Look Good...Feel Better
Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 6:45 PM 
Image via Flickr user Downing Street / Creative Commons In the midst of our adulation over Mrs. O's J.Crew ensemble yesterday (we're still enamoured!), we failed to highlight how the First Lady actually spent her morning. Along with Sarah Brown, Mrs. O visited Maggie's Center, a facility for cancer patients in central London. ABC News blog has a great write-up here.
"This is pretty amazing. It's an oasis. An oasis that is necessary for people who are struggling," Mrs. O told the center’s staff over a cup of steaming tea. "It's a quiet place that makes people feel whole."
The visit included a stop into the center's Look Good...Feel Better program, a public service organization that helps women, men and teens cope with appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment. The program includes two-hour workshops with 12-step skin care and make-up application lessons, demonstrations of options for dealing with hair loss and nail care techniques. Per ABC News, First Lady Mrs. O talked about her own "wonderful" makeup artist, Ingrid Grimes Myles, who volunteers for the same program in the U.S. While there's much and well-founded excitment in the wardrobe department this week, it's wonderful to see our remarkable, selfless First Lady continue to champion great social causes. (Thanks to a Mrs. O reader Christy for bringing this story to our attention!)
Reader Comments (111)
Mrs. T I just wanted to thank you for the great blog and the great posts.
Mrs O is beautiful inside and out. She touches everyone that encounters her in so many wonderful ways. I admire that she is such a genuine person. We are so fortunate to have such a caring First Lady.
The Brits are going crazy for Mrs O - so far she is an unquestionable hit.
The fashion press is enamored w/ her ensembles - including todays 'Kooky Cardigan' as the NY Times 'On the Runway' blog charmingly referred to this piece.
Touche' Mrs O !
http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/michelle-wears-kooky-cardigan-to-covent-garden/
The woman can do no wrong!
I have been searching looking for the Jason Wu dress that Mrs O had on today because I knew I had seen it before. Well its the chartruse (sp) dress without the embrodery in his fashion show. It the first dress in the second to the last row:
http://www.jasonwustudio.com/
I found this blog yesterday and I just love it. Thanks.
I need one of those cardigans really bad.
Ah, now that's a cardigan. Love it.
I love that Junya cardigan and this one is gorgeous too. The Brits love her even the Queen likes her a lot. Queen never puts her arm around anyone, this is the first time. Great trip to Britain, now bring on France. Can't wait for the Carla Bruni meeting.
LOL,I think Mrs. T's great appearances on TV are crashing the site.
I love her. She brings out the best in people.
It's nice that she chose to throw a little attention in the direction of her makeup artist.
Mrs. O's hair and make-up have looked lovey on this trip.
Ms. Myles gave no hint as to what her skin care regimen involves. Yes, we can work out and drink plenty of water...but, you also need good products. Anyone read anything???
For those that might not see this in the previous article...
FRIDAY’s schedule for MICHELLE OBAMA:
All times are U.S. Eastern time
3:35 AM Barack and Michelle Obama leave London.
4:45 AM The Obamas arrive in France.
9:00 AM The Obamas depart Strasbourg, France en route Baden-Baden, Germany.
1:00 PM The Obamas attend the NATO Concert.
5:00 PM The Obamas depart Baden-Baden, Germany en route Strasbourg, France.
5:20 PM The Obamas arrive in Strasbourg, France.
Looking at Jason Wu's site, I see his stuff is not that bad, though I still think he's miles behind Maria Pinto. Michelle just really needs to start getting her clothes tailored and not just wear them "off the rack". There's one outfit in the fall 2009 collection that I think would have looked great for the reception last night. It's on the 3rd row and and is the second to last picture. It's an icy blue top and a sparkly pencil skirt. And the necklace the model's wearing looks just like that necklace Michelle wore to the governor's ball. The whole ensemble is very classic Michelle. I hope that's in her wardrobe somewhere. She'd look great in that.
Every time I criticize Michelle Obama's fashion choice, people attack me. Well dara here you go:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bonnie-fuller/michelle-obamas-first-fas_b_182362.html
I teared up big time when they showed clips from Mrs. O in London. She really knocked it out of the park. When you take in the entirety of her "looks," and more importantly the way she carried herself these past 2 days - she's amazing.
what happened to my comment?
Everyone take a look here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bonnie-fuller/michelle-obamas-first-fas_b_182362.html
Melody, so one blogger on the Huffington Post has an opinion and you think this is significant? No doubt there ARE people who dislike how Mrs. O dresses, but there legions of us who disagree. And obviously this blog is for her admirers.
I am pretty disappointed we didn't get to the blue dress without the cardigan!! I really hope she will wear it again at some point.
Also, Bonnie Fuller is very much in the minority. Almost every other media source has been nothing but praise for Mrs. O.
I wouldn't say that the editor of Star magazine is exactly an arbiter of taste.
Sara, the last woman on the world you should want to agree with is Bonnie Fuller. Than woman is a wretch!
And to the people who said Michelle's outfit was too "sparkly," she was visiting cancer patients! I'm sure they appreciated how happy and sparkly and Springy she looked.
I know I posted up above Michelle's time schedule but here are some of the event details.
From Politico dot com:
Next stop: France. Obama continues his overseas jaunt tomorrow, traveling to Strasbourg, France where he will hold one of his favorite kinds of events - a town hall - in advance of the NATO summit.
After arriving in Strasbourg, the president and first lady will head straight for the Palais Rohan, which houses a trio of art museums, to meet with their French counterparts, Nicolas and Carla Sarkozy.
The presidents will make remarks after their meeting, which will be closely watched after Sarkozy's earlier threat to walk out of the G20 Summit.
And the meeting of the American and French first ladies culminates a much-anticipated fashion showdown. Carla Sarkozy, formerly Carla Bruni, was once among the highest paid fashion models in the world, modeling for the likes of Chanel, Versace and Christian Dior. Michelle Obama has tipped off a fashion renaissance of sorts in the United States, and frequently draws comparisons to Jackie Kennedy, the last American first lady to capture the hearts of the French.
There's been plenty of chatter about the image of the two first ladies standing side-by-side.
But on to matters of substance:
Obama's Strasbourg town hall will feature "a young and diverse French, German and Trans-Atlantic audience," according to White House guidance. It will follow the usual format: Obama gives opening remarks and then takes questions.
Following the town hall, POTUS and FLOTUS head to Baden-Baden, Germany for a concert and dinner surrounding the NATO summit. The president and first lady will meet with the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel. Nicolas and Carla Sarkozy will also be there to greet the Obamas. Notably absent from the itinerary is Merkel's husband, Joachim Sauer, who is known to stay out of the spotlight.
This is what I think will happen tomorrow. Michelle will show up in one of her many modestly priced economically conscious outfits and Carla Bruni will be wearing a $10,000 Valentino suit or something. I'm betting tomorrow won't even be about the clothes. It will be about how in touch with real people's struggles Michelle is and how Carla hasn't stepped outside her home to even meet the people of her country.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/
Great link with video commentary on Mrs. O!
I was swooning (mostly) over the Jason Wu site. All three collections have so many beautiful dresses (and even a suit!) that would look nothing short of fabulous on Mrs. O. It makes me wonder how she chooses from that many beautiful things.
The Obamas just landed in Strasbourg and Michelle looks exquisite. Just got a quick glimpse as they got off the plane, but she has on a beautiful dark pink dress and full length patterned (flowers?) black and dark pink coat with noticeable earrings. Just really elegant, stunning and crisp. I also saw her board the plane in London wearing black trousers and her black cardigan. Again, beautiful, simple and elegant.
They should arrive shortly to meet the Sarkozys.
From what I could see at a distance as the Sarkozys landed, Carla Bruni is dressed rather conservatively in a neutral (light grey?) heavier coat with 3/4 length sleeves. She has a large bow that might be from her dress.
Gah! I wanna see! Anyone gotta link?
I'm watching on BBC World News:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/
It's also livestreaming on France 2, but it doesn't load for me.
Ooops, in moderation. Here it is spelled out!
bbc DOT co DOT uk/tv/
Carla Bruni's "coat" turns out to be a lovely dress. They ar quite affectionate with each another and it appears very excited to be meeting. Very warm, warm reception. The Obamas shook hands with the waiting crowd, which went wild.
I'm sure BBC will replay this a few times once the press is cut off.
Here's a quick peek:
http://www.daylife.com/photo/02oxeV9apF2wm?q=michelle+obama
just saw them in france. They seem to be wearing the same kind of coat except Carla's is grey and Michelle's is very colorful. I am not crazy about Michelle's outfit but I don't do print. But am willing to accept it might be fashion forward.
another great site is france24 dot com. anyone with livestation can watch it live there.
I am loving Mrs. O's outfit! A winner!
My link is stuck in moderation, but there are new photos off the wire at daylife.
ok, im really liking Mrs. O's outfit (although darker than I would have liked), but she is back in her favorite purple, I like the silhouette, its very chic, and of Mrs. Sarkozy looked very nice as well
Neither upstaged each other, they both looked like very nice fashion divas, and Mrs. O has made us proud!!! This is a thumbs up
(is it me, or does it look like they are wearing similar things, only in different colors....I can't tell on TV, but does Mrs. O's coat have a bow too?)
a very funny moment when they arrives Obama was walking the rope and the women kept mobbeing him trying to kiss him, Hilarious! Also--Obama was very careful not to kiss Carla. Love all the little details.
On the outfit--definitely not what i would wear but the coat is very luxurious looking and smartly constructed. Looks like a red dress underneath dying to see it.
Mrs. O's coat does have a bow but they are wearing very different styles and fabrics. Mrs. Sarkozy has a very elegant draped bow in what looks like a light grey or oatmeal wool fabric dress with a bit of flare at the elbow length sleeve. I love this. Mrs. O has what looks like a pleated collar (Jason Wu?) on her coat and very simple line in a crisp patterned fabric (satin?).
Thanks Meta. Mrs O looks fab. Looks like a light overcoat with a fushia print with what could be a fushia skirt.
OOOOOOH LA LA Mrs O has just outdone the FRENCH First Lady, how is zat possible? The french invented couture, This is historic!
Carla is in desperate need of some colour, she looks washed out standing next to the refreshing rosy Mrs O.
I thought both first ladies looked delightful. This is not a competition.
okay, that coat looks eerily similar to Tracy Reese's coat from her latest collection, which you can look on style.com, look 30 (only in maybe a custom print, and custom made for Mrs. O)
but could this be Tracy Reese, I would be infinitely happy if it was...I love her!!!
I cosign to what Christina said, I have been so annoyed by all this "smack-down" talk, and "fashion showdown" implications...they both looked great, I don't feel like either upstaged eachother, they both have their own styles, and they BOTH looked fantastic
this is only of my favorite looks of the trip so far (alongside what she wore coming off the place in london, the yellow outfit)
but let's stop putting women against each other, and encouraging this idea that someone must "win"....THEY BOTH WIN, THEY ARE BOTH FASHION DIVAS!!!
Michelle looks beautiful! I want to see the dress!!!!!!!! I can't seem to figure out if thats a coat or dress on Carla, but they both look nice.
I am quite jealous of those of you who saw the Obamas landing live, because you probably saw the dress while all I see from pictures is the coat, but that was just way too early for me.
I absolutely love what I can see, which is really the coat. It's so bold and sophisticated. I wish she had worn this in London at some point, although it's also the perfect outfit to wear in the much less conservative France. It's a statement piece, which is probably what was missing from her time in London (except for that AMAZING yellow dress and black duster...and of course the controversial cardigan from yesterday)
I also really like what Carla Bruni is wearing. Both ladies look stunning! It's really nice that they finally got to meet.
But now I want to see the dress!! I hope she will remove the coat soon.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1166637/Clash-First-Ladies-Michelle-Obama-Carla-Bruni-slog-Strasbourg-glamorous-leaders-wife-world.html
Great pictures of Michelle & Carla together
Please don't criticise me for stating what is painfully a 'miss' by the French First lady (for fashion standards), even The Guardian newspaper have pointed out the obvious facts here:
Despite the matching pussybow, compared to Michelle, Carla actually looks a bit washed out and (we can't believe we're about to say this) prim and proper. A flash of colour or a fashionable statement accessory could have taken this outfit to another level
Ok, this coat is something else. What a gorgeous pattern. I am just noticing some new details, like the giant bow at the front and the flecked lines alongside the flowers. It's really like a piece of art. WHO IS THE DESIGNER??
I've decided that both Michelle & Carla are equal winners. I love that colour in Michelle, she is not shy in sticking to conservative colours but Carla's outfit looks nice.