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)
Whoa! That St.Patrick's Day dress is perfection. Perfect color, perfect fit, perfect silhouette! Loves it! Hope she wears it again.
I wonder what she's gonna wear tonight?
What is going on tonight? I love a lot of the clothes that she wears. I think she wears clothes that are differnet and not expected of a First Lady, but she is able to make it work. She looks hip, chic, and young!
Love this photo of the two of them:
www(dot)time(dot)com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1893255_1874154,00(dot)html
Thanks for pointing out that slideshow, Janelle!
@ Marie Renee
At 7:30pm tonight, a reception for congressional members and their wives. I don't expect it being very dressy. I don't think it's a state dinner like the Governor's dinner.
The buzz around Mrs. O's clothing choices on this blog and many other sites kind of reminds me of the buzz behind Carrie's clothes on Sex and the City. SJP once said in an interview that the reason Carrie's clothing got so much attention was because she was never afraid to change her look and be unconventional. When she was a hit, she was a big hit and when she flopped it was a major flop, but you still loved her anyway because she was exciting to watch. I think Michelle is the same way in many aspects of her life. You may not love every outfit she wears, but you have to respect her for her mind and ability to just stay true to herself. The most important part of her look today was that she looked happy, radiant and seemed to genuinely care about the kids and the message she was trying to convey to them. Honestly I would prefer she take risks than wear the stiff uniform of past first ladies. If she did, this site wouldn't even exist and there would be nothing to talk about. How boring.
I think Mrs O is playing with us. I feel that her past 3 outfits are acts of defiance, and I LOVE it! because everyone falls into the trap. I mean in this event she combined the 3 items everybody had strong opinions about lately. As I said in another post I really think she's trying to tell everyone that yes clothes are nice, pretty clothes are fun to wear but really it's not that serious. Even for the First Lady. I think the more we fashionistas nitpick, the bolder she will be. I like the audaciousness personally.
On a serious note, I wonder if the cardigan wouldn't be better on top of the belt, but that's just me. Otherwise I think it's a fun and cute look to have in the company of children.
By the way, her hairstylist and make-up artist are doing a superb job. I see why she's keeping them both on staff.
I tend to agree with Ari and iris. Mrs. O is quirky. You can tell. Even giving Mr. O a chance and falling for him shows that she likes things a bit unconventional. From all accounts, she's lived a pretty normal, solid life. So who does she choose to fall for? A man who told her that their life would be adventerous.
So, her style reflects that part of her. She's normal and funny, but she likes to do things that are different. And the more people like those fuddy-duddy designers criticize, the more she digs in and does what she wants.
In terms of the comparison to Carrie from Sex & the City - I can see that completely. There were outfits that Carrie wore that were awesome. Others not so much - just weird. But she was a fashion icon because of the fact that she was fearless and unique. And I think the character, Carrie, was very real. That is our First Lady...fearless, unique and REAL.
Anyone else notice in the picture from Time where Mrs. O is wearing her St. Paddy's Day dress, the president has his hand on her booty! LOL. Too cute.
Tonight they are having hosting a reception for congressman and their spouses. I'm guessing it's a dressy occasion.
Totally agree with iris. In the early months of the campaign, I read an article in People where she said she followed Sex and the City religiously, and it was her favorite show--Carrie her favorite character. Politics and Washington can be very confining and uniform if you let it. I think Michelle's clothes is one way for her to be adventurous and remain independent. Like Carrie, Mrs. O is never boring. And I do think she's playing with us with her outfit today. She combined all her controversial pieces: belt over cardigan, bow blouse, and Watanbe sweater.
Amazing event! Weird outfit. Sorry, the outfit just did not flatter her amazing figure and did not photograph well. I like the bow tucked in better though. And yes, that Green St. Patrick Day dress was definitely a winner. BTW, great detective job, Janelle!
Michelle did not need to wear a figure flattery outfit today. She dressed appropriately 9like a mom) since she was speaking in front of a bunch of very young children.
I am in hearty agreement with everyone who said this outfit is way too "busy" and unflattering. While it's great that Mrs. O. "wears what she wants," I believe that outfits such as the one and several others detract not only from her, but from her message as well. One cannot "hear" the wonderful Mrs. O. when her clothing is screaming!
I think her outfit today was a message that she wears what she wants and doesn't care what people think. I agree with Iris, she combined 3 pieces (watanabe cardigan, moschino blouse and the belt) that drew criticism before. This is to show you that she is very confident within herself.
I personally decided today that I will no longer criticize what she wears..I'll take it when I don't like it and cheer when I do. Because what she wore today was for me a "in your face" attitude for those who pretend to know it all and are stylishly perfect everyday. Besides can anyone define "what's stylish" I learned a great deal today. Confidence is very much part of style.
Mrs T can you open up a new post about tonight's dinner earlier while waiting for the pictures. We can try to guess what Mrs O could wear. I think it could be fun like a game...I think she will recycle one of her outfit from London
By "figure flattering" I do not mean form-fitting. I mean something that fits her well and photographs equally well. I agree with Christen and I do not believe that she is using her clothing to send subliminal messaged one way or the other. She just dresses the way she wants. Sometimes she knocks it out of the ballpark, often she gets it just right, and other times she gets it wrong and today was one of those days. Sorry, from a style point of view, it just did not work.
What a difference a change of color makes! I really did not care for the sweater in teal. I tried to like it but just couldn't. However, this one, I like A LOT. I also like the bow tucked in under the shirt. I'm still marinating on how I feel about the belt. I think she wears the belts to define her waist. I tend to wear belts with sweaters to do the same thing, otherwise I can look heavier than I am. And I like the thicker belts over slimmer belts. They tend to stay in place better. Hmmmmm. I am going to keep studying this picture. Very interesting:)
I did not like the sweater. Perhaps it is painful memory of many home-knitted argyle things given to me by certain relative when I was a child. Argggh-yle!
The belt is a great example that Mrs. O. can wear anything gracefully. I am shuddering when I imagine many other women wearing it, yet, she can!
I don't like this look at all. Way too much going on.
I am also tiring of the belted style along with a wide open, almost gaping cardigan. She is not small thru the midriff, stomach and hips, why does she accentuate that area with a wide belt and blouse that balloons out? The eye is drawn to that area, it's just too much for her.
It's almost as if she is trying to push this look as a signature look but for me it is tiring and not working. Way over the top today.
@ Lilly - I have to disagree a bit on the messaging through clothing. Mrs. O has acknowledged that she intends to send a message through the clothing she wears - young designers, high-low prices - come to mind.
I don't think it is a coincidence that she wore this same cardigan (albeit in different colors) twice - both times when visiting with kids.
My point is that while I agree she dresses in whatever way she likes, I think she's very conscious of the message her clothes are sending, and I think while she wore something today that she probably likes (just that simple), I do think she wanted to dress a little cooky and be a little silly with her clothes for this occasion.
I don't think she dressed today, with an eye on making us armchair stylists "ohhh and ahhh."
The First Lady was definitely making a statement in putting so many strenuously criticized items together in one outfit. It's interesting that so many of the comments here and elsewhere are focused on just two aspects of clothing attitude: correct, and incorrect. As if the commenters haven't heard of dressing with a sense of humor.
Watanabe is nothing if not funny, and that Mrs. O chose to wear both of his sweaters by him when addressing children seems to indicate she knew kids would get the joke. I wonder if she might not get input from Malia and Sasha before some of her events?
www(dot)thepage(dot)time(dot)com/michelle-obama-remarks-on-take-your-child-to-work-day/
This is a transcript of the entire Q&A with the kids. Too cute!
I think I'm going to refrain from doling out strong criticism for Mrs.O's outfit choices from now on. I find that over-analyzing everything Michelle wears can become exhausting and a bit hypocritical. Many of us here are not the authority on fashion, nor do I thing anyone really is. I think it's important sit back and enjoy this adventure of our first stylistically open minded African-American First Lady. I like her more for her use of creativity when it comes to the causes she supports and what she has been doing in the D.C. community rather than her clothing choices. You can't take her outfits so seriously. Going back to the Carrie Bradshaw reference I made earlier, I think it's just fun to see how she interprets this role as First Lady in terms of what she does and sometimes how she dresses for the occasion. When Carrie dressed up for different moments in her life on Sex and the City it was fun to see how she expressed herself through her clothes. She wasn't looking to be perfect or follow so many rules or protocols. Confidence is key and Mrs.O exudes that every time we see her. I think we could all take a cue from her.
Flotus looks amazing. She gets prettier and prettier.
i just checked the pics on the link, she is stunning. i love how the children are enjoying what she is saying. the look on that little boy's face on the last picture is priceless.
I love this look, I accidentally posted a link to it on the meeting with Queen Rania, not realizing it was already posted here.
FLOTUS has an eclectic & daring fashion sense, the top with the pants come together so well.
With all the SATC talk...do you think he told her "I can build you a better closet baby"?
There are soooooooooo many ways to be bold, quirky, and adventuresome and to develop a personal style that don't involve looking messy and wearing clothes that don't flatter one's figure. I agree with those who used the words "defiant" and "in your face," and I also agree that critiquing her style has lost its zest for me. I'm going to love her for all the good work she does, enjoy the occasional great outfit, and ignore the bad outfit days.
seeking input from all those of us who think she consciously chooses to send a message and potray a certain image with her sartorial choices...the belts seem to be very much in evidence, almost a regular thing, only after the inauguration and the move to the white house...there were some lovely shots from the dnc, etc. showing her in sheaths/dresses without belts - like the blue dress on the (last?) day of the dnc - was she trying to project a more womanly/glamorous/wifely image then, and subequently a more practicel/professional/pragmatic image using the belts, after he assumed office ?
and does she miss her own earlier professional working woman (full-time, paid) persona from earlier, and are the belts a nod to that ?
I agree with these things that have already been said: The color of this sweater is much more flattering and much more fun than the blue one worn in London. I think the blouse and the wide belt are too much with this sweater.
But, I applaud Michelle for being true to her own sense of what she likes. It makes me feel proud and liberated to watch someone so confident do her own thing.
I rather doubt that she is wearing these three things together as a response to criticism of them, because I suspect that she has neither the time nor the interest in anyone's critique of what she wears.
Even though I love this sweater but don't care for this combination, I think our First Lady is altogether fabulous, and I applaud her for her service and her inspiration to children and adults alike.
I love today's look. Its so fun, and most of all, its so her! The interaction with all of those kids was just great, and I'm certain the White House staff truly appreciated Mrs. O taking time to be with their kids.
It's interesting that some would use the word "messy" to describe some of Mrs. O's outfits -- whether I've liked them or not, I can't say I've ever seen her look "messy" as first lady (I think of that as unkempt, unclean, no makeup, clothes askew etc.)
I mean, she looks 100 percent pulled-together at all times, it seems to me. All that we're really getting all excited and breathless about is a belt, a blouse, and a sweater. I agree that the critiquing gets old, and I'm including my own critiquing in it. The truth is, I care, but I don't care THAT much, you know what I mean? You should have seen what *I* was wearing yesterday. I would have loved to have looked as nice as Mrs. O, belt, blouse, and all.
Its so amusing that even after Mrs O shows up again in precisely the same items of clothing the "critics" panned; the same critics continue to blather on...
Don't the critics get it..?
This woman does not give a hoot about your opinions...And boy am I glad!
Here is the whole script of the day from the mini "press meeting" with the First Lady and the children:
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/04/23/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4964420.shtml
enjoy
I don't care for this blouse at all. The way it fits over her tummy make her look pregnant!
I love that she invited the children of the White House staff to the event. Michelle reaches out to everyone.
FollowingTheFirstLady.com
From the CBS News link:
"The pool reporter at the event asked a ten-year-old girl and a nine-year-old boy for their thoughts on the first lady. The girl said Mrs. Obama "wore cool clothes" and "said a few times to try your best," while the boy said "she had a black belt that looked like a pit bull's collar" and "encouraged us to skip school."
A pit bull's collar -- ha! Kids are hilarious.And I'm pretty sure she didn't say "skip school;" that would have been quite a story!
She did it again!!
Please, please, please.......our dear wonderful FLOTUS......PLEASE....Lose the belts!!!
I'm not a big fan of the sweater and blouse together. I think the sweater should be avoided in the future, but I guess she really likes it.
The belts (better not to comment)
The hair looks good and her heart is genuine !
I love our First Lady
Love argyles (have several sweaters and vests with them myself). Love the cardigan and the ruffled blouse here - so sporty!. Don't love the belt here as it makes the look too choppy - proportions are off. But so what. Am 99.8% in favor of what Michelle wears. Am 110% in favor of Michelle. Just sayin . . .
like the cut of the pants but most of all,love her sense of humour-she's really funny.