Take Your Child to Work Day
Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 11:04 AM Mrs. O met with children at the White House this morning, taking a series of their questions as part of "Take Your Child to Work Day". With little hands enthusiastically raised high, questions touched on a range of topics -- from Bo to the White House Kitchen Garden to the Secret Service.
Mrs. O is wearing a Junya Watanabe asymmetrical argyle cardigan in fuchsia, similar to the cardigan she wore in London. The cardigan is paired with the white Moschino bow blouse, last seen in Prague, and belted at the waist with the silver studded Sacai belt worn on the cover of Essence. The layered tops are paired with black pants. Today's ensemble is a great example of Mrs. O's knack for re-mixing and wearing what she loves.
Update: As Politico reports, it seems Mrs. O also squeezed in a visit to the Office of Personnel Management, yet another stop on her tour of federal agencies. "She shook hands with employees, worked the crowd and also welcomed John Berry, the new agency director, who she said recognized the importance of diversity."
Junya Watanabe, Moschino, Sacai in Outfits
Reader Comments (92)
I actually like the thick belt that Mrs. O had on today with the kids that she wore on the cover of Essence, because it didn’t look like it rode up at all like the Alaia belt did in Prague. Michelle is high-waisted, so since she’s not going to stop wearing belts, I think the thick corset setting of it is better than a thin belt riding up on the outside of the pink argyle.
Personally, I think Mrs. O looks better without a belt and the tops look great on her very fitted. But I’ve accepted the fact that she loves them, and she can choose how she sees fit for herself. I do like the argyle today because the pants were neutral in color versus the combination with the Jason Wu dress she wore in London. I was more fixated on what she was saying actually–-but the argyle has truly grown on me. We have a very eclectic, gutsy first lady.
I only wonder what she’ll be wearing and surprising us with this time next year.
Can't wait to see today's 'fit! Anyway, here is a picture of MrsO taking off the blue jacket with the orange zipper at the tree planting the other day. The lining is great! I love little suprises like that!
oops...I guress the link would help!
http://www.daylife.com/photo/02Ag85l0mb9RG?q=michelle+obama
What I love is Mrs. O didn't see to care about the negativity on H. Post about her wearing the turquoise argyle in London--she wore the pink one today! She doesn't care if other people don't understand her Watanabe choice. She dresses for herself, so she bought it in more than one color. Good for her. It's not my style, but I say do what you feel no matter what. As a woman, her fashion choice today makes me feel a little more bolder and strong myself.
Can't wait to see it. In the meantime, does anyone know who MrsO is wearing in this photo?: http://www(dot)time(dot)com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1893255_1874155,00.html
Loving the fushia color on her. That's the patchwork cardigan that I found on Farfetch.com at the time she wore the teal one in London. I prefer it buttoned, though, so you can see the asymmetry in it.
Overall, a great look with that fabulous Moschino blouse!
In the comment above, it should be this link:
http://www(dot)time(dot)com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1893255_1874154,00.html
She's got on what looks like a gray jersey cotton dress with a string of pearls.
I didnt like the blue sweater personally but i do love this one i think i love it so much is because the bright color brings her out more.She looks so cute today.
Do you guys know her schedule for today?
@ sierra,
Keep checking back at cnn(dot)com/live throughout the today. They do replays throughout the day, and she took alot of questions from the students which was really nice--the kids didn't want her to leave. I'm sure Politico or C-span will have a video soon.
Tonight at 7:30pm, Michelle and the Prez are hosting a reception for congressional members and their spouses, but I'm thinking it won't be a very dressy occasion, but I'm sure Mrs. O will probably have a change of outfit again.
..I forgot this regarding Mrs. O's schedule from Lynn Sweet's Chicago Sun-Times blog for today:
"In the afternoon, Mrs. Obama will continue her outreach to federal workers to thank them for their service by visiting Office of Personnel Management employees. This afternoon event will also be pooled press."
I have no idea when this will occur guys...anyone else have info?
i don't think we have seen this jacket, it was from the Obama's first full day in the white house after inauguration, when they went to church:
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1893255_1874084,00.html
I LOVE IT....It reminds me of the jacket to she wore on the train ride to DC before inauguration because of the wide cuffs
Hope these links work from today:
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/86179117/AFP
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/86179024/AFP
Politico link from today (about 4 min). Gosh... got to get back to work!
http://www(dot)politico(dot)com/largevideobox(dot)html?bcpid=14146694001&bclid=1201016315&bctid=20826027001
this is a new outfit too, she must not have had a public event this day:
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1893255_1874154,00.html
Politico link from today (about 4 min). Gosh… got to get back to work!
politico(dot)com/largevideobox(dot)html?bcpid=14146694001&bclid=1201016315&bctid=20826027001
I like this cardigan so much more than the version from London. Maybe it's the color? It really pops on her. Also, I am so not surprised Michelle chose a super quirky look. Whenever she is going to hang out with children she seems to revel in wearing something that would be fun and appealing for them.
On some non-fashion related Mrs O news...For those that are into wonky, political stuff, there was a really in-depth poll released by Pew earlier today on both of the Obamas and it was great to see how Mrs.O has been embraced by Americans during her first 100 days as First Lady. The phrase most often used to describe her was "all very positive" and 79% approve of how she is doing her "job", while 8% disapprove. Which is almost a record high, so good for Mrs. O!
I, for one, strongly approve...
I think that the sweater is such a striking signature piece on its own (I liked it okay in blue, LOVE IT in fuchsia) that the belt takes something away, IMO. But I do like the belt...
Sometimes Mrs. O reminds me of watching young Lisa Bonet on the Cosby Show. Some things you love, some things you're like "oh dear," but she's rarely boring.
Sorry, didn't finish the thought -- I meant to say that I DO like the belt as just a belt. I'm not sure I like it here. I have to see some other pictures.
her outfit is busy.....though in a nice way
i think there should be one focal point in an outfit, in this case you dont know if to look at the bow or the studded belt orthe sweater!
Sorry - but from what I can see .. not a good look on Mrs Obama today - just too much going on.
i'm surprised to find that i actually kind of LOVE this fuchsia cardigan, and i like the belt with it too. however, i think the look would have been just perfect if she'd gone for a plain white shirt with a normal crisp collar instead of the bow. she looked cute as a button though.
This look is not good at all: the huge bow; the sweater and the busy belt. Take a look at this photo. She can look so nice, stunning - but not today.
http://michelleostyle.blogspot.com/
This photo of Mrs. O is the day after inauguration--she's wearing the Feith dress, but I LOVE THIS JACKET! She took it off for most of the day--anybody know who the designer is?
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1893255_1874084,00.html
Thumbs down on this look! That Watanabe sweater is wrong. That sweater with that Moschino blouse is even more wrong. Add the belt, extra wrong. Mrs. Obama needs to stay away from the Watanabe and Moschino designs. They don't flatter her AT ALL.
I didn't think I could love this woman more, but I do. LOL. I absolutely love that she combines the two most controversial pieces from her trip to Europe in one outfit WITH a belt (which many feel that she should stop wearing). That is just awesome! LOL
Just in case anybody had any doubt, Mrs. O dresses for one person and one person only, and that is HERSELF!
I can't wait for the critics to jump on the belt, the bow, the cardigan and the flats. LOL. Man, she's great!
Great message to the kids too - I love the part about waking up the president if another country is in a crisis.
Keep doing you Mrs.O! We love you EXACTLY the way you are.
Does everyone remember the teal dress from the St. Patrick's day evening dinner that we all wanted to see full length? Well here it is, and it is so pretty...looks like Maria Pinto.
time(dot)com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1893255_1874358,00(dot)html
Yes Janelle, its a very pretty dress and its good to see the full picture of it. She looks gorgeous in it. Did you notice the location of the President's hand?
For a great-looking woman, MO seems to have some fairly bizarre ideas about how to put herself together. The blouse/sweater/belt combo just does not work. The bow is not featured because it's tucked under the sweater, and the "mood" of the blouse (dressy, feminine) is at odds w/ the mood of the sweater (cheeky, sporty). What the belt adds is more than I can tell.
Toni lol
@Janelle:
Thanks for directing us to that Time photo essay! I love those behind-the-scenes things.
As for this outfit, now that I've seen more pictures I'm actually liking it a smidge better. But with a plainer blouse and no belt, I think it would have come together more The pants are full of win, though. I like a wider leg.
MO really shines in fuchsias and bright purples. Those are great colors for her.
She really has great teaching ability with kids. I like the way she asked the kids to summarize their learning at the end of her remarks. A natural.
Thankfully, I like Mrs.O for more than her wardrobe because this look just does not work. The combination is totally off-key. Frankly, it's the worst I've seen her look. I really don't know what possessed her to put the items together like that. Oh well, at least her message was strong.
I think she looks great, as always. And i particularly like that she continues to wear what -she- wants to wear and not what the faultfinders carp about.
Has anyone figured out the source of the top from the tree planting?
@ Toni
I sure did notice, but I knew someone would point out where the Prez' had was on Michelle without me saying. I ain't mad at him! LOL
That Time slideshow shows a lot of really intimate moments with the President and his family...probably one of the few things keeping that man sane these days!
oops, I meant "Prez' hand".
I love this Watanabe sweater in the fuschia color. It looks wonderful on FLOTUS. I can't believe how much I disliked a similar sweater in blue (and worn over the blue Jason Wu dress) in London. Same designer, different color and I think the color makes all the difference. FLOTUS is bold to have worn this sweater after all the criticism over the other watanabe sweater she wore in London. She's such a fashion trailblazer.
Oh dear. The belt is highly unfortunate here. I'm going to go gaze at that St. Patrick's Day gown, which is so classy and gorgeous.
I did not like the teal version of this cardigan. Maybe it was teal overload paired with the teal skirt. I like the color of this sweater and I like that she's wearing it over a blouse, though I really want to see her wear this blouse on it's own. The bow should be a strong statement in itself. It's a beautiful blouse and I'd really like to see it with a pencil skirt.
Overall, I like the colors in this look. Any shade of deep purple looks so nice on her. And her hair and makeup, as usual, are on point. I like that they're keeping her makeup light and have gotten rid of the dark shades and heavy dark blush. She looks so pretty with pinks and sheer colors on her face.
TOO BUSY!
I really recommend everyone check out the slide show Janelle linked to! I am only like a third of the way through but there have been several pictures of Mrs. O in outfits we have not seen before including a pretty black jacket and a greenish yellow dress. There is also a picture of her wearing the silvery Soronen dress from the Governor's ball that shows off the dress better than the other pictures we got at the time.
The pictures are all really great. Callie Shell is an incredibly photographer.
The position of the belt in this photo:
www(DOT)time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1893255_1874154,00(DOT)html
is much better than where she normally wears her belts.
Love the whole outfit.
Another outfit we had never seen her wear before! Number 27 in the Slideshow, Mrs. O is wearing a grayish turtleneck sweater, with a slouchy skirt, a black belt and a long strand of pearls.
Here is the St. Patrick's day dress. It is totally gorgeous. I really hope we will see it again: time(DOT)com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1893255_1874358,00(DOT)html
Love the sweater, the pants, and the blouse! But someone please explain to me what purpose that belt serves! I just don't get it. I love Mrs. O, but I'm seeing a characteristic here which shows that she is human after all: it seems that the more certain pieces or choices are criticized the more she wears them. One could say that shows that she's going to be her own person no matter what, and I certainly do admire that quality. I also, however, admire those who learn to benefit from seeing themselves through the eyes of others, since most of us don't have the advantage of getting a million reactions to the choices we make. Oh, well, one flaw among so many stellar accomplishments sure beats my own record, so there's still a lot to love about her!
The Moschino blouse is not good under a close-fitting sweater. If you go to where Moschino offers it for sale online ($800+), you will find that it is rather tent-shaped, full at the bottom, with even some fullness introduced by gathers across the back neckline. It is cotton, so it does not lend itself to being belted. Lots of fullness to rein in. It causes the blouse to "pooch" out below the belt, giving an almost preggers look.
Sweater and pants - even belt - OK, and much better than blue London ensemble with similar sweater. Wrong top under sweater. Blouse is too much in too many ways. (Moschino showed similar blouses with their big bows always front and center, outside any coats or jackets (never sweaters), and the bow stiffened until it was nearly horizontal.
Bad combo.
I'm sorry but I don't consider wearing what YOU love and feel beautiful in a flaw.I mean I get what you're saying but I don't want her stop wearing what she likes just because a few people hate it.That makes no sense to me.
At the risk of wearing you out, one more comment. That is a very interesting sweater. But if you find it where it appears on sale online, you will note that it is very spare, intended to be buttoned and skim over a very slender, straight-up-and-down body - no good on a full bust,no good if it as to be left unbuttoned at the bottom to accommodate hip fullness. Not for the rounded womanly figure. It's a skinny skimmer of a sweater.
Large photos of today's event:
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Jackeens/175
I agree with BeeGee on this. The blouse, the belt, and the sweater are each, in my opinion, show-stopping, beautiful pieces of clothing. I love the bow blouse, I really do, but what's the point of wearing a lovely effervescent piece like that if the bow is going to be smushed?
I said earlier that i liked the argyle in teal and I LOVE IT in the fuchsia, but I want to see every bit of it. I don't want to see it obscured by a belt because then you're missing the cheekiness of the asymmetry.
And the belt, while not someting that I can personally pull off, is also a very strong piece, but it's fighting against the other clothing items.
I'll tell you what though, the cardigan colors look great on her.