A Black Belt in Corsetry
Monday, May 11, 2009 at 12:02 PM 
Image used with kind permission from Seedhouse / Peter Soronen
Last week, Mrs. O attended Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" gala in New York, wearing a Michael Kors gown and corset belt by Peter Soronen.
While photographs highlighted the delicate folds of the front of the corset belt, little was revealed about the back. We're delighted to feature both views of the exquisite belt here; and indeed, the back view is quite telling. Many of you will recall that the waist-cinching lace-up detail is similar to the striking red corset gown, also by Peter Soronen, worn by the First Lady for the Alfalfa Club dinner in February.
Corsetry is a trademark of Peter Soronen's designs. In late March, he told the The National of his inspiration: "When I was a kid, I liked the silver-screen films and the characters' costumes were inspirational to me, especially in films such as Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman, and also Gone with the Wind. I was fascinated with watching period films, and saw the level of care and craftsmanship of the costumes, and what the corsets worn did to the overall look. So, I just had to make one, and tried to get girlfriends to wear them. They loved the pieces and I began to alter the patterns to fit the modern woman."
Peter Soronen in Outfits
Reader Comments (167)
I think it is ridiculous that Glamour magazine would put Anne Hathaway over Mrs. O. How many magazines have Anne Hathaway been on this year, I dont have anything against Anne Hathaway but whoever the editor is at Glamour really should have re-thought that one
Has anyone identified the tote Mrs. O used for Friday's burger run?
@IVA,
If the poetry slam is televised, and since it will be a WH first, I'm sure it will be--check cnn(dot)com/live as well as C-span(dot)org. They usually livestream events. It is also possible that the White House will livestream it at whitehouse(dot)org. Desiree Rogers said that as time goes on, they will add more and more WH events on their own livestream so that the public can feel a part of everything even though we can't be there. Personally, I wish they could host another PBS music event---the last one was just great. Or better yet, bring my favorite artist to the WH--Jill Scott!
..Regarding Peter Soronen...I just love his designs and if my income ever goes up (fat chance), I would love to get a few pieces from his line. My style is more classic with a splash of edge, and Soronen's designs are not over the top to me, and I can actually picture myself wearing about 95% of his line. And I agree that his work is truly amazing. He knows how to work a women's figure. I'm not a fan of belts on Michelle, but if she's going to wear them, I prefer corset belts and the "Drop and Give Me 20" belt she wore over the floral blouse last week---on TV, that belt looked really good, much better than in the photos.
Also, whether I join into a particular conversation on this blog or not, I will say that this site has some of the most intelligent and gracious bloggers around. This site is a welcome refuge from the crazies in the corporate world that I deal with all day.
Ooops, correction from above...they livestream events at whitehouse(dot)gov, not "org".
Thanks to all that don't mind a little substantive talk mixed in their fashion talk. I appreciate a good balance as well.
But on the fashion tip:
I found a video of Maria Pinto giving fashion tips and showing off her store. Exiciting! I miss Maria Pinto.
www(dot)nbcchicago(dot)com/around_town/fashion/Spring_Fashion_Tips_from_Maria_Pinto_All__National_(dot)html
@Janelle - are you watching Jill Scott on #1 Ladies Detective Agency?
http://www.hbo.com/no1ladiesdetectiveagency/
She is amazing in it.
And I am betting the poetry slam will be on whitehouse.gov. I know that my former co-teacher is hoping she can tap into it tomorrow for her classes.
Mrs Obama will look absolutely gorgeous in any of the dresses of Peter Soronen featuered at the "Collection" page in www(dot)petersoronen(dot)com
Thanks, Janelle! Let's hope it's somewhere. I think this event is going to be really cool!
WOO-HOOO! Martin Margiela! We're getting there! We're getting there!
I just looked at Peter Soronen Spring 2009 Collection and I can see Mrs. O wearing just about all of those dresses. One of the dresses resembled her dress she wore to church on Easter
Weel, I answered my own question, searched older posts and found:
The President and First Lady attended Easter service at St. John’s Episcopal Church on this sunny Sunday morning.
Mrs. O wears a floral v-neck dress, fitted through the bodice with a straight skirt that hits at the knee. She paired the dress with an ivory cardigan and double strand of pearls. In a fresh pastel palette, Mrs. O is perfectly dressed for Easter and a vision of Spring.
We recognize the fabric from Peter Soronen’s Spring / Summer 2009 collection – the dress perhaps customized in design for Mrs. O.
Update: The dress, originally presented as a one shoulder design in Peter Soronen’s Spring Summer 2009 collection, was customized with two shoulders for the first lady. The fabric is a painted cotton lace, the beauty of which can be better seen here.
Mrs T I am 100% sure the Obamas did *not* attend the alfafa dinner--the DC media were quite upset about that--so that gorgeous red gown must have been worn to something else.
@Bevi,
I'm so mad but I don't have HBO! I have to wait until it comes on DVD. As you can probably guess, I'm not too happy about it. If you've ever heard her sing with Chris Botti and also her DVD Live in Paris, that woman has got the singing chops and she can act, do poetry--spoken word, sing opera, everything.
President Obama DID attend the Alfalfa Dinnner.
politicalticker(DOT)blogs(DOT)cnn(DOT)com/2009/02/01/obama-gets-laughs-at-alfalfa-dinner/
but as far as the red dress goes, I thought she wore that to a Newspaper event, guess I got mixed up.
It was the the Gridiron’s annual banquet in March that President Obama did NOT attend and he got some flack about it.
The Obama Family went to Camp David that weekend.
@Nicole, if you look under "Press" on Peter Soronen's site, he has listed photos of all the notable people wearing his clothes and all Michelle's photos are there, including a beautiful pink suit from the campaign that I actually thought was a Maria Pinto outfit. It's nice to see that his designs are worn by a range of women of different sizes--Mrs. O, Jennifer Hudson, and Sarah Jessica Parker. Their photos are all listed there.
@valdivia, I think you're thinking of the Gridiron Dinner that the Prez didn't go to b/c of the beginning of spring break and he wanted to be with his family.
@willow, I was catching up reading the prior thread and I hope your physical challenges improve for the better.
@ valdivia - He didn't go to the Gridiron dinner.
Valdivia, I believe IVA is correct. Tina Brown of the Daily Beast wrote about sitting near Mrs. O at the Alfalfa Club dinner, featured here:
http://www.mrs-o.org/?p=3538
love the corset, reminds me of obi sash belts that were popular a few years back.
anyway, this is off topic but why do some commenters change the . to (dot) in web addresses. it sure makes it harder to check out the site they are promoting or suggesting IMO.
yep my bad, indeed it was the Gridiron dinner. Either way love that red dress.
@janelle - I will get the Live in Paris DVD. You are in for a treat when The HBO show appears on DVD. Jill can really act. And she has an amazing supporting cast. The music is addicting - jazz is incorporated into the score;
the whole series is beautifully executed in every way.
@Bevi, I'm glad it's good and I look foward to it being released but now I hate the fact that I went to basic cable only---shoot!
Im anxious to see her in the white tuxedo...that should be interesting.
I wonder which hairstyle she will wear it: "The Michelle", an Updo, Bangs, Curly or the style she wore to visit the Queen.
So you can plan a great marathon day of watching TV, some time in the near future, with a beverage on a day when the skies open, pour buckets, and force you to stay inside with Jill!
☺
@Janelle - plz see above to you! Think I am done for the night. G'night All....
"Black tie" means tuxedoes for the men. Tuxedoes require a bow tie.
Apparently they will livestream the poetry slam on the white house official website! Woo-hooo!!!
@ Hyde Parker. I think that's an old rule about a bowtie being the only thing a man can wear with a tux to a black-tie event. I actually recently went with my friend who got fitted for his own tux and the stylist person said that is an old school standard, and not such a "rule" anymore, especially with the younger generation.
I personally like both looks and I think its cool that Obama has switched it up for these various events. There really isn't much he can do to look different for these events, so I appreciate him trying.
This corset belt is so Lady Marmalade and gives Mrs.O that extra edge she always seems to have over the other ladies. This is definitely a timeless belt and I appreciate that Mrs.O chooses such pieces to make a simple dress pack a serious punch...I'll take one to go please!
@ ely: we change the URLs to "dot" because if you type in a direct link, the comment automatically goes into moderation and cannot be seen by others until Mrs. T makes it visible. (Try it and you'll see what I mean) Sometimes the moderation takes a while so people work around it by typing out "dot."
@ Hyde Parker: Tuxedoes don't *require* a bow tie. That is a traditional look, yes. But more and more -- again, I refer to the Academy Awards -- I see men wearing tuxedoes with a long tie. Right now I would say it's a matter of preference. Here's a New York Times story about it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/07/style/after-100-years-of-squirming-men-tank-the-tux.html
"I will say that this site has some of the most intelligent and gracious bloggers around. This site is a welcome refuge from the crazies in the corporate world that I deal with all day." Janelle, my thoughts exactly. With a 24-hour full-bore bad news cycle, it's a nice respite for me to come here where it's mainly just gracious discussions about Mrs. Obama.
Sorry for another post; I meant to include this above. But have been meaning to ask, is it a no-no to post a link in a thread? I notice sometimes people type (dot) in the URL address.
Emily and ely,
The reason people put (DOT) instead of a real dot is because then their comment won't go into moderation. Comments that include urls and smiley faces go straight into moderation and stay there until Mrs. T has time to approve them. Sometimes a link is so important that we just can't wait for others to see it so that is the reason for the (DOT) and (COLON)
IMrs. T, am wondering why comments with links in them are moderated? Is this a deficiency of the software? Or intentional for some reason? It doesn't seem to serve any purpose except to result in (dot) hard to use links.
I thought Demi Moore had on an excellent dress at the WHCD.
But can someone explain to me why any woman or any age wears a dress with one of those crepe(?) coverings on their arms and shoulders, like Barbara Walters? A style that immediately announces "I am 100 years old?" Surely there are much better ways to cover up things that should be covered, either a solid fabric in an oriental style, for example.
No More FLOTUS. I copied this from The Seattle Post Intelligencer. Perhaps we should retire the "FLOTUS" as well.
http(COLON)//blog(DOT)seattlepi(DOT)com/seattlepolitics/archives/168478.asp?from=blog_last3
"She won a strong ovation at Saturday night's White House Correspondents Dinner, and her spouse joked that the gun lobby and its critics both agree that Michelle Obama has the right to "bare arms."
"The White House press office seems at last to understand that a poised First Lady, boasting a 75 percent approval rating, deserves better than an unflattering acronym.
"On Monday, the official rundown on her activities was headlined "Guidance for First Lady Michelle Obama."
"Hitherto, releases have referred to the president's spouse as "FLOTUS" -- for First Lady of the United Status."
"Democrats love acronyms, and revived the term POTUS -- for President of the United States -- as soon as President Obama took office on January 20. The acronym was a White House favorite during the Clinton-Gore years, but jettisoned during President Bush's two terms.
"But FLOTUS?
"The initials suggested water pollution, or a substance being discharged -- untreated -- by Victoria into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It's reminiscent of days when General Motors was selling a new model called the Vega, but market surveys showed the name made car buyers think of a fungus.
"First Lady Michelle Obama" is a lot easier to understand, and fits everything from toiling in the White House vegetable garden to displaying the latest creations of largely unknown fashion designers."
I'm glad President Obama chose not to wear a bow tie to the dinner. In my opinion I think it would have looked a bit dorky and cliche. When he was up there he looked so comfortable and confident. Plus the things he said that night were really funny and light-hearted. It's great that he can poke fun at himself and has a sense of humor. It's refreshing to see a First Lady and President so comfortable in their own skin an also in their sartorial choices.
@Trudy.. Demi's dress is lovely. The woman has a great sense of style and proportion and knows what suits her. She's worn some fabulous frocks lately.
Oh, I think bow ties look ridiculous.
What about men's tuxedo shoes? You know the dainty (often patent leather) dance pumps?.... Those who insist on the bowtie, must insist on goin' whole hog with the pumps!!!
I think.
Nice close-ups of the corset belt Mr T, thank you very much. It's beautiful. I've been hankering after one of these for .... mmm... well, let's just say the better part of twenty years (YIKES!). I've done corsets to death, but never had a corset belt. Hmm. Such a great accessory and you really can wear them with anything. Or an obi-style belt or sash. It's nice to see someone in the public eye really playing with belts and the waist in this way. As an hourglass myself I get fed up with seeing model after model that is six foot tall and NO WAIST! I think there should be a rule - all designers have to design at least one outfit each collection for someone with a chest and waist and hips!
I loved the slide show at nymag - the captions kept me snuffling very happily. Some ladies looked very lovely. Some ladies need to make an acquaintance with some decent undercrackers. Really. Or stop having stuff injected into their lips. Dona. Tella. Come on now, you looked great as you were. Stop it.
Mr T? *falls over laughing* Just got a great mental image of Mrs T wearing an AWful lot of bling with dungarees, saying "you aint getting me on no plane fool".
Sorry. MRS T.
From the NY Times today. Should be a nice event to see tonight (Esparanza yaaaaay! She is soooo good.):
"On tap at the White House on Tuesday night? A poetry jam — with smooth jazz, cool verses and spoken word. The literary and musical event in the East Room will include the actor James Earl Jones, the writers Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman (who are husband and wife), the jazz singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding and the pianist Eric Lewis. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote and starred in “In the Heights,” the Broadway musical that won a Tony last year, will also perform. It is part of an effort by the Obamas to open up the White House and celebrate the country’s diverse art scenes. The event, which is scheduled to begin at 7:45 p.m., will be shown live at www(dot)whitehouse(dot)gov "
Janelle thanks for all those details - I'm looking forward to seeing some clips tomorrow. I got invited to a poetry slam years ago... couldn't go, missed it, never followed it up.... This'll be a new thing for me!
First, let me say, I love the corset!! Beautifully made, and obviously a beautiful addition to the beautiful Kors dress.
That being said, I totally don't like women wearing tuxedos of any kind. I have yet to see one that is flattering, except for the ones Judy Garland wore years ago. She could pull it off, because one of her great assets were her legs.
When you have a great body like Mrs. O, whyever would one wear a tuxedo??
Great blog, thank you Ladies!!!
"But more and more — again, I refer to the Academy Awards — I see men wearing tuxedoes with a long tie."
Christina, I would NEVER hold up what people wear to the Academy Awards as the ne plus ultra of fashion. Some of those guys look like they just crawled out of a dumpster. Honestly, I just don't get it.
On the question of what constitutes proper black tie attire, I will take Miss Manners over the Hollywood set any day.
Everyone, I just found out that the poetry slam event at the WH tonight is casual, so don't get your hopes up to see a dazzling gown from Mrs. O. I was reading an article (Gainsville Times) from a GA county commissioner from my state who got a call last Friday to come to the event, and the invite said "casual". I thought it was interesting that he said he had no idea how he got on the list (but he did speak at the 2004 DNC) and that the Obamas are reaching beyond Washington insiders to bring in more people. About 100 people were invited and slam poet Mayda Del Valle will also be featured. I know Michelle will look nice...just didn't want anyone to be too disappointed thinking it was a formal affair.
I think the lure of the tuxedo for women (if I may) is manifold. They are very easy to wear (you put 'em on and you're done). No worrying about hemlines or decolletee, how's the dress behaving, has it ridden up, is it sagging? Is the underwear showing? Will I show off my knickers if I cross my legs?
You can put different tops underneath (camisoles, corsets, nothing, a shirt).
You can inject a lot of glamour with the right necklace, shoes, hair style.... It's a lot of fun! And god knows sometimes the idea of wearing a dress just bores me to tears.
Plus - PLUS! - there's something really fun and sexy about putting a very sexy woman in an extremely severe suit. Any severe suit, not just a tux. I wear tailored men's suits for work or tweed suits at weekends sometimes (with a tie and cufflinks), and I've done black tie and white tie for evening do's. It's fun if I can't be bothered to get all frocked up. It's sexy, it's provocative - why not?!
@Willow- But FLOTUS is so easy to write down in a hurry! I believe I saw the acronym on the whitehouse.gov website this morning!
I agree that the term reminds me of flotsam and jetsam, those two descriptive words that are mixed up by millions of speakers daily - myself included.
There is nothing wrong with acronyms, especially for reporters. If you are trying to be the first one to rush out a story out, you would understand the need to write FLOTUS and POTUS instead of the entire phrases and names. It is not a sign of disrespect but an tool for efficiency. As for the black tie, it is fitting and respectful for even yhe Presidcent to to sometimes stick to protocol. Either that or change the dress code for the event; if you are expecting your guests to adhere to show up in the often-uncomfortable black tie and you yourself show up in a more casual regular tie, it makes you look a bit inconsiderate. I personally don't like the long black tie look, I find it too somber, sort of like someone going to a funeral. He might have at least jazzed it up with a snazzy tie pin or clip for a night look(that is just my personal prefereence). I bet you it would have definitely started a trend instead of this mini-uproar.
@ Hyde Parker:
"Christina, I would NEVER hold up what people wear to the Academy Awards as the ne plus ultra of fashion."
Nor would I. I was just making the point that wearing a long tie with a tuxedo is not a new thing.
But I also have to admit that I don't have any strong interest in the issue. The president did not strike me as underdressed for the occasion, and that's all I thought at the time.
I liked the long tie the President had on for two reasons: (1) it was shiny and the sheen made it look dressy and (2) he looks terrible in bowties. In past photos, everyone from Michelle to WH ushers were constantly adjusting it because it kept getting twisted on his neck. He was adjusting it probably because he just doesn't like them and kept changing its position from his constantly moving it. He looked very relaxed and confident at the dinner, and that's how he wanted to feel, especially since I know neither he or Michelle wanted to be there, no President ever likes that correspondents dinner. I hope he keeps wearing the long ties because while the bowtie may be standard at these events, it just isn't the President's style.