Petites Robes Noires
Friday, April 3, 2009 at 1:56 PM 
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain /Getty Images 
Photo by Michael Kappeler/AFP/Getty Images
First Lady Mrs. O and President Mr. O pose for photos with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, her husband Joachim Sauer, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy at the NATO summit. Both Mrs. O and Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy have chosen little black dresses for the event. Mrs. O's dress features a fitted bodice and full skirt - a shilouette we've seen her wear throughout the week.
Update: Mrs. O has added a black bolero to her ensemble.
Update: For those wondering about the designer - Mrs. O wears a knit dress by Paris legend Azzedine Alaia, the New York Times has confirmed. (We must also acknowledge our own Mrs. A, who observed similarity to these Alaia dresses and came to the same conclusion. Well spotted Mrs. A!)
One can't help but draw reference to Camelot here, as Mrs. Kennedy famously wowed the French by wearing Givenchy during her 1961 trip to Paris. Was Mrs. O's choice a thoughtful gesture in respect for her host nation? Based on the amount of planning and thought that has obviously gone into this week's wardrobe, we're of the mind that the answer is almost certainly, yes.
Outfits
Reader Comments (281)
BEAUTIFUL! Everything is perfect about this look. I love her
hair like this. The eye make-up is stunning.
Thanks everybody for all the links/photos'.
OK. If it is literally just sleeves with a back but no front, it's a shrug.
If it is sleeves and a back that covers the shoulder blades and enough at the front to JUST cover the breasticles, that's a bolero.
If it's sleeves and a back and front waist length and longer, it's a jacket.
Mrs. Obama is absolutely gorgeous in everything she wears. Not only is her look fabulous, but she appears to have a beautiful attitude and lots of charm.
I'm so proud of and support Mr. and Mrs. Obama.
I hope she continues to wear what she likes. Why listen to any of these people nitpicking at her? Her individual style is interesting.. let's sit back and watch it unfold and enjoy. I'd love to see half these picky, picky people on a catwalk and have their outfits judged!!! That would be hilarious!
She looks great!!! So much better than yesterdays outfit.
Thanks Posh,
Glad someone agrees with me.
I have a couple in my closet and I have always just considered them short sweaters. My bolero jacket (which is lined) just covers my breasticles like you said - much different than what Michelle is wearing.
More photos of our gorgeous First Lady and the Prez--they look like they're going to a Hollywood movie premiere. Scroll down to the end. Pictures of them sitting. Boy is she beautiful. Goodness gracious, they warm my heart and I thought I was a tough girl.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8318195
I am going to pull out my Black brocade bolero circa 1988 and prance around my house! It should go well with my jeans and wool socks!
Well if anyone tries to say our First Lady is not a fashion icon, they are just lying they ass off. Dior and the rest of the French designers can sit down now......they as well as the french first lady look beat,dowdy, and done to me.no diss just truth.
Mrs. O has brought AMERICAN designers swagga to the world.....in a fresh, young, and very pretty way.....and the world is in love.
Our First Lady looks absolutely stunning.......you can't buy her kind of fierceness. The whole trip has been fire....she IS the best dressed First Lady in the world.
now i want the pres and flotus to get their butts back home asap.
The Obama's have departed Germany and are now in Strasbourg, France.
SATURDAY'S schedule for Michelle
All times are U.S. Eastern
9:25 AM - The Obamas depart Strasbourg, France en route to Prague, Czech Republic.
10:30 AM - The Obamas arrive in Prague, Czech Republic.
11:00 AM - The Obamas meet with U.S. embassy personnel.
Full schedule can be found on the right side of the page at this link:
http://www.politico.com/politico44/
Sorry, toi17, they're abroad for a few more days. Here's the schedule:
4 April: Leaders walk across the Rhine and hold North Atlantic Council meeting in Strasbourg
5 April: Obama in Prague for US-EU summit
6-7 April: Obama visits Turkey
My goodness she is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! Wow...she's so gorgeous! I love her and her cardis(/bolero jackets) and full dresses! and everything else!
I know I shouldn't let it bother me, but that article with the fancy schmancy fashion designers dissing Michelle really bothered me. I mean, who the hell do they think they are?! I don't have a problem with anyone who wants to blow $25,000 bucks on a gown. That's their business. But for these designers to imply that she is somehow slumming and not representing us well by wearing less expensive clothes is just mean to me. What does that tell you? All it tells me is that every stereotype about the fashion industry is true. They're shallow, greedy, elitist who look down on 99 percent of Americans, the kind of people who can't afford to spend tens of thousands on a suit or a dress.
Someone in the comments thread on the huffington post made a great point. These high end fashion people are the same people who shut out black women from the runways. There are less black models and other models of color walking the runways than there were 15 years ago. Fashion has gone BACKWARDS when it comes to representing the diversity of American women! Yet, now suddenly, since Michelle has the power to bring in big bucks for a designer or company just by showing up in public in their designs, they want a black woman in their clothes, don't they. If Michelle told them to back off until they start putting women of color on their runways and in their ads, I'd let out a big cheer.
Michelle is reaching out too all women. Yes, even J. Crew can be a bit too costly for many women out there. But you know what, just being able to see a store like J. Crew or the Gap where the First Lady shops at in your average American mall means something. Oscar De La Renta and Donna Karan are not in the average American mall, period! They aren't even for the average American woman as many of these designers refuse to design for anything bigger than a size 14! Just like with ethnicity, if you aren't the right size, you aren't good enough to wear their luxurious clothes!
I knew when I read that article sometime back where they were criticizing Ikram Goldman that they would soon start to attack Michelle. I'm no fan of Ikrahm and I think Michelle does better using her own instincts to pick her clothes. But the way these people carry on like there's some CONSPIRACY against them is just beyond me. They can't get over that things have changed. For the first time in a long time, our First Lady is not some wealthy socialite with money to blow. Of course Hillary was not a wealthy socialite either, but she allowed them to exclusively dress her in their very expensive clothes because she didn't know anything about fashion and I'm sure she just assumed the would be right for her. But back to Michelle. She's her own woman with her own point of view, and even though I think she should drop Ikrahm, I certainly don't think it should be because Ikrahm doesn't send her high end luxury fashions.
It's like, since they couldn't use her to pump up their wallets, now they're gonna tear her down so that she can't help anyone. Well, let them try, because the woman is an inspiration. Even on the rare occasion where she wears an outfit I personally don't like, there are others who love it. That's fashion power and they know it.
I hope they never wear her clothes.
LeahD, if that bolero doesn't "just cover" her breasts, I don't know what does. What are you looking at that's different from the rest of us?
More photos on HuffingtonPost slideshow.
Some of these are great - including close-ups of Michelle's face, shoes, and bracelet:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/03/first-lady-fashion-at-nat_n_183029.html
Cathy Horyn of the New York Times has written an interesting article today, in part highlighting how well received Mrs. O has been by French fashion followers and fashion press during her visit there.
These designer hardly have black models on their runways so why the interest in a tall black woman who is not a size 0 or 2?
@Leah
I agree with you...just because the SWEATER is bolero length does not make it a jacket.
Ain't nothin but a mini-cardigan.
It does look better (just a tad) because the length is not chopping her at the waist but accentuating her curves and narrow waist...so it all works and she looks great in it. It is one of the best outfits she has worn so far on this trip.
But she is definitely hanging on to the 'sweater cover'
Given that Michelle is not a buxom belle, I believe she became attached to the sweater look as it camoflauged her petite bosom. Making her fuller to in her teen mind...and alas she has stuck with that look all the way into the present day.
That sweater yesterday in the blue was a real fashion travesty. Just GAWD awful and she did not look good in it either. Just one big eyesore. With sequins again on the cuff and down the front ...OMG...
Hit or Miss FLOTUS strikes again.
Wow - totally breathtaking. I love how she wore funky, fashion-forward outfits for the British schoolgirls and pulled out all the stops for France. She looks sexy as hell.
I don't like all the nonsense about a "battle" between our beloved Michelle and Carla Bruni. They probably enjoy each other; women hating each other is the most tired old cliche on earth.
I wouldn't have predicted it, but First Lady Obama beats former model First Lady Bruni-Sarkozy. Mrs. Obama looks gorgeous here. Her hairdresser and makeup stylist did a good job.
These high-end designers need to hush. They've had plenty of spotlight, and the First Lady prefers the lesser known designers. She's bringing more attention to the U.S. fashion industry, and they're just upset because she's not kissing their behinds. Put some more black models on the runway and in ads, and then you can maybe have a leg to stand on here.
FWIW, traditionally bolero jackets were based upon a Spanish style, very short cropped jackets with rounded or squared front edges, no buttons.
This is clearly a bolero jacket. Fabric, not knit. Too structured to be knit. Probably made out of the same fabric as the bodice of the dress with a light silk chiffon lining?
If you Google bolero you will find a zillion different styles, but this is what the term traditionally meant.
And even MORE very huge great photos:
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Jackeens
@ Tess--you hit the nail on the head!
I gave one of my longest posts on the previous thread and someone had to talk me down after I read the Oscar/Karan/Wang quotes today.
They're trying to control Michelle and I hope her staff hears about it, and she NEVER wears their clothes. I don't agree with some of Michelle's choices but I respect her right to choose. Michael Kors has never made a statement like Oscar de la Renta...hence Kors has been worn multiple times by Michelle.
Plus Michelle is not a fashionista, but she does have fun with clothes and isn't stuffy. Plus Wu, Toledo, and Pinto have been very humble and discreet. The First Lady mainly chooses mid-range priced clothes. I can even afford a Maria Pinto for a special occasion. The 25K gowns, not on your life. Michelle has substance and style--she should not be controlled.
Some of these uppity designers make me run from fashion, where Mrs. O makes me interested in learning more. Wu and Toledo have never even met Michelle and they don't seem to mind...they don't seem to want "access" to her but just want to design great clothes. Why can't some of the known labels who have made soooo much money, allow struggling newer designers their turn? It's like someone else said on this blog, the fat cats in this economy just want to get fatter.
Boy...my pressure is up again. Going to have to calm down again.
Also, I was so happy to see diversity in Jason Wu's last fashion show. I saw quite a few dresses on women of color. Good for him.
Jen,
This is what I am looking at:
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Jackeens/83
Look at photo #17 and you will see that it is a thin short button-up sweater.
That is a darling little bolero sweater!
Haven't we seen that skirt before?
GORGEOUS, the hair, the dress, the shoes EVERYTHING about this woman is FABULOUS. Not one other first lady can touch this woman. Carla looks ridiculous in the flats, and Michelle not only towers over everyone, looking great in those shoes, but in spirit, stature EVERYTHING. LOVE IT!! Who made the dress? I'm thinking Isabel Toledo too. Did you all hear that Oscar de la Renta is crying because Michelle isn't wearing his clothes? Isn't it time for a CHANGE. Every first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt has worn his clothes (kidding). Who wants Michelle to dress like Laura Bush-yawn or Hillary Clinton-yuck. Do your own thing Michelle.
LOVE that black dress! For sheer youthful vitality, Michelle knocks Carla out of the park!
She looks great but would someone please tell her that it's never appropriate to wear something sleeveless for dinner? There's an aesthetic reason....it is never okay to ask a table-full of people to look at anyone's exposed armpits. Sleeveless for cocktails, yes, absolutely. One doesn't reach for things at cocktail parties. For dinner, it's a true no-no. Doesn't she have someone to tell her these things? It's basic. Doesn't she wonder why no one else wears sleeveless dresses for dinner?
KAREN!...get a life.....I'm amazed at how silly people like yourself, have just got to find something wrong with Michelle.....Amazing! Someone needs to tell you to go stick it!
Janelle,
I really think part of the problem that the fashion elites have with Michelle is that she's from the hood and also that she's black. That NY Times article from a while back hinted to that indirectly. Basically saying Michelle being held up as a fashion icon could probably cause them to have problems with her because she represents everything they try to say is not worthy of being called beautiful. She's brown skinned. She's curvy and not a size 2. She's not a socialite but a self made woman. She's not from some wealthy New England family, she's from the Southside. So when Oscar De La Renta says "you just don't do that" in reference to Michelle wearing a sweater over her dress to meet the Queen, it's like they don't think that she even has the capablity to handle herself like a lady. They think she's a ragamuffin. And it pisses me off because these people, with all their inherited money, aren't even fit to lick Michelle's boots!
Seriously, these people have totally pissed me off.
sorry guys but really let's not hate on Carla. She *has* to wear flats because otherwise her husband would look like her key chain. And since becoming first lady she has worn very classic looks because she needs to look credible and serious and not like an ex rock chic who just a year ago was shot naked with only a guitar and boots for a magazine. They both looked super beautiful, even Mrs Brown (with the shoes exempted)
I do not even understand these designers, it's not like their 5k simple dress is going to fly of the selves if Mrs.O wears them, how may people can afford that. I have never hard jason wu's dress flying of the selves when Mrs.O wore his outfit.
Karen
Where on earth did you come up with that rule? I swear people just pull out random rules from the ether and hold them up as the gospel truth. Karen's etiquette rule: "no one wears sleeveless at dinner." In what universe is that even remotely true?,other than a time travel journey to the 19th century.
If we all had a penny for the number of self-appointed experts on this site, we could bail out a bank or two.
Iva, just for the record: Kenya is NOT in europe! Michelle has never been to europe. As for the 50 states, she has to travel to all of those (well most) for the campaign. So stop making stuff up.
You know, I'm not upset about the fashion designers in the WWD article because their motives are pretty clear. They want the money and the exposure. If I were them, I'd want the money and the exposure too!
But there's the old "luring bees with honey" thing that Oscar de la R might want to think about. He's really the only one who seems to be a little rude about the whole thing, and to be honest, he was extremely mild compared to all the "experts" on this board. He at least has genuine, undeniable fashion bonafides.
Karen, I consider yours to be an odd complaint. I am pretty sure that Michelle has worn many a sleeveless dress to have dinner, as have many people. And I am pretty sure no one has ever complained about having to look at her "exposed armpits".
More importantly, why do you think Michelle needs "someone to tell her these things"? I cannot understand the strein of comments that enjoy suggesting Michelle is like some 15-year old or something. The woman is 45. She knows how to dress, she knows etiquette, she understands how to frigging behave in public. She is not some hillbilly recently plucked from obscurity to become first lady. She actually ran a whole wing of a major hospital! She's a professional, modern woman and everything that I have read about her suggests she had a very active social life long before "fame". In short, even if you dislike what she does or wears or says etc., please attribute your dislike to Michelle's judgment/taste/style. NOT to her lack of an advisor to tell her xyz is how things are done.
You know oscar dela renta kills me, he never had any complaint when he was one of the owners dressing the first ladies, now the tables have turned and he's catching feelings and being a catty Mean Girl.
I do hope all of these designers lusting to dress MO will consider adding more minorties to their ads and runways, blacks, asians, latinos, indians, we make up america too and we can sell merchandise Michelle has clearly proven this
@ cristina and others talking about de la Renta--also take into account that he comes from the DR which is mostly ethnically black and where there is a lot of racism. His comments were dripping with it. Very gross in my opinion.
@ Tess
This is hitting a little too close to home b/c the undercurrent is something I deal with daily as a self-made, educated AA woman. But not everyone is like Oscar and I gravitate to more inclusive designers. A lot is changing right now with the Obamas in the White House and we're seeing some of the old attitudes rear their head. But again, I have to keep in mind that not all designers are like the well-known and Mrs. O is exposing me to a lot more that's out there.
Michelle can handle all of this. She's tough and knows what some, not all, designers may do. So I do understand why she uses a go-between like Ikram. I thought it was interesting that nothing was ever leaked about her inauguration outfit, and top designers were all being interviewed by the press and they didn't know...and they didn't like that they didn't know.
I have to say that her outfit tonight is probably my favorite and her hair and makeup are so on point!
Melony, IVA didn't say that Kenya was in Europe. She said Michelle Obama been to Europe, and to Kenya. I've been to Florida, and California. But I know that Florida isn't IN California.
But I"m curious how you know Mrs. O has never been to Europe before. Please, just tell me how you know -- a link to an interview where she says "I'm so excited to be visiting Europe for the first time!" or a similar sentiment from an Obama friend or associate will do, I'm not picky.
And, traveling to 50 states for the campaign still counts as travel, right?
Karen, please pay attention. She covered her arms later on.
Michelle has been to Europe prior to this visit. when speaking to the kids in London she said this is my first visit to Europe as a FIRST LADY! She said she visited to the UK before she had kids. You can watch the whole speech on BBC website.
Since when was it a "rule" that you can't wear sleeveless to dinner? How ridiculous. What planet ya from, Karen? :p
Karen: I am so intrigued by your comment. It is the first time I have ever heard of this, would love to get the source of this "rule". Does it come from an etiquette book? Which one? Which century?
Beegee: It is definitely a cropped cardigan.
The only reason I insist on this is that for some reason, it is the first time people are not complaining about her wearing one, when she is. And it looks fabulous. And it proves to all those cardi-critiques from the past three days that they are so chic...
i.e. ...that cardigans are so chic...
Karen please stop with the sleeves already. People are sick of it.
Oh...tess I agree with you 100% re: the fashion elite and their comments. Dripping with jealousy and elitism. They just set their cause back - BIGTIME.
Those fashion designers from that article really messed up, though. Showing how petty and judgmental they are will NOT have Mrs. O running to them for designs, in fact, I'm sure it does the opposite.
I also think their comments fail the test of discretion. Clearly, Mrs. O relishes being able to have her pieces made in total discretion, and when her designer is worn, she appreciates their humility and taste in not trying too hard to commercialize the situation. They are signaling that if Mrs. O wore their clothes, they'd maximize the exposure.
@ Tess - First Lady Michelle Obama is not from the "hood". She is from a black middle-class neighborhood of Chicago, although she keeps claiming that she grew up working class. Her father had a good local government job, which did not require her mother to work outside the home like the overwhelming majority of black women did at the time.
The European press is reporting that Mrs. Obama's dress tonight is done by Azzedine Alaia, who said that he sold the dress to the Ikram Goldman boutique in Chicago some months ago.
Michelle's wearing French designer, Azzadine Alaia. Hooray, no need to wear American designers all the time. They all look gorgeous. Michlle looks trillion bucks.
So much is made out of Mrs. Obama's wearing JCrew. It is wonderful that she is supporting an American designer however why not support more. As a Talbots woman why not wear classics from Talbots along with JCrew as well as many other American classic designers.