Wednesday
Apr012009
Mrs. O Sparkles at Downing Street
Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 5:44 AM 
Photo by Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
While yesterday we saw not one, but two grown-up dress and coat combinations, Mrs. O has brought out her youthful charm today, dressed in a J.Crew ensemble that has the promise of Spring. Here she arrives at the Prime Minister's residence, 10 Downing Street, dressed in J.Crew's Crystal constellation cardigan embellished with beads, rhinestones and sequins, paired with J.Crew's Dazzling-dots pencil skirt in mint green jacquard.
Reader Comments (285)
Mrs.T put up a new article on the homepage!
When I saw it earlier, I commented that it was the perfect tea-to-dinner dress. It really is nice without the cardigan, but I'm happy she showed deference to the Queen and wore the cardigan earlier.
Given our different tastes in fashion, I'm sure some will find it boring. I find it extremely elegant. She's 4 for 4 in my book on this trip!
What is surprising, though, is that Sarkozy appears to have arrived alone. No Carla Bruni?
I think compared to the other women there, her dress is ok. There are other women who are certainly dressed better than she is tonight. Sorry, but I'm being hones here. She's down there with Mrs. Brown when it comes to this outfit. The dress is bad. The fit is absolutely horrible. The top makes her look like she has on a bad bra and the skirt add inches to her tiny waist. This is another thing that bugs me. Michelle and her people have an uncanny ability to add 20 pounds to her figure. Looking at this outfit versus the outfit she wore while stepping off of the plane, you'd think she'd gained 20 pounds.
This is the most unflattering thing she's worn, in my opinion. It is the holy trinity of everything her glam squad get wrong time and time again: boring color, ill fit, and adds inches and lumps and bumps to a woman who is tall and fit. To me, it's far worse than the red/black election night dress because at least that fit.
I have to add, this would have been the perfect time to add a beautiful belt. The way that dress broadens her waist is just wrong.
i want to cry, this woman is more gorgeous everyday! i met her on martha's vineyard at a fundraiser and i have to tell you, she gets better and better looking everyday. good GOD, i love her and i am a black woman, not a bitter bond in my body!!! LOVE!
OXFARM: LOL...!! Mrs. O IS a one-woman stimulus package!!!
Anyhow, JCrew should get to it and order some more sweaters!!!
The skirt is still available....
SD
I love her outfit today. I want one like it.
My earlier dissertation on the Queen's handbag appears to have been missed by those so eager to know WHY!
Also being missed is the tenor for this event. This evening is not a humdinger of a formal... the G20 leaders are having dinner together. The spouses are having dinner separately. Apparently Sarah Brown described it as a girls night in kind of dinner. So, although there are some celebs there (Naomi Campbell for some reason - the most badly behaved model on record), it's not a sparkling black tie do. I feel therefore, that Michelle has pitched it just right. Not too constricting or starchy, not too casual.
I agree with some of the other commenters too, in that, compared to most of the women present (who looked variously boring, frumpy or downright appalling) Michelle looked like a beacon of style. Not that that surprises me, I've been to this kind of reception a couple of times and the dress sense ranges from bizarre to astonishing. (Not in a good way.)
Going back to the Buckingham Palace reception, the Queen was wearing a very relaxed outfit for that, and it seemed that Camilla was wearing a fine knit top or cardigan. A lot of the women appeared to be in fairly average work suits.... no drama in comparing Mrs O's ensemble to that at all.
is this an april fools joke? you people are kidding, right? she doesn't even match! even so, she could have maybe pulled the colors off but she's got 3 different kinds of sparkles going on!
3!! from 3 separate decades--20s up top, 90s in the middle & 70s below! come on now, people!
i love this woman, i want her to always look her best, and you all do her NO favors by enabling poor taste.
Back again to the "appropriate" dresses to wear. Besides looking pretty and poised, the First Lady of the United States has to be appropriate. Wearing J Crew: lovely, pretty, springy - but not "appropriate". And I just heard that the President of the United States and the First Lady gave the Queen of England an IPOD! Lord have Mercy, where is the Chief of Protocol????
Welcome in Europe Mrs O. Ifeel Mrs O is like my first lady also.
The Queen's handbag - more to it than meets the eye (very interesting):
http://www.topnews.in/what-queen-elizabeth-ii-carries-her-handbag-23394
One comment: It doesn't seem right for us to be making snarky comments about Mrs. Brown or the other wives present for the G20. It should be sufficient to praise Michelle Obama without going into nasty-sounding comparisons.
My two cents.
I can't get enough of Mrs. O this evening. I love this J.Crew outfit. She is a breath of fresh air and adds a touch of class at every event.
I have seen the skirt in the store and it's really cute and beautiful color. I think it is perfect given the overall informality of a breakfast meeting and visit to a cancer treatment facility. She wasn't in the meetings themselves with all the various world leaders.
Just BEAUTIFUL!
I THINK THIS OUTFIT IS BEAUTIFUL THE COLORS GO WITH EACH OTHER ALSO HER OUTFIT ISNT CLASHY. SHE ALWAYS LOOKS CLASSIC, SOPHISTICATE, ROYAL AND BEAUTIFUL. SHE NEVER DISAPPOINTS ME WHEN IT COMES TO HER SENSE OF STYLE...I LUV HER...:)
The lime skirt it looks so yumy
Contrary to what some of you seem to "think". this was not a casual visit with the gals. It was a semi-formal occasion, a Great Lady visit to a hospital or something.
This is much too casual an outfit, what is proper is a suit or perhaps dress and coat ensemble.
This would be something you would wear to go shopping with your mother in law, or for a meeting with your kid's teacher, or to go to an art gallery.
The sweater -- awful. What is with the spaekles?
Skirt -- meh. Wrinkled. And not in a good way.
The animal print shoes. Oh. My. God.
It's not age or occasion appropriate, and not distinctive or interesting.
Her outfit looks amazing in this picture. But unfortunetly it did not photograph well in other pictures, especially interior shots with Sarah Brown. The sweater is too tight, and is pulling UNflatteringly at the waist.
The skirt had multiple wrinkles/crease marks across the front of her thighs.
She needs to make sure her clothes are more 'photogenic" !!
All her clothes are either straight, or shapes as an "A", ie small on top, big on bottom.
She wears cardigans & scoop necklines, that make her top half look weak.
She's bottom heavy, so she needs to balance things out.
She should wear "V" shapes, ie somthing that make her shoulders broader, a collar more prominent. Bring the eye up to her face.
And wear softer fabrics on her skirts, to soften her large thighs.
Well, I set the frustrated Republican trolls have shown up at the end of the thread. Eat your hearts out, guys.
I like her simplicity and it goes with her fashion which is fascinating. I like the combination of colours. I think Mrs. O you know it and keep it up.
Nzeniya
I think her this ensemble is perfect. She looks beautiful.
@Missy,
So if someone dares criticize our "New American Royalty", then we are a "Republican Troll". Sorry if everyone doesn't agree with you and the entire world doesn't go your way.
This may come as a shock to you, but there are some out there who are "starry eyed" about the "First Lady".
I don't see what all the hype is about. She looks run down and........SHE AIN'T NOO JACKIE O! Never ever.
typo: "...some out there are NOT "starry eyed" about the "First Lady".
LOLS for days...... D.SALVATORI you sound like you are about to have a heart attack. too emotional..... but keep trolling along cause you make me rotfl at you.
and keep using different names, you are not fooling anybody.
No doubt J. Crew will sell out of the skirt and sweater... love the look on Mrs. Obama.
This woman SIMPLY ROCKS!!! I love this look!!!
She is so FIERCE. She is a star. Americans should be proud, even if we don't know how to save money.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/apr/03/g20-michelle-obama-popularity
Check out this glowing article on Michelle Obama in the UK Guardian newspaper. The last time we had this much hysteria over a beuatiful and stylish woman was when Princess Diana was alive. I envy my American friends but I am happy for you all. Enjoy and embrace Michelle. She is a refreshing relief from all global recessions and global wars going on at the moment.
What can you say? Perfection. If anyone has been to England in the spring you would know this is the perfect outfit. This is the style Michelle Obama needs to stick with. It keeps her proportions looking balanced.
Not everyone can pull off wearing as many colors as she does. She is striking in jewel tones but my goodness, this is absolutely stunning.
A++++++!!!!
Carla Bruni.....look out!
This is very,very pretty, suits her down to the ground and has spring colors.Brilliant
Well - the London Times did not like this outfit - not "fitting" for a First Lady - maybe she needs to do a little shopping with Carla Bruni, and also learn to stand up straighter.
She looks spectacular and the outfit is PERFECT for the occasion...visiting a center for cancer patients. She looked cheery and bright, not doom and gloom. If that's true what the London Times said...it's ridiculous. It is totally fitting for a First Lady in this day and times. We want someone that is "real". Michelle, you are awesome!!!!
Well I happen to love the look, and it's exactly what I'd wear to Number Ten! I'm an American married to a Brit, living in London, and was with the crowd of.. gee, must have been over a thousand, waiting for the O's to have tea with the Queen @ the Palace. Because the best view was from the top of the Palace Gate walls, and because I was wearing a tee shirt that I had made for my fellow ex-pat Obama volunteers when he won, somehow I got interviewed by ABC TV. Not on my views of Obama, but what they thought of Michelle here! And I can say, hand on heart: everyone loves her here. Absolutely loves her. I can see why poor Carla was afraid to show her face while Michelle was in town.
If anyone's curious, this is the shot that was in all the papers: http://streetstylelondon.blogspot.com/2009/04/oh-my-ive-been-dotted.html & thanks - great article & I'll be visiting this blog again!