice things she worked so hard for in school, so I can't really have an issue with it, it's just interesting.
She looks great in the clothes no matter the price and she feels good wearing them and that's all that matters.
I feel Mrs. O should buy whatever she wants. We "ALL" pass this way once. In her case
whatever she did without in the past to make it as first lady, she does try to fit into all realms
of society so that we can all feel a part of the journey. NO COMPLANO. IT'S NOT EVERYDAY
WE GET THE CHANCE TO BE FIRST LADY.
@ Mica
Mrs.O has always been down to earth and still is, which is what attracts so many people to her. And unlike celebrities who borrow clothes, she actually buys and owns them herself which I think is way better because it demonstrates that she has her own personal style rather than paying someone to borrow and make her look stylish.
The other night she wore a white Talbots dress to a classical music event that can be purchased by almost anyone in America. Now she wears a $1,700 jacket and suddenly she's not as down to earth as she used to be. She's dressed this way through out the campaign and during the whole 9 months of this Presidency by mixing high fashion and low fashion which means sometimes, yes, she wears an expensive jacket every now and then. Do you really expect her to wear regular retail clothes all the time? Let's be reasonable here.
Nancy Reagan was First Lady during a recession and her mistake was constantly wearing couture fashion and borrowing, which caused some problems for her in the public eye. I think one of the reasons the price of Mrs.O's clothing during this recession hasn't been made into a big deal by the media is because she demonstrates a balance between accessible and fashionable. She's the First Lady for goodness sake. Just because she's not a super rich debutante or something doesn't mean she should not have access to the beautiful clothes they can wear. Of all people shouldn't she be allowed to wear high fashion too?
Plus how much do you think Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan and past first ladies have spent on their clothes? St.Johns, Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan and James Galanos is not cheap and is probably more expensive than most of the items in Mrs.O's closet right now.
The same jacket was on last week's episode of "Ugly Betty"!
http://blog.ajchristian.org/2009/11/07/ugly-betty-inspires-michelle-obama/
AJ
Again, all I'm saying is for that price tag I'd PERSONALLY want something with a lot more WOW. This looks very off the rack (I've seen it on other sites and haven't changed my mind).
Good thing she didn't decide to throw on a belt - then we'd really have a heated debate going - LOL!
LOL !, you're right there, Canyongal. If there was a belt, this thread would be pages long.
I'll be honest with you, that Moschino jacket "WOWS" me. I love it and if I could afford it, I would certainly buy it,. $1700 is not extremely expensive. People have spent much more for a lot less.
The thing is that it looks very timeless, she can dress it up or dress it down with jeans, leggings and boots at the weekend. That jacket could last for years and knowing Michelle it probably will. I have spent more money than normal on expensive and nice items of clothing and 10-15 years later, they still look good whereas some of the cheaper stuff has barely lasted a season.
i love the jacket! Mrs. O can pull off anything. She can afford to buy a $1700 jacket. Why should she not spend her hard earn money on what she wants. If i could afford to buy a $1700 jacket and i wanted it i would. Thats just like the time Mrs. O wore those expensive tennis shoes and everyone had so much to say. Its her money!!! I feel she looks good in the jacket and all her clothes. I log on just to see what she is wearing. Its does not matter who thinks the jacket she bought is not cute or that its expensive, it only matters what Mrs. O thinks, and she is killing it! Thats tells us she likes it!!! So if she likes it, then I love it.
I love the $1700 dollar jacket. Mrs.O looks great! If i could afford the jacket i would get it. Mrs. O has work hard so she should be able to buy "Whatever she likes".Thats just like the time when she wore those expensive sneakers and everybody had so much to say. She has great taste and looks good in her clothes and if she wants to buy a $1700 jacket, not only can she, but she "DID". This is an old saying If she likes it, then you should love it. I'm thinking since its her money and not yours she going to buy what she likes.
Oh, hell. Are we starting the dollar debate again?
@canyongal
This is an interesting discussion but I need to understand something. Are you saying that MO as the First Lady should not be wearing a jacket costing $1700.00 period or in these recessionary times. Or is it that you just don't think that the jacket itself is worth $1700.00? Or all of the above, I just want to understand. I kinda like the quirkiness of the jacket myself.
Denisegirl - I'm saying I don't think it's worth its price tag. It really does not look high-end to me at all.
Washington Post: "Moschino ... made frocks embroidered with the phrase 'Waist of Money'...he was ultimately flummoxed by how successful he became in the fashion industry by making fun of it."
So it looks like even Franco Moschino (who died in 1994) couldn't believe what people would fork out for "fashion"!
First time poster. Faithful reader. I LOVE this site.
I've had a question for a while about the price of Mrs. O's clothes.
Today it's the $1700 jacket.
How do we know that's the price Mrs. O paid?
Isn't it possible that she gets some items on sale like the rest of us?
And isn't it possible that when dealing with Ikram and buying so may items that she may get some kind of a discount?
Jay,
That is why the discussion of what she pays it ludicrous and presumptuous. There is so much we do not know about how she obtains her clothes. But as with what often happens on this site, people begin projecting their values, issues, and/or insecurities on Mrs. O, and the discussion veers off of fashion and onto personal feelings and values. When that happens, the discussion isn't fair to Mrs. O.
@canyongal - It's cool that you don't like the jacket - that's your perogative, but I'm not sure why you're tying your dislike to the price tag...seems to me that you wouldn't have liked it any better if were $17...I agree with others who have posted - counting other people's money is never a good look...IVA, your post was so on the money (tee hee).
@canyongal
Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Yup. "me", that is just my opinion. It just doesn't look expensive. Speaking for myself, it would have stayed on the rack whether it had been marked $1700 or $17.
Umph...I see some are patrolling Mrs. O wallet again. Pause. I'm back, had to dust off my boxing gloves. Listen, do we expect Mrs.O to go low-end ALL the time? Accept the fact that she is a woman of means. She got dough. Don't disparage her if she enjoys spending it on things such as this marvelous jacket.
The intrinsic value of this jacket is not $1720, and I believe that that is what some of our more practical posters are talking about. $1720 is a lot of money for something that is trendy, not a classic. Reading their posts, I don't believe they are policing what Mrs. O pays for her clothes.
True couturier clothes were entirely made to order for the individual who ordered them, and every stitch was done by hand. They were one of a kind. They are a thing of the past. Even Betsy Bloomingdale talked recently about having walked down the street to her designer's ready-to-wear shop and finding things she liked with much lower price tags. Many of her couturier clothes are currently on exhibition - I believe at the Fashion Institute in NYC (but that is from an increasingly untrustworthy memory) - if you're interested, look it up in Google).
"Designer" clothes today are another story. Mass produced, there is nothing exclusive about most of them. And many are seriously overpriced. Often it's the name that is commanding the price, not the garment itself.
I thought it pretty interesting that Ugly Betty wore this jacket on a show a while back, as one of the posters mentioned up the thread.
One poster mentioned that she probably receives a discount from Ikram. I imagine she does. I don't know the rules for gifts to her, but I believe that if she paid a tiny amount over what Ikram paid for a garment, she'd be OK. Ikram's profit margin is her business - and she profits mightily from the priceless publicity Mrs. O gives her.