Saturday
May302009
Date Night in the Big Apple
Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 5:30 PM 
Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
First images here. More to follow!
This evening, the President and First Lady are enjoying a date night in New York City, where they'll see the Broadway show 'Joe Turner's Come and Gone' at the Belasco.
Mrs. O wears a square neck black dress, with horizontal bands of ruffles through the skirt. To accessorize, the First Lady adds a stack of diamond bangle bracelets, a blue clutch and Jimmy Choo Lantern heels.
Update: "Another Mrs. A" reports spotting a doppelganger Alaia dress in white at Barneys. Several people have suggested Alaia and we agree - the body hugging fit and detailed ruffle work seem to fit the bill.
tagged Alaia, Jimmy Choo in Outfits
Alaia, Jimmy Choo in Outfits
Reader Comments (354)
Eve, there's no need to shout, or use foul language.
Thank you.
Nyon - Thank you so much for your concern. I won't feel inhibited in the future. But I will certainly go back to the standards that I was raised with, and not get too personal in my comments. I thank you for raising the issue. I think you've been very gracious.
I feel like I'm always the last to comment at night, because I'm on the west coast, and a night person. And then I miss out on the conversations in the morning and end up commenting last on those, because I need a lot of rest and get here late. (smile)
We adjusted the picture on the new monitor and it seems as good as the Dell.
ms. g, loved the thought-provoking comment way up this thread, about medeival literature and the king and queen retiring for the night - i'm sure we all connect unconsciously with leaders/icons because they are symbolic of so much more...
Wow! Don't know what to make of some of the comments here.
But it's funny to read some of the offenders calling for a ceasefire after they've managed to sneak in a couple of sly posts (even if under other multiple names.)
There seems to be a certain "bi-polar" nature to some of the posts - Further evidence that everyone who hasn't already, must seriously consider picking up on some seriously savvy way of cleverly slaying the "opposition" while speaking from every side of their mouth - Or rather in this case writing contradicting posts seeking to deceive - The hit & run syndrome.
Compromise and civility is great, but not at the risk of validating deliberately distorted malicious projections and assertions and unwarranted insults on the person of President Obama & the first lady.
Let's agree to be civil, but there are those of us who are not going to stand idly by while sly innuendo and outright disrespect of the Obama's are parsed over as mere fashion critic and "misunderstanding" of a "well-intentioned" post. We are not stupid.
Wow! Don’t know what to make of some of the comments here.
But it’s funny to read some of the offenders calling for a ceasefire after they’ve managed to sneak in a couple of sly posts (even if under other multiple names.)
There seems to be a certain “bi-polar” nature to some of the posts - Further evidence that everyone who hasn’t already, must seriously consider picking up on some seriously savvy way of cleverly slaying the “opposition” while speaking from every side of their mouth - Or rather in this case writing contradicting posts seeking to deceive - The hit & run syndrome.
Compromise and civility is great, but not at the risk of validating deliberately distorted malicious projections and assertions and unwarranted insults on the person of President Obama & the first lady.
Let’s agree to be civil, but there are those of us who are not going to stand idly by while sly innuendo and outright disrespect of the Obama’s are parsed over as mere fashion critic and “misunderstanding” of a “well-intentioned” post.
They're a stunning couple. Case closed. ;-)
@ Eleroy, please remember at least two other posters raised the issue of Mrs. Obama's lingerie before I said I was 'squeamish' about that line of discussion! My comment was intended to stop it, not continue it.
The picture of them walking in the evening sunlight with the aircraft in the background reminds of "Pretty Woman" when he took her to the opera to see La Traviata. I wonder if Michelle said, "Mr President, if I forget to tell you, I had a really great time tonight"?
I used to work for the State Dept. and in cases where a senior official`s spouse traveled along just for the pleasure or the couple used government transportation on a private trip for security reasons, they had to pay the equivalent of commercial first class airfare for the route traveled. It wouldn`t surprise me if the Obamas paid something for the travel to NY. If they had wanted to be sneaky, they could have arranged an official trip to cut a ribbon or visit a project and then tacked the evening out on top. The Obamas aren`t that tricky, apparently.
I love this site. For so long I thought I was the only person in awe of Mrs. O's fashion. President Obama shows that if a man can not run his own house hold he can not run a company or a country. I love how he sets aside time to date is wife. This job as President will only last 4 to 8 years. His marriage is for a life time. I am so glad he is not putting his marriage on the back burner while he is President. Love the Obama's!!
Proof that royals wear cardigans, take that Oscar:
http://img46(dot)imageshack.us/img46/6619/chiluuuuuuuu3.jpg
This is not my favorite of her dresses. I would hate to have everything I wear scrutinized! They look happy--and that is the most important thing.
I hope they had a great time in NYC. Does anyone know anything about the play they saw? Or the restaurant?
I think this comment will be lost down here at the end, but anyway....I'm pretty sure her dress is Alaia. I tried one on at Barneys exactly like it, except in white. It was a gorgeous dress. I seriously wish I had the cash to dress in Alaia. Well, a girl can dream. Luckily, I have Mrs O to vicariously live the Alaia dream!
Love this fun, flirty dress made sophisticated by its being made in black! As always, I'm interested in seeing the designer confirmed/credited. Also love the touch-of-bright-color clutch, and the pretty shoes.
Susan:
The play is in about 10 plays that August Wilson wrote depicting the black American experience in the USA.
This play was on Broadway some years back and this is a revivial.
Some of Mr. Wilson's better known plays are: Fences and Piano lesson.
I would suggest during an internet search for more information on the playright August Wilson. He died a few years back and a theatre was named for him on Broadway.
I enjoy Broadway, but off-Broadway has some great plays too that sometimes I think are better than Broadway. Some big name actors also do off-Broadway.
I think Mrs. Obama look great in this ensemble.
I am not familiar with the restaurant as I don't go to Greenwich Village (my favorite part of NY) too often. There are some great restaurants there though.
Since I work downtown, I tend to hang mid-town (where most of the plays are) and really enjoy the restaurants in this area. You can eat at a restaurant a day here and within a year you still would have eaten at the same restaurant twice!
I love seeing couples have fun and enjoying each other . . . and the President and First Lady . . . too cute! Please, Please, Please tell me where I can score the black dress! Too Fabulous!!
I don't like this dress, but I'm not a fan of ruffles. I also feel as if it would be more flattering if the neckline and armholes weren't cut so close - I'd like to see them about an inch or so lower and the hem just at the knee.
Oh, and @ Lily - not all of us have to sacrifice. Some of us are actually doing better now than we have been in recent years. Gosh, I wonder why.
People who slam the O's for going out would be well served to remember that when the President and First Lady go out, it conveys a sense that everything is okay, that all is well in our land. That is priceless. Moreover, now that they've been to see this play, how many others will go to see it or any other show on Broadway, or what might have been an otherwise not-well-attended arts production (whether music, dance, drama, art)? We as a nation need that now and frankly, I think that's as much why they do these things as for their own enjoyment.
I a gree t'other Mrs. O not to mention its a boost to NYC and to broadway that has been hit hard during the recession. Job well done. If Barack and Michelle where private citizens they could easily hop on a Jet Blue and be in NYC for the play and return the same day. I've done it before, a day excursion in NYC is not out of the question or indulgent. If budgetnista me can jaunt off to NYC for a play and dinner so can the Obamas of course they have to bring the secret service.
Ditto t'other! I actually wrote the play down and thinking of a way I can see it soon. Business trip to D.C. . . . hummmm, add on NYC . . . it can happen! It is sad for those with negative spirits to try and make this a bad thing.
The New York Times did a review & audio slideshow of the play a few months back. It recently got quite a few Tony nominations.
As Jersey Girl points out, this is one of a series of plays of Wilson's, called the Pittsburgh Cycle (though one is actually set in Chicago). They trace the African-American experience in the U.S. over a period of 100 years, one play for each decade of the 20th-century.
Two of them, Fences and The Piano Lesson, won Pulitzers, and various of the plays have won a lot of other awards as well. All the plays are well worth seeing if you have the opportunity.
Here is great link of Valerie Jarrett on MO (small beginning portion on President BO)...
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/06/valerie_jarrett_videos_on_bara.html
The complete cycle of plays include, in chronological order according to the decade: Gem of the Ocean, 1904; Joe Turner's Come and Gone, 1911; Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, 1927; The Piano Lesson, 1936; Seven Guitars, 1948; Fences, 1957-58, 1963; Two Trains Running, 1969; Jitney, 1977; King Hedley II, 1985; Radio Golf, 1997.
Mrs. A, how much was the dress? Curious cat would like to know :-)
I once tried on a designer suit that I couldn't possibly afford. What an experience. Unbelievable tailoring, and it fit beautifully.
I love Valerie Jarrett. She is so adorable and so smart. Mr. and Mrs. O struck the jackpot with her on their team.
@trudy - I agree. There is truly a difference in quality when you get something that is higher end. Not only the fit, but also the feel of the fabric.
Re. the luxury of designer clothes: Oh, what a diff! Ladies (and gents), I'm an experienced hand at finding high-end designer clothes for MUCH less. I've found them in thrift shops in major cities. I've found them in resale shops. I've found them on E-Bay (search by designer you're interested in). I've found them for 75% off at outlets. I've found them in the dregs of department store final markdowns. I've found them at Filene's Basements. It's fun searching, and I have things I treasure and love to wear. I wear them year after year.
I feel sure I'm not the only one here who's found such bargains -- just passing along my own experience.
Touche IVA...
Valerie Jarrett is a real class act! She has such integrity and never seems to power grab or feel the need to take credit for anything but always deferring to the Obama's.
No chip on the shoulder for sure.
Martha N: Thank you for all your calm, sensible posts...
I kept meaning to respond to one of your previous posts about the consistent messaging by the president re: organic, sustainable foods etc.; you are so spot on!
Your are right too about the fact that the Obama's could have winged a trip into N.Y and avoided all the flap by contriving some random ribbon cutting event and done the dinner and broadway show on the sly...
But it's not their way and the integrity is so telling and appreciated!
First of all, I am NOT the "Lily" from above. I had that name first and I guess she chose a similar name. That being said, I am probably going to choose a different name to avoid confusion. The views of the "Lily" above do not seem to be liked, although I do believe she has the right to her opinion, just as I do mine.
That being said, the dress is OK. The toning of Mrs. O's back is SICK! (And that is used in a good way). I would have loved the dress more if were shorter, but overall good look and love the punch of color with the bag against the black of the dress; it is wonderful!
P.S. I'll let you all know what new name I choose so you can get on my case when you disagree with me if I get too picky about Mrs. O's look (SMILES!)
@ Audrey - Ms. Jarrett comes across so grateful for knowing the Obamas and so grateful for the opportunity. I chuckled at the part in the interview where she said when she's in her role as his assistant, she's respectful of his time, but when she's in her role as friend, she just talks on and on...lol.
It's interviews like that, which I'd like to see with Desiree Rogers all of the time. I noticed that the authors' of the recent Time Magazine piece on Mrs. O used her "Obama Brand" statement in a not-so flattering way (although I don't think it was negative towards the Obamas).
@ Lilly O - I didn't think that other person was you...the comments just didn't seem like something you'd harp on. The punch of color with her clutch is one of my favorite aspects of the look, along with her shoes. I am a black fanatic when I dress, so I appreciated this different take on the "little black dress." And I always feel like tall women with long legs look best in this length, so I thought the length was perfect and am having trouble picturing it at her knees, or (God forbid) higher.
I LOVE the shoes--I think they are actually Jimmy Choo Lantern (not Latern), but I can't tell if they are black or the metallic silver ones here: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/3026884.shtml.
I'm thrilled to hear that they went to an August Wilson play--he was such an amazing playwright.
just had to write how gorgeous they look!!!
Always enjoying seeing them together!!!
Just looked in on the CNN website, and Jack Cafferty has posed the question, "Should taxpayer money cover Obamas' NYC date night?" I didn't read all of the 300 responses so far, but the ones I read are overwhelmingly supportive of the President and of allowing him to do the same thing other Presidents have done at taxpayer expense. The comments mention many of the same points that have been made here, such as loving the fact that we have a President who is in love with his wife, recognizing his need for stress relief, acknowledging his sacrifice of his privacy and right to have a "normal" life, and admitting that the law and the need for security don't give him a lot of options for "getting out." Pretty encouraging!
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I would daresay that some of you ladies spend WAY too much time on here...what else do you have going on in your life? I know that I will be attacked in much the same way as you attack others for expressing a difference of opinion. I do agree this site is not the one for RNC lovers and the like, but some of you behave like Mrs. O's sycophants, and I'm sure she would not want that.
Chris, good thing you have a life, that way you don't have to come on here and read what we say. And I am sure Mrs. O would appreciate the love she receives on this site.
I have been at a big wedding for the past 4 days, and I think I am glad vis-a-vis the topics of conversation on the site!
Bras? Are you kidding?
Obamas sucking off the taxpayers' dollars? Get out of town! Go visit the RNC site or better yet, SarahPac!
But I love the research re: the theatre.
When I visit this site on weekends, I constantly have to remind myself that this site can sometimes become the Twilight Zone during that time of the week.
And Chris, this site unabashedly celebrates the Obamas' style, fashion, and raison d'etre, so if you do not appreciate that aspect of this venue, I would venture to say that you will be satisfied with a different site.
Chris,
Expressing a difference of opinion means saying that you don't particularly care for the outfit in the photo. Passing judgment on the lives and pastimes of total strangers is another thing entirely. Differences of opinion are welcome; personal attacks are not.
Well concerning "date night" Mayor Bloomberg is more than happy for the publicity. If I where NYC I would offer packaged date night deals. As for the economy reports are saying the worst is over. We can become all gloom and doom and stay holed up and bitter or we can get out and do something. I'm booking my tickets to NYC now.
I have been truly wondering what Mrs. O will wear to Ghana. I know she thinks of her own preferences in clothing and designers, but will she try a new designer at some point in Europe and Ghana? Seeing her in a different designer is purely a selfish wish on my part, because I can add another one to my repertoire of designers Mrs. O has introduced me to---I knew very little before reading this site. I often wonder about the research she's doing this week before she goes, what she may want to express through her clothing, patterns that get her attention, what will be comfortable in all the venues she will be going to...though she has been to Africa before a few years ago. I know she's thinking of comfort with the weather....I bet she goes sleeveless in Ghana, I hope she does---she did when she went to Kenya with then Senator Obama. I'm hoping for something sleeveless, flowing, light fitting and colorful in Ghana.
Anyone else have any thoughts on what she might wear to Europe/Ghana or what you wish for Mrs. O to wear this week?
....Of course, you know she's always completely surprising and that's why I love her, whether I agree or disagree on a fashion choice.
@ Nyon- i love the way you calmly, clearly, and persuasively get your point across especially with something as inappropriate as what was said.
I really have to say I'm terribly disappointed with some of the comments, ESPECIALLY Mrs. T's that (although some of them not blatantly) expressed a strong desire to keep all discussion to (positive) opinion of Mrs. O's fashion, makeup, hair, demeanor, first lady amazingness. I would never want to start a sentence with Mrs. O would want, because I don't know her, but I can't imagine as an educated, political, opinionated woman, she would want for a site devoted to all things her to SHUN political conversation. I understand what the blog is about, but I find it so disconcerting that this blog, most highly visited by women urges them to go to other blogs for healthy political conversation and disagreement. There was no rediculous obama hating or expletives...why not talk about it???
BTW...its my birthday! I love this site. Mrs. O...and Mrs. T :-) and a lot of the people who comment. its a great little community. Mrs. O just needs to keep her appearances up to keep the convo from getting stale.
Hyde Parker,
Thanks but no thanks in reference to your concerns about the tone of my text.
I WROTE IN LARGE LETTERS SO THAT PEOPLE CAN SEE MY COMMENT CLEARLY. YOU OBVIOUSLY DID SO CONTINUE TO READ WHAT I HAVE TO SAY...I NEVER USED PROFANITY AND I DO BELIEVE I HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXERCISE THE FIRST AMENDMENT. AS FAR AS ME "YELLING"...I REALLY DID NOT KNOW THAT YOU COULD HEAR ME THROUGH THE COMPUTER SCREEN! (Now I’m yelling)
Any way, the first lady looks gorgeous as always!
Thanks Rory, I try not to offend cuz the tone of written words can be misunderstood sometimes.
@ Eve V,
It is simply a convention among posters on the internet, that USING CAPS = YELLING.
Hi Janelle,
I think Mrs. O will make an effort to wear something that will span cultures or make references to Ghana's own clothing industry. As far as her choice of European outfits, maybe she will wear some big name American designers who would be the American contemporaries of the "name" European designers.
What do you think?
Just curious: when did "cuz" become a standard English word?
Or "u" or "i"? Just wondering. Among all the highly literate posts on this site, text-messagese just stands out!
B,
I think you were reading my mind. It's pretty disconcerting to have to tackle the shorthand when we try to glean the full context of a poster's words and main topic.
When I responded to Janelle I left out "the rest of", as in - "What do the rest of you think?"
Somebody above may have posted this; don't know as there are so many comments. Britain's Financial Times apparently reports that while in London, Mrs. Obama bought some perfume from an underground favorite not available yet in America. Perhaps worn for this date?
http://www(dot)stylelist(dot)com/blog/2009/06/01/michelle-obamas-date-night-scent/