Honoring Sojourner Truth
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at 11:14 AM 
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
First Lady Mrs. O will join Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today in unveiling a bust of abolitionist and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth in Emancipation Hall at the newly opened Capitol Visitor Center. Click here to read Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" speech delivered in December 1851. The bust is the work of sculptor and painter Artis Lane, the granddaughter of abolitionist educators. The LA Times has a profile of Ms. Lane, here. First Lady Mrs. O spoke briefly at today's event. From the AP:
"I hope that Sojourner Truth would be proud to see me, a descendant of slaves, serving as the first lady of the United States of America," Mrs. Obama said to loud applause at a ceremony at the Capitol Visitor Center.
"Now many young boys and girls, like my own daughters, will come to Emancipation Hall and see the face of a woman who looks like them," Mrs. Obama said.
Mrs. O wears a striped shirt dress by Sophie Theallet, a French designer living in the United States. To show her Spring 2009 collection (the same collection Mrs. O's dress originates from), Ms. Theallet chose a full casting of black models, notable in an industry criticized for its lack of diversity. The designer told Fashion Week Daily, "It came totally naturally with my collection because I love colors and I think colors are really beautiful on dark skin. And these girls are like princesses, and I want to show that." Prior to launching her own line in Spring 2006, Ms. Theallet spent 10 years alongside Azzedine Alaia, another Mrs. O favorite. Style.com caught up with the designer this afternoon to get her reaction:
"It was the best gift—it blew my mind!' Théallet said. "I am really proud—it’s the first word that comes to me. I love the way she is, the way she talks…and she looks happy in that dress."
Sophie Theallet in Outfits
Reader Comments (156)
Everyone, there’s TONS of whitehouse pictures released this evening at www(dot)whitehouse(dot)gov/blog. There’s a picture there of the Obamas walking into a formal event, and Michelle is wearing a a STUNNING red gown (from the back that is). It looks somewhat corset style. I want to see the front of it. Anyway, I can’t believe all the photos there that we haven’t seen that the White House released a few minutes ago. Pictures of the family, etc. It’s going to take forever for me to get through them. Some of them we’ve seen already from the Time slideshow, but this is the motherload of photos released by the White House photographer, Pete Souza. I’m so surprised, but the WH has given permission for release of all of them.
The back of the red gown Michelle is wearing looks beautiful!!! There’s probably tons of photos we haven’t seen yet. Or someone let me know if this is an old photo that I’m late in viewing. TONS OF PHOTOS I tell you. Michelle said she was going to open up the WH and make it more accessible–they’re not kidding.
Janelle thanks for he link. Wow! that red dress is nice
Janelle, I think this may all be tied to the "first 100 days" thing.
Or maybe it's just to keep our minds off the swine flu!
@ Christina---LOL! You've got that right, and a great distraction it is for me....for now because I need to do some air travel and I don't want to go anywhere!
Oh my gosh, these pictures are hysterical. Never mind the clothes; the picture of all of them wearing 3-D glasses (I assume this was taken during the Superbowl, which had commercials in 3-D) is unbelievably funny.
Totally chic.
Janelle, you hit the mother lode when it comes to Official Obama Ogling (OOOH for short) 293 pictures! I only looked at a fraction. What I love is that many of them are of events that we've seen, but from different angles. And, how much do I love the shot of the president and Mrs Clinton out talking on the newly installed picnic table? The only thing that would have made it better is if he had been pushing HIllary on a swing.
The only thing I was thinking when I was looking was, "I wish there were captions." But I noticed that if you look at the White House Flickr feed, captions are there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/sets/72157617357737487/
I can see myself in this dress.
So pretty! I'm with SDG: that photo automatically made me smile.
Toni is right, Mrs. Obama can't win. When they went to Europe, there was all this clamor that she shouldn't wear ready-to-wear but custom. Now people are complaining that this dress is too extravagant during a recession.
I get the feeling, though of course I don't know, that Mrs. Obama is quite comfortable in her own skin and with her own decisions, which have seemed spot-on to me, and doesn't pay much attention to all the nonsense.
I prefer to think about that $1950 paying salaries of seamstresses, etc and going back into the economy to the fabric mfgrs, etc. Fine by me.
omg Janelle, thanks for that link!
I definitely recommend everyone visit the white house blog and see that dress. The back alone is stunning, I can't imagine how amazing it looks from the front.
Thanks Janelle for the heads up!!Go check out the white house photos, be prepared its alot but so much fun and revealing.
and alot of those pics are just fab b/c they show how great a family they are. I love the pic of Sasha on the POTUS's lap while he kisses Michelle on the lips, such an intimate family moment.
That slideshow on the white house website is absolutely amazing. WOW. They are having such a rollercoaster of emotions in that place - fun, love, seriousness, confusion, frustration. My goodness....may God continue to bless them all.
I loved the back of that red dress Mrs. O was wearing. I bet that's what she wore to that formal dinner they had early in the presidency that was closed to the public. I think it was some sort of correspondent's dinner or roast of some type. Anyway, I bet that's what the occasion was.
Derek - I agree that's one of my faves. Very intimate and very touching between Mr. and Mrs. O, as well as all 4 of them with Malia seeming very happy to see her folks happy with one another.
Here is the photo!
The dress is STUNNING!!!!!!
www(dot)flickr(dot)com/photos/whitehouse/3484818972/
My comment is still in moderation, so, I'll try again:
If you want to see the pictures with captions, start here:
www dot flickr dot com slash photos slash whitehouse slash sets slash 72157617357737487
(what a pain!)
OMG!!! That red dress is stunning! I so wish we could see the front of it, I bet this is an outfit that she nailed head to toe! If someone can a find a picture of it,i doubt it, that would be amazing, and who is the designer?!!!
Yes, that photo with the red dress was taken as the Obamas entered the Annual Alfalfa Dinner at the Hilton in D.C. in January. There were several mentions on various websites about the great red dress she wore. Had looked for photo - never found one. Happy to finally see it if only from the back. Fantastic!
I am not too crazy about this dress, as I don't particularly like Mrs. O in billowy skirts and belts that cuts her figure. However, I absolutely ADORE the red corset dress of the Alfafa dinner (someone please do some research so we can see what the front looks like). She should have worn that red dress for the inauguration balls, she looks positively radiaqnt in it.
BTW, just wanted to clarify, I don't like today's black dress, not the red dress, which I agree is FABULOUS from the back! She should wear red more often, it really complements her skin stone.
There's one on there that I have never seen before of Michelle - photo #23 I think. Michelle is wearing a flowing white blouse that ties at the waist or it might be a white blouse with a cream-white sweater over it but there is a white bow tied at the waist. Love that top.
Also love the red corset backed dress too.
Derek-that is also one of my favorites as well. Its such an intimate photo of the family. I also like the one of the President and the dog inside the private residence. It gives a glimpse of how they have decorated part of their private space.
Mrs.O looks divine in that red dress. Her waist looks so tiny in it. I'd give anything to see the front.
The dress is beautiful and she wears it well - but the dress seems a bit childish/playful suitable for another occasion like going out with her daughters or to the movies, etc. I do not think it was appropriate for this occasion.
I'm so glad she decided to wear Sophie Theallet. After the whole Oscar de la Renta flap I read an opinion by a black model who noted the lack of black models on the runway and others asked which designers use a great deal of black models and Ms. Theallet and Tracy Reese were the only two the poster mentioned. I went on Ms. Theallet site and I loved every dress she had in her collection and all the models were black. I nearly lost my breathe b/c the clothes were so beautiful. I loved that the clothes were designed with black women's skin in mind b/c all the women featured looked as if the designs were made for them. And the women were fair like Vanessa Williams and dark like Alek Wek. It was a great mix of black models and Ms. Theallet showed herself to be very adept. Ms. Theallet deserves all the supports she's getting from Mrs. Obama since she has committed to designing for and featuring women of color--a bold and risky choice and one she does well.
I have a feeling that Michelle has many dresses that we have not seen yet. She 'was' the wife of a senator for many years and attended many functions, so I bet she has quite a full closet of formal dresses.
Most of the photos on the slideshow were great, but I had already seen a bunch of them before. The greatest ones to me were the ones I hadn't seen before.
I loved the one of Michelle and the girls playing in the snow (Malia on the sled). Also, liked the one of the four chairs behind Obama's desk in the Oval Office taken on the day he was picking out a new chair - I'm glad he picked the red one, it looks nicer than the bulky black one.
I've seen a lot of Michelle's formalwear during the senator days, and I will say this...she does evening extremely well! In fact, there isn't a formal wear outfit in the past 5 years that she didn't nail in my opinion. She then dressed like your average professional woman by day like the rest of us. I think she's finding her way with the daywear as First Lady with the spotlight on her constantly.
But formal evening attire is Michelle's strength. I've seen it for years with all the fundraisers, balls and other events they've had in past years. She wore designers in the evening and J. Crew by day, and Target at home and on weekends. It's fun to get dolled up, but I know she misses the anononymity when she could shop in Target during the week in peace--she told Oprah she misses that. Her evolution is fun to watch in this role though. Never boring.
Beautiful color sense -- the gold turns the blue into azure. Just gorgeous.
From Politico dot com:
Wednesday:
Michelle Obama and Jill Biden join 160 Congressional spouses and children to volunteer at the Capital Area Food Bank.
The dress? LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT!!!!!
This look is so flaterring, fresh, easy and although the designer is French to me it has the best luxe American sport wear look. Bravo indeed.
Everybody is Ga-Ga over Mrs. Obama's clothes, but I think she would look more appropriate dressing as her age and station in life. She keeps wearing full skirts and schoolgirl sweaters.
Also, those who have criticized other First Ladies for wearing designer clothes ought to be told that at least their clothes can be worn more than once without everyone remembering what they wore. I much prefer the beautiful SOLID-COLOR suits that Mrs. Bush and Mrs Clinton wore.
It IS NOT appropriate for a First Lady to go around in sleeveless dresses in the wintertime.!!
Some of you may like to visit another article here about Michelle's satorial journey.
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/fashion/article6187772.ece
She was in a sleeveless dress inside a heated building and surely she had a coat for the trip between the White House and Congress.
@ Tootsie:
It is unlikely that you will get many people here that Mrs. Obama needs to conform to what you think is appropriate or inappropriate. I'm sure if she knew how you felt, she would change her personal style immediately. But we'll just have to take her as she is.
I think the reason why Michelle is a Fashion Icon is the FACT that she breaks all the rules and takes chances with her fashion choices. Sure she could wear the UNIFORM, but what fun would that be, just another boring full color uniform. Michelle has fun with her fashion choices. I love the MadMen inspired full hip skirts. They where appropriate before and Michelle has made them appropriate AGAIN. I love the furor she is creating.
@Christina - LMAO!
BTW, I was at a Bat Mitzveh in the dead of winter and 75% of the women there, in a crowd of 250, wore SLEEVELESS dresses.
Too many women are over the sleeveless in winter issue, and have been for decades.
That red dress is really stunning. Does anyone know the designer?
Love the outfit, especially that flash of colour on the skirt - it's joyful and ebullient, I love it.
Bevi I too love that scarlet dress. Do we think that might be the "tight scarlet dress" that Mrs O wore to an event very early on after the inauguration? The Salmon Club or something?! Something like that?!! I can't remember the event, but anyway, it was a red dress we never saw. It DID say it was satin, and this is silk, so I could be wrong. Looks great though! (Now I'm going to the Flickr photostream......)
Oh my - I just read the speech by Sojourner Truth. That's amazing. Thank you for the link.
What's irritating to me is that that little man in black hasn't let go his grip, either. I still get paid less than men, we still send our children off to be killed in men's wars, and we still don't get listened to when there's a problem that could be averted. Think we need to get our men to read that speech every morning till they get it.
Alfalfa Club! Yup, that's the frock alright.
Christina, you are too funny!
Most of Mrs.O's sleveless dresses have been worn in winter months, and its hardly a big deal, I don't understand why tootsie is even here if she dislikes more than half of Mrs.O's wardrobe.
D'you think.....???? Oh! I mean, maybe, just maybe.... hell, maybe tootsie is here to be disruptive..... ooooOOOOOooooo.
I am so afraid.
Well, here's a perfect example that did not have to be dredged up from past posts. Tootsie made a polite comment, one with which I disagree but one to which she is entitled. Then let the ridicule begin!!! Another perfect example that it's not usually the original commenter who's rude but those who feel compelled to make the person look foolish for--OMG!--daring to have a different opinion from the site's mavens.
Are you talking about me, B?
You're right, I did offer a statement that could be seen as ridicule of Tootsie's comment. You got me. We can quibble about whether the original comment was polite or not, but whatever. It's not the having a different opinion than mine (did you see anyone bashing the person who said that the dress looked like a 1963 kaffeeklatsch?) It's the haughty ALL-CAPS pronouncement of what is and is not appropriate, like any of us are going on anything more than our opinions.
But I don't feel like defending myself today or getting in any spats. I popped off, if I could remove my offending comment I would, but I can't. I just have to try and be a better person for next time. Tootsie, maybe the next outfit that Mrs. O wears will be more appropriate in your eyes; I hope so.
The difference is that Tootsie's comments--with which I too disagree, mind you--were directed at someone's clothing and not at a person. And if she was haughty, she was no more so than those whose job it seems to be to provide the haughty ridicule.
On another topic, it must be nice for MO to have co-workers in the White House who are also good pals. That's the best of both worlds - to have friends whom you can trust to help you move your work (and your husband's) forward. Later on today I will raise my glass to FLOTUS and POTUS' First 100!
(PS - Maybe, Posh, you have already done so!)
B - I too wrote a comment that could be seen as a response to Tootsie, and I could have been less strident by not capping a word.
The style admonishments get a little annoying, as are some of the responses that are made in frustration. I stand corrected.
Okay, B. I hear you. I don't know what else to say other than I wish I could take it back. I guess it won't help to say that what I posted was far better than what I was thinking....?
This is probably not going to be a comfortable site for people who hate the way Mrs. O. dresses. I think that's just the way it is. The first part of what I said is true, and I stand by it: it is unlikely that someone who thinks that Mrs. O dresses inappropriately will get a great deal of traction here. I should have just left it there.
It is a 2000 dollar dress - wow! does it seem like a lot to anyone?
Re-posting the price of the dress and expressing shock at it over and over again, isn't going tp bring us to your way of thinking Sisha...so give it up already!
love the black dress, and the beautiful speech of sojourner truth - mrs. t, thanks for posting such related tidbits of information too, along with the information on style and fashion - enjoyed the theallet slideshow on style.com, loved dresses 28 and 17 too...
What about Hilary's outfit? I think the woman needs some fashion help. I do not like that color on her at all. Sometimes she looks good and other times it looks like she doesn't care. If she is Secretary of State- she needs to look good all the time. I may not agree with Condy Rice all the time- but she knew what she liked to wear. She had a style. Hilary needs to put more effort into her wardrobe.