Double O
Friday, March 6, 2009 at 12:58 PM 
Photo credit: O Magazine
The April 2009 cover of O was unveiled today, and features a very spring-like First Lady Mrs. O. This marks the first time anyone other than Oprah Winfrey has appeared on the cover of the magazine since its inception in 2000. For the cover, Mrs. O wears a coral Michael Kors dress and a soft yellow Dear Cashmere cardigan. In her signature style, Mrs. O belted the look with the same clear waist cincher seen yesterday. (Update: Thanks to Mrs. C who has confirmed the belt is Sonia Rykiel.) Oprah wears a lilac shirt dress by Rachel Roy New York. Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun Times has the full scoop here, including this fabulous quote from our First Lady:
"I know that all I can do is be the best me that I can. And live life with some gusto. Giving back is a big part of that. How am I going to share this experience with the American people? I'm always thinking about that."
Oprah and Gayle are also discussing their February visit to the White House on the show today. When suggested that Mrs. O has been likened to Eleanor Roosevelt, Oprah replies:
"[Michelle Obama] is not likened to anybody. She is her own. She is so 21st century that there really isn't anyone you can compare her to."
Well spoken O!
Dear Cashmere, Michael Kors, Rachel Roy, Sonia Rykiel in Outfits
Reader Comments (114)
They are both beautiful women! Our FLOTUS is just glowing; the colors are great for her skin tone. Sweet!
Excellent!I cant wait to read this! :D
The First Lady looks great! She looks like she's lost weight? Does anyone know if the magazine is out yet?
The magazine is on newsstands March 17
Can't wait to read...Mrs. O looks wonderful. Very spring like, striking yet complimentary orange-yellow color contrast...my LOVE, LOVE, LOVE for the clear belt continues. Tidy ensemble, fits here beautifully.
Oprah's dress is lovely and the pink, together with Michelle's color choices has the cover trumpeting "Spring is here!"
Is this the final cover though? Hmm. That shot of Oprah does not look good AT ALL and I'm wondering why she allowed it? I mean, there's better poses. Which makes me ask whether the cover shot has been finalized...
she looks beautiful. can't wait to pick this up.
I never would have thought of wearing a clear belt over...anything. I think it's a great idea! I love that Mrs. O puts so many colors together. It's so fresh and inspiring.
What a great look - streamlined and fantastic color layering.
Mrs O looks modern and sleek - the clear plastic belt adds a slightly futuristic feel to her ensemble and completely enhances her enviable figure.
Love the negligible use of accessories -the bold blocks of color are enough.
Fabulous.
The belt really gives her an hourglass figure and the sweater still accentuates her flawless arms.
Wow... what a great picture of her. The photography is really quirky-- it looks like Michelle and Oprah were joking around about something, just having a laugh while the photographer did some test shots--rather than like any kind of posed picture.
Anyway, I love the spring colors, love Mrs. O's hourglass figure and REALLY love the coral dress. With the exception of that shade of emerald green that Mrs. O wore to honor Stevie Wonder, I can't imagine a better color for her than coral. It really flatters her skin tone.
I love the candid shot and the clothes!
Here's a link to a photo of Michelle taken in 1982 wearing her prom dress:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/michelle-obama/4949507/Michelle-Obamas-prom-date-describes-their-high-school-romance.html
Does it look like they were Photoshopped together to anyone but me? Maybe it's just because the image is small.
I like those colors (and Oprah's dress as well, for that matter)
Thank you for sharing. Love the coral/orange...how many people can pull that off? Only the First Lady, classy and her own.
Ahhhh My two favorite people together, I lovvvvvvvve that belt mrs o, I need it in my life BAD, both she and Oprah are look lovely and I like how the shot is not posed, its like their walking and talking and being snapped
Gorgeous! Thanks for the scoop, Mrs. T!
Michelle has definately lost weight. You would too if you had the White House Chef's managing into your calorie count. Plus the white house gym is convenient. Plus, the first lady invests in a personal trainer.
I expect that she will look very very good while in the White House. She has the discipline and the resources. And it is her husband who has the stress of the job.... Michelle's role is much less stressful and more about bringing attention to her issues.
Love the coral and yellow combination.
Who is that belt by? It's the same belt she wore to serve lunch the other day.
While I really like Mrs. Obama's outfit...I really do not like the cover of "O" magazine. I don't like Mrs. Obama's pose and it seems pretty obvious to me that the publisher of "O" magazine simply pasted to pictures of Mrs. Obama and Oprah Winfrey. The cover looks cheesy to me...like a 2nd grader did it. Of course as smart as children are these days...I might be insulting 2nd graders!!!
Pretty colors, but the idea of a short-sleeved cashmere sweater seems ridiculous to me.
@Christina
"Does it look like they were Photoshopped together to anyone but me? Maybe it’s just because the image is small."
I think you are right. Mrs. O appears to be speaking to a group of people directly in front of her, with her hands and mouth in public-speaking gestures. Oprah's eyes seem to be looking into a further distance off to her left, and not at Mrs. O. Oprah's image on her covers often appear to be composites, with different faces on different bodies. Her cover body seldom reflects her current weight stage, nor does her face show the aging observed in her cheeks here. In this photo, the two bodies appear to be at a different focal length, with Mrs. O's being narrowed and lengthened by the camera. It will be interesting to see if this is the cover used. But Mrs. O looks beautiful. Her outfit is looking forward to Summer!
Who is the belt by? It's fabulous!
I don't think it's photoshopped, purely because that seems like an odd picture of Oprah for them to choose. Unless she just REALLY wanted Mrs. O to outshine her, I feel Oprah would have chosen a shot of herself where she's looking at the camera, etc.
It looks like Mrs. O is telling a story or a joke, possibly to the group of aides and assistants helping to style the shoot. And Oprah is listening, while also looking off into the distance, absentmindedly. I guess the photographer took this shot and liked it because it seemed to tell a story, showed a candid moment, and was a little more interesting that the posed shots that they had taken.
Or at least, that's my own two cents. We will never know!
The cover shot is by Bruce Weber, a famous fashion photographer, check him out on Wikipedia. I doubt seriously if was photoshopped, more likely as Jenna commented, it's a quirky shot that feels more candid than posed as we're use to seeing for O and other glossy magazines.
I like it, especially because Michelle looks so fierce. And I'm loving some of the quotes from the article, like the WH decorating has to include lot of pillows on the couches, it has to be "fort-worthy" according to Michelle. What a mom, playful and down to earth.
I am still looking for the WH photo of Michelle and the girls on their new play set. Anyone seen it? It was on the teevee.
I just saw the photo of Michelle and the girls on the new swing set at http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/03/71506/index.html.
I actually was late for work because I stayed home to see this on Oprah this morning! I wanted to log right in and rave about it... the discussion was great.
I'm officially dying for both Michael Kors' pieces we've seen on Mrs. O... the black dress from the official photo, and this one. I watched his Fashion Week show online and just loved some of the stuff he's coming out with.
As for that belt, I'm going to guess it's a Tracy Reese. She's been doing a lot with clear belts, and we know she's done some recent things for Mrs. O. I'm sure Mrs. T will find out for us, though!
Another magazine to add to my collection! My husband is going to throw me and my Obama magazines OUT! LOL I am so looking forward to getting it and reading it. The Lynn Sweet info was delish! I hope it does not turn out like the People article in that I saw so many previews of it that by the time I got it I knew the entire article. There was nothing new. Oh well....
Edwina, I was looking for that picture earlier as well and could not find it. I saw it on Rachel Maddow last night and it was delightful. You could see the joy! The only thing that would have made it better would have been the president standing behind them pushing. LOL
Brook, I found a video that includes a picture of the girls and Michelle swinging on their new swings. Unfortunately, it includes an article with questions about how the new swing set has vetted. Oy.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=7014133&page=1
I really like the clear belt! And, unlike some posters, I like how Michelle looks in her belts. She does look slimmer here---makes me think that the photo was photoshopped that way --which is common from what I read. I think it's a great photo of Michelle.
Maybe it's the background that makes it look photoshopp-y. It seems like a backdrop. Anyway, I'm sure that at normal magazine size it all looks fine.
These colors (and today's weather where I am -- from snow to 70 degrees in five days!) give me hope that spring is right around the corner...
Several readers asked about Michelle's workout. Well, here you go!
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/get-michelle-obamas-sexy-sculpted-arms-in-5-minutes-a-day-409587/
Thank you Pat and Edwina!! That picture is adorable. I kept looking on whitehouse.gov, but they have not posted it.
I have to admit I never thought at all about Laura Bush but I think about the Michelle Obama a lot.
So what are they doing this weekend. Staying in Washington?
The more I see that clear belt of Michelle's, the less I like it! However, the colors of her dress and sweater rock.
And Oprah definitely needs to lose the belt - heck, she needs to lose that whole look. It's very unflattering.
Wilma-
The Obama family is heading to Camp David on Saturday and will return sometime on Sunday.
Wilma,
The Obama family is heading to Camp David on Saturday and will return sometime on Sunday.
Wow - that is a Bruce Weber photo ?
Very tame for him.
His usual subject matter is half naked nubile youths cavorting naturalistically in various locals / scenarios.
He does all the Abacrombie + Fitch ads.
He also made a documentary in the 80s about jazz legend Chet Baker 'Lets Get Lost'
Also did all those erotic adverts for Calvin Klein in the 80s and 90s.
Also does lovely art photos of landscapes in upstate NY. his dogs, portraits, etc.
Has shot for all the major fashion glossies - Vogue, Vanity Fair, W, etc. you name it.
The guy is a legend among fashion photographers.
I do agree that their poses are somewhat odd....BUT the colors of their clothes are wonderful! Kinda' reminds me of a vase filled with loveley, modern, sleek springtime tulips.
Mrs. O's clear belt is by Sonia Rykiel.
Jack Cafferty continues his Michelle crush and asks tonight on air, "should Michelle Obama run for political office." The enthusiastic responses on his blog sounded like some of our commenters. People all over the country are seriously crushed out on Michelle, she's really uplifting to people's spirits.
there's a poll as to whether this is hot or not - so far it's not too hot with the public - http://www.bloomacious.com/bloomacious/2009/03/michelle-obamas-o-mag.html
Love the outfit, nice colour combination. 10/10
LISTEN the cover is NOT photoshopped!
Oprah stated that she (Michelle) was giving her a tour of the White House, while talking about their (the family) life. Oprah chose this picture because it was NATURAL... I don't think we want another posing picture of the first lady. I love the fact that they wanted to showcase her NORMALLY. It also leaves room in the readers’ imagination (like I wonder what they were talking about. By the way Oprah raved about Michelle, I think the article will be great! It will be just another addition to my overflowing collection.
Carrie - HOT is now winning by 58% the public at large has better taste than I was going to give them credit for...
I seriously doubt that the photo was pieced together in Photoshop. We know fromt he Post that Oprah (and Gail, of course)visited the White House a couple of weeks ago, in connection with the magazine piece.
I certainly hope that nobody digitally slimmed down Mrs. O. She is not a model or entertainer, and I think she's so very real that she would not want that. Moreover, why wouldn't they have slimmed down Oprah as well? She looks downright frumpy in that dress and belt, and her hair is just all wrong. She can look a whole lot better, even with the extra weight.
Mrs. O, of course, looks fierce. And, yes a short-sleeved cashmere sweater sounds a little silly, but it's perfect for a warmish but not hot spring day. Cashmere is popular in the store for spring this year.
Mrs. C: thanks for the info on the belt....!!!
Nice colors on both women. Michelle's plastic belt looks cheap though, so she should've left that in her closet.
I cannot imagine Mrs. O ever running for office. Nor do I think that's her ambition for herself. She strikes me as the type who, if she worked in governmemt, would be doing more specialized work like crafting policy and writing legislation. Someone like Melodie Barnes who works for the Obama administration, and does a lot of the work of shaping the details for various domestic legislation pieces like health care.
I can REALLY appreciate the yellow short-sleeved cashmere cardigan down here in Texas. It's so adorable!
Thanks for the real belt designer, Mrs. C! I've also found a lot of affordable options... it appears to be an emerging trend (probably more so with Mrs. O sporting one).
Re: photoshopping Mrs. O to slim her, I think the effect of the sweater/colors tricks the eye to make her appear thinner. She's also standing at an angle, which helps. Oprah is facing head-on, which automatically widens her, not to mention that pleating on the waist of her dress.