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)
This blog was mentioned in the NYT political blog today! And it was mentioned in the Times Online a few days ago.
Despite some of the catty, hyper-critical comments, this blog has really been fun to read this week, as it always is. I am happy there are so many new readers.
BTW when in France she can't wear J crew, her competition is wearing haute couture. So she needs to wear high end designers as well. France is all about galmour darling. She's absolutely glamorous at this occassion. I love Carla, but Michelle looks much better. Well done Azzadine.
@ Jay - You're right that Jason Wu's creations aren't flying off the shelves a la J. Crew or H&M ensembles that Mrs. Obama has worn. However, Wu has stated that his business has tripled since Mrs. Obama started wearing his clothes. Now that she's given him an international profile this week, that will probably go up even higher.
It's this kind of business that these big-gun designers seek in this slumped economy.
Mara, I definitely agree that Michelle was not from "the hood". But she grew up in a two bedroom apartment. I doubt any Middle Class family would raise two children in a two bedroom apartment. Her family was certainly working class, but they were luckily able to provide a great life for their children.
menukjau-
Two days ago Michelle DID wear J.Crew in France.
Tonight when Michelle wore the black dress they were all in Germany.
Now the Obamas are back in France again to sleep and tomorrow evening they will depart for Prague.
----
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.
More beautiful pictures of our POTUS and our elegant First Lady. I think this website give you more footage of them both. http://community.livejournal.com/obama_daily/
A beautiful and loving article about the ascendance of Michelle Obama and why she is so compelling:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/5102072/Michelle-Obama-The-birth-of-a-very-modern-superstar.html
Lol @ everyone,
Yesterday every other poster was hating on MO because they did not like what she had on. Today is a different day, lots of LOVE about.
Can I just say please TRUST & BELIEVE that Michelle knows what she's doing, and only gonna make us eat our words.
P.S. Bonnie Fullers article was hateful, what she gonna say now? Not that she is an expert or anything.
Au revoir
Again LOVE MO!!
And, just for the record Mrs. O has not worn J Crew so far in France they were in Britain when she wore that lovely ensemble!
Brit,
You're correct and I am wrong.
Just too many countries and too many outfits to keep track of, my head is spinning - and we're not done yet!
Leah D,
I totally understand I'm getting confused myself! and personally I think she COULD wear J Crew in France and still look just as fabulous!! but then again I'm partial to J Crew!!
one thing the fashionista of the world and those who follow fashion were dreading is 1st lady Michelle would start wearing overrated dowdy dress and pant suits that are Oscar de la R.
He's been dressing 1st ladies since Reagan and they mostly looked horrid, thank God Michelle picks young upcoming American designers regardless or race or gender.
When the economy improves, I hope she start including Vera Wang and Donna Karen in her looks. They are 2 designers worth bothering over.
The outfit, hair, shoes and makeup were all on point. I loved it.
For the people claiming Mrs. Obama grew up middle class, you have your information wrong. When she was growing up her family lived in a one bedroom apartment in the upstairs part of a bungalow. Her father divided the living room in two, so that she and her brother could have private space and her parents occupied the bedroom. By the time she became an adult they lived in the entire bungalow. She and the President lived in that same upstairs apartment for a short while after they got married before they could afford their own place. Those are the facts.
The designers that want her to wear their high-end pieces, high-price (for the most part) are only looking out for themselves and their pockets. Can you imagine the outrage if she was wearing that? People would crucify both her and the President for being of touch when people are losing their jobs left and right. She has to do this delicate dance of looking fantastic without spending too much money. Their schedule is hectic and I imagine they're both missing their girls terribly especially her. I think she's doing an amazing job so far under all the scrutiny.
My first post! I just wanted to say in AUDACITY OF HOPE Barack wrote about the day he first kissed Michelle. She talked about her trip to Paris while in high school. Also, if you google Barack's half sister Auma Obama you will find a story where Barack & Michelle attended her wedding in England. She has visited Europe numerous times. Michelle look fabulous! I still waiting for her to knock me again like night of the Governor's ball!
@ Mara and Jenna
I was reading in People magazine early last year during the campaign (I saw a picture of the house). Apparently, Michelle grew up in a bungalow 1 bedroom apartment in the upstairs of her aunt's house until she went to college. Her parents had the bedroom, and the living room was converted to a bedroom with a screen for privacy for she and her brother Craig. She studied at the kitchen table for hours on end and read encyclopedias.
This woman is tough as nails I tell you. I don't know if it's the hood, but it was some tight quarters. I don't know if you would call that middle-class, but Jenna you may disagree.
Later on, her mother lived in the house but Michelle and her brother were later off to college. Her story is pretty impressive.
I don't think Carla is wearing hose. But, let's not be too critical of her skin color! Some of us white people are really very, very white. My sister and my soon-to-be daughter-in-law are almost translucent, they are so white.
I love Michelle's chocolate mocha skin and I love Carla's vanilla latte skin. They are both yummy!
Michelle talks in generalities about her upbringing and doesn't get too specific, but it is fascinating the strength she has inside from her personal story. Just watching her evolve is wonderful to see. No wonder the President was struck by her so quickly and pursued her. He likes substance. But as you can see from today he has substance and style in one package.
@ Toni - I stand by my claim that Michelle Obama grew up middle-class, not working-class. I am familiar with the actual neighborhood where she hails from. You are correct about the housing setup. However, you failed to mention that her father was pulling down a $40,000 a year local government job (which he got thanks to his Democratic machine connections). That was pretty good money - middle-class money - for a family of four back in the 1970s. Her mother didn't work outside the home. How many black women do you know of Mrs. Robinson's generation who got to stay at home with their children? Very, very few. Was her father a blue-collar worker? Yes. Were they working-class? No.
Perhaps the Robinsons chose to save their money and put it in other things besides a mortgage. Either way, Michelle **definitely** is not from the hood. Never has lived in the hood.
HOwever, compared to Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's inherited wealth, Michelle Obama is a self-made woman and gets kudos for that.
Wow, she looks absolutely gorgeous.
Both First Ladies look absolutely gorgeous... but of course my favorite is Mrs. O!
Debra, you are very funny!
Okay, Michelle looks so cute in that outfit!!! I'm just gushing!!!
@ Mara how did you know Mrs.O's father made $40000 a year? Did you work with him?
Mara, working swing shift tending a boiler and not having attended college is not my idea of a middle class Dad. However, Michelle's Dad was a super father, working very hard for his family despite his MS.
I love this look! BTW, Alaia was born and grew up in Tunisia, Africa. He moved to Paris when he was 22.
Ah, I found Mara's "sources," thanks to Google. She's been hanging around on freeper sites. Why am I not surprised.
@Debra: I am Mocha and my husband is Vanilla. Yes, ALL flavors are yummy! ;-)
(P.S. I am a Deborah, too!)
@ trudy. LOL
Well thank you, Mrs. T. Seriously, thank you! :)=
Mara,
Go back to Free Republic with your lies and hatred. Please, link to the information listing Michelle's father's salary. I find it amazing that you claim to know exactly how much money her father made 3 decades ago.
Get over it, honey. We finally have a beautiful, classy, inspirational woman in the White House. A black queen. She's more than you and Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter, and all you other hate-mongering harpies could ever imagine to be.
@trudy--yep I have read that sort of line before. Don't you know that Michelle cannot be working class because she is not white? and that she has to be an elitist because she went to harvard, etc?
I don't want to cast aspersions towards mara but stating with such conviction that Michelle cannot be working class when her father worked a municipal job in the 50s and 60s is a little too redstate and sincerely not backed up by facts. Why do so many people need to try and make Michelle into something she is not. sigh.
either way she looked beautiful
I LOVE the bolero with the dress! Michelle looks beautiful.
I want to thank the poster who pointed out that J Crew is too expensive for many women. After all, the sparkly sweater retails for $298.00. Most women cannot afford to spend that much on a single item of clothing.
Great link for full length shots!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8318195#top
True but if you go online their some other pieces on their website that are less. I wouldn't spend 298 for a cardigan either but for a first lady whose predecessors wore Oscar de la Renta an all the other high brands, J. Crew is dirt cheap.
In an attempt to resolve the off-topic argument about Mrs. Obama's childhood home in Chicago, her father's job and salary, etc., and fully aware that I may be flamed, I offer this article from the Daily Mail [UK]:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-517824/Mrs-O-The-truth-Michelle-Obamas-working-class-credentials.html
In my opinion, fashion is much more entertaining than this. Everyone sounds weary.
Mr. and Mrs. O have people so confused. This is one couple that people love to hate on.
That particular sweater may be too much for some women, but not the whole Jcrew line of clothes. The point isn't necessarily to get us to buy THAT sweater only, it's to get us to go to the website or pick up the catalogue, and check out all they have to offer.
JCrew has some serious sales at the end of seasons, where you can get fabulous suits pretty cheap, and nice structured bathing suits at a huge discount. They've got great jeans, shirts, and evens shoes. I'll never forget these pointy-toed leather boots I bought, which were over $200 originally, for $98 on sale. I bought them over 5 years ago and still wear them (although they've been touched up throughout the years.)
I've always been a huge fan of JCrew.
She looks like a movie star!!! I can't believe she is our First Lady--brains, beauty, and a heart of gold. I really admire and respect her.
Michelle O helps JCrew sales, just as we called it!
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/04/03/2009-04-03_michelle_obama_jcrew_outfits_in_london_p.html
Michelle and Carla have on similar earrings in this photo:
http://www.daylife.com/photo/02l7auk6T45up?q=Michelle+Obama
MY EYES ARE BULGING AND MY HEAD IS SPINNING - all this "DIVALISHOUSNESS" from Mrs. O is making a girl giddy! The hair! The dress! The make up! The glowing skin and smile! I just can't keep up!!!
And what about Mr. President he looks like the cat that ate the mouse! I swear his smiles are even broader whenever Michelle is at his side, and I agree with Mrs. O when she said that HE is HER best accessory!
How many more days of bliss?! Is there going to be like a grand black tie event or something, 'cause if there is I think I'll be beside myself with anticipation. Carry on then...
Mara....Your disgusting for attacking her dead father on a fashion blog. You hate Michelle so much that you and others make of sick lies about this her father who has been dead for a decade now.
I guess working class to people like you would be for her Father to have been picking cotton right?! Your whole post screams out racism. Get over it she is First Lady of the United States! Deal with it and move on.
This is my first post, although I have been reading for months. I bought a J Crew cashmere cardigan today to put away for next winter (although this morning it was 33 and snowing when I got up),on sale. It was still pricey, but not as much as most department store cashmere. Mrs. O is an inspiration in so many ways, clothing, healthy eating, outlook on life, etc. Her trips to federal agencies to actually thank federal employees are greatly appreciated, since federal workers are rarely thanked, but generally thought of as slackers. We are so lucky to have the Obamas as our first family.
Michelle looks awesome! Something about this dress really pops on her. With or without the bolero, she looks fantastic.
What kind of fabric is FLOTUS' dress made of? How do you get fabric to look and behave like that? I have never ever been so interested in fashion until MO and this website. And is Mme. Sarkozy's clutch made of silk? There was nice sheen to it.
Beautiful. She's a lovely woman in the prime of her and her husband's life, and for someone who was drafted for the electoral adventure, she is having a great time. What's not to admire?
As for sleeves, I pointed out recently that Elizabeth II's own coronation gown in 1953 was sleeveless. If you can show a bit of anterior scapular flesh while ascending the throne of the British Empire, then I would say all other events are pretty safe. Meals included.
Her hair,that's it! if she can keep those shape,fantabulous.
Does Michelle speak any other languages besides English?
@ javier:
she speaks fluent french
@ the poster who disdains Mrs O for wearing a sleevless dress for dinner - many, many women wear sleeveless or strapless dinner gowns for formal dinners. It is NOT a faux pas. Jeez, who are these commenters?? I'd love to see what you look like or dress like offline. Then again - probably not.