A Model of Style and Substance
Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 1:03 PM 
Photo Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque As we wrote yesterday, Mrs. O is hosting a series of events today in celebration of Women's History Month. Mrs. O welcomed a star-studded cast of guests to the Diplomatic Room at the White House this afternoon, as the group prepares to visit with students in the Washington, D.C. area. The First Lady looks particularly chic today, wearing a Zero + Maria Cornejo jacket in Evening Raffia, paired with slim black pants and a new floral brooch. (The jacket, which Mrs. O also owns in a blue wool, has been worn before, featured here.) "This was one of my dreams," the First Lady shared in her remarks. "I couldn't have imagined this a year ago. But as we started moving towards this trajectory and it became increasingly clear that Barack Obama might be the next President of the United States and as I started thinking about the kinds of things I wanted to see happen, this day was one of those things. Gathering an amazing group of women together and going out, and talking to young girls around the country. This is part of that dream." See the full remarks below: Update: As part of the day's events, Mrs. O visited with a group of junior and senior high school students at Anacostia High School in Washington, D.C. Students asked the First Lady a series of questions, covering everything from her background to her make-up.
“There’s no magic to being here,’’ Mrs. Obama said. “What I want you to know is that my parents were working class people. I had a mother, for example, parents, who told me, ‘You don’t worry about what anybody else says about you. You don’t worry about that teacher who you think is not treating you fairly or what your friends are saying.' All that matters is where you are and where you want to be.’’
Read more about the event at The Caucus.
Zero + Maria Cornejo in Outfits
Reader Comments (65)
Video of Michelle welcoming the women
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20210.html
For the first time in American History, style has come to the White House. Big ups to MRS and the social secretary for representing for the sistas!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i just watched the clip. stunning and very slim flotus today. love this look.
Hope this works guys! It's a full 20 minutes with great view of the FL plus a great pick me up for the day. She sure looks great.
http://c-span.org/Watch/watch.aspx?MediaId=HP-A-16550
She looks great and spoke so eloquently. I'm in awe. Loved the outfit. I think she might be an even better off the cuff speaker than Barack!
Stunning perfection. This could be my all time fave of her WH daytime looks. And Michelle's speech was so inspiring.
the style of the jacket is similar to that of the blue suit she wore on the daily show in october, i'm pretty sure it was also a maria cornejo suit. it's a very flattering design on her, she looked lovely then and she looks lovely now.
@ Moja31
Yes, It is the same jacket that she has in at least 3 colors. Mrs. T covered it in a previous post. If you look back, you will see it.
Beautiful. Beautiful outfit, beautiful idea, beautiful example. I love it.
Thanks Janelle for the c-span link. Seeing Michelle interacting with the students is the highlight of the day for me.
Other instances where this jacket was worn and it looks like the same brooch to me. She also has this style in navy when she did a TV interview.
http://www.mrs-o.org/?p=1767
Now THAT is a proper First Lady look. Yay!
Her outfit is beautiful but even more I love her ABSOLUTE ease with herself. Even in that short clip, you can see how confident and self-assured she is.
And what a lovely group of women! Felicia Rashad doesn't seem to have aged even a tiny bit in the last two decades.
Mrs. A, if you look closely, I think it is actually a different brooch she is wearing today. I have never seen this brooch before.
And yes, she has this suit in blue and I remember she wore it to an interview on the Daily Show and looked AMAZING--still, in my opinion, the best suit she has ever worn. The general fit and silhouette of these Zero + Maria Cornejo suits is really amazing. They are not boxy or dated like many suits (even those worn by our Mrs. O) can tend to be.
@ Jenna,
Yes, I agree. That has been her best suit to me so far.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2008-11/michelle-obama-dress_43209281.jpg
Ok, I give up! This woman is just too great! lol
She looks fantastic!! And you can clearly see her excitement in the possibility of making a different in those kids's lives. I am glad there were other "real" women there and not just celebrities.
LOVE HER! Yes, I'm gushing, so sue me..lol
I read somewhere that a lot of news photographers are having to learn the basics of fashion photography when covering Mrs. O. Talk about a sea change! The article mentioned that a photographer remembering to get a full-length shot or even a close up (like the one I link to below, which shows amazing detail) was unheard of in editorial/news photography. Kind of interesting, no?
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/85504115/Getty-Images-News
I wonder if she will change for dinner tonight.
*Swoon* I have such a serious girl crush on the FLOTUS!! This event, her outfit, the conversation with the children at the High School she visited....I just have no words! If anyone knows where I can buy a "I voted for Michelle's husband" bumpersticker please let me know!!
For additional details on the event go to LynnSweet's bog
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/03/michelle_obama_in_candid_conve.html#more There is a cute little exchange about her makeup and who picks out her outfits.
here's a good full length shot:
http://www.daylife.com/photo/0bWC6SMggwcoW/Michelle_Obama
@ Brook,
The link that Janelle posted covers the whole exchange to the extent that the media were allowed to cover. About 21 mins. I enjoyed it, including the cute little exchange about her makeup and who picks out her outfits.
Wow, she looks great this is definitely one of her best. I'm starting to love this woman more and more everyday she is such an inspiration to young women. Not only is she beautiful and intelligent, but she is comfortable in her own skin. Go Michelle!
FLOTUS is a total inspiration - her look, spirit, message. She is together.
Outta the ball park. Confident, commanding, composed. She has such star quality. I don't think that there is really any other woman in the public today that compares with her.
I love what she said to the girls about being concerned mostly with where YOU are and what you are doing. She seems to bring that message to her First Lady duties everyday.
Ditto Allison. Michelle seems like a true natural. She's not intimidated or intimidating. She seems like she was born for this role. Her husband must be so proud of her.
Thanks Mrs. A I did not see that.
*****snarky alert**** Did Debbie Allen know she was going to the WH today? I know she is a dancer/artist and they tend to be a bit ecentric (no offense) but a baseball cap? Really Debbie?!?!
Also, I might have missed this in a previous post, but has anyone see the full list of what women participated in this event? I would love to see it! The media has been highlighting the "celebs" like Debbie Allen, Alicia Keys Cheryl Crowe, but I know there were some others like a General, Mae Jemison (former astronaut) and the CEO of BET.
A peek at Mrs. O's plans for tomorrow:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/dining/19garden-web.html?_r=1&ref=dining
Brook, the link below includes the full list of participants.
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/03/michelle_obama--in_major_rollo.html
I absolutely am captivated by our First Lady, she is so classy and intelligent. This woman has strong work ethics and is the ultimate soulmate to our leader. Look at what she's done to bring attention to our children and military families in a little over a month. She's simply fabulous!
@ Brook - I missed Debbie Allen's baseball cap! LMAO!
Re: Other folks in attendance - I also saw pics with Kerry Washington in there.
Thank you Mrs. T! I*heart* Lynn Sweet's column and all of the little details, so I don't know how I missed this yesterday. Always good to know I can get all of the delicious details here! You guys are the bestest!
@Janelle, thank you so much for that link to the 20 min clip, it was wonderful. i teared up.
that little girl saying the pres is cute, was so precious and so true.
No one can wear a brooch like Mrs.O. She makes it look so fresh and modern and can transform an outfit into a new look. In recent memory, only Madeline Albright had such a unique flair with brooches.
strong
Great look! Give it a "10"... but aren't we all a little sick and tired of seeing Desiree Rogers? She's just too much in the spotlight herself to my way of thinking. What happened to sublety?
nancy--I feel the same way about Desiree Rogers. As someone who coordinates events, I believe strongly that a social secretary should be in the background making sure everything is running smoothly, not in the same camera shot with the FLOTUS.
A good social secretary would have wanted to capitalize on that camera shot by putting some of the special guests around MO, not taking up the space herself.
Forgot to add that the vegetable garden on the White House lawn is an absolutely fantastic idea. And Sam Kass isn't too bad looking either. :)
Actually I would have to disagree. First, keep in mind that you may just be reacting to the photograph I chose to feature. Second, of all events, I think Desiree Rogers should play a prominent role in this one. After all, she's quite an accomplished woman herself! And on a style note, I think she looks fabulous as well.
Also, I've received a few emails in the past two days about the conversation veering off course into politics. Let's make an effort to keep it focused on style whenever possible.
Thanks!
good! it's seems that she is done with sleeveless dresses...she looks more chic with dresses like this one here...
Oh! and Desiree Rogers...she really likes to be seen...whatch out for her, I think she may be trouble down the road for Obamas
Desiree is also Mrs. O's friend. So, she's also with her because they are friends.
Anywho - I love this jacket. And with the skinny pants and flats - she looked so slender and sleek. Totally appropriate for the event at the WH and at the school. I can't believe how quickly she is finding her groove as First Lady.
I'm more partial to Desiree Rogers' outfit, but Mrs. Obama's outfit is decent today even though it is monochromatic. Hopefully Rogers is giving her friend some pointers on increasing her fashion sense.
@ Nancy & GS - Yes, you're right that Rogers has been too much in the spotlight. She is a charismatic and beautiful woman so she is going to attract media attention, but she needs to fall back some. The spotlight should be on the First Lady.
@ Janelle. Thank you so much for that C-Span link. It was so enjoyable and inspiring. I watched all 21 minutes, and it made me feel good all over. We are enormously lucky to have Michelle Obama in the White House at this moment. The people who live in DC must be thrilled!
Love the monochromatic Black
Fit of the jacket is Perfecto. She should wear this designer all the time. No wonder she bought the suit in 3 colors.
Not fond of the flower broach; looks like she’s trying a bit too hard to stick to her signature item. The beautiful multi-strand charm silver necklaces she has would have been great here.
Would have preferred a little kitten heels with the outfit instead of flat flats. They look better on her feet, especially next to Desiree’s gorgeous pumps. BTW, D’s outfit was Amazing: the neckline, the belt, the shoes (even though she should not hug Mrs. O’s spotlight that much.) And that’s my take on today’s look. Looking forward to tonight.
@ Mara - Yes, Desiree ROgers' outfit would have been more my style, though that takes nothing away from how fab Mrs. O looks. However, it seems that Desiree's belt is cinched a bit too inwards, making the contrast between her waist and her silhouette a bit exaggerated. Almost looks like she has on a belt one size too small.
Surprisingly, I can see both sides of the Desiree Rogers argument. That being said, I think I will give Desiree some slack today, since today's event was celebrating women. Desiree is quite a stylish woman herself too and I am sure she will get her own blog somewhere soon. I once read an intervview of hers though that left me so underhwelmed. And she prefaced the beginning of every question with "Well...." "Well..."
Seems like Mrs. O hit a homerun with this outfit.
I agree...hang back Desiree, hang back.
Check this out.... FANTASTIC!!! (It should be a slide show of Michelle tonight.)
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Michelle-Obama/ss/events/pl/050108michelleobama#photoViewer=/090320/ids_photos_ts/r1159454863.jpg
Video of Michelle at the White House event this evening!
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1155201977/bctid16993792001
This is a totally new look for her I think.
http://www.daylife.com/photo/0aAVasr22ubxh/Michelle_Obama
Scoop: First Video of tonite's event: Gorgeous brown off-the shoulder dress with pearls. not sleeveless. Malia and Sasha are there!
http://www.politico.com/largevideobox.html?id=16993792001
Scoop: First Video of tonite’s event: Gorgeous brown off-the shoulder dress with pearls. not sleeveless. Malia and Sasha are there!
Go to politico.com
At the White House event this evening Michelle wore a brown long sleeved dress and a string of pearls. I've posted a video link but it is in moderation at the moment. You can find the video at Politico dot com at the top right of the page.