Jazz at the White House
Monday, June 15, 2009 at 2:43 PM 
Photo by volume12 / Creative Commons
Mrs. O will kick off a new music series at the White House today. The first performance will feature members of the Marsalis family, including Ellis, Wynton (above), and Branford, who will play jazz for 150 students, according to the New York Times. More to follow!
Photo by Jewel Samad / Getty Images
Update: For the event, Mrs. O chose a white pencil skirt, pink blouse and Erickson Beamon floral brooch. The brooch, from Erickson Beamon's Victory Garden collection, was last seen during the final presidential debate last fall. Cinching the first lady's waist was the white version of her famed Alaia belt, visible here. Mrs. O finished the ensemble with her Jimmy Choo Lantern heels (which are quickly becoming Mrs. O's shoe of the season!). Meanwhile, we are very excited about Ms. Robinson's pink and navy top, far left.
A detailed view of Mrs. O's Erickson Beamon brooch:
Alaia, Erickson Beamon, Jimmy Choo
Reader Comments (95)
Mrs. O looks awesome. Nice white skirt, white cardigan, signature brooch, and a very nice pink blouse peeking through underneath the cardi.
I like!
FLOTUS has definitely put on a few pounds. She's rounder in the face and elsewhere.
I wonder if she's..........
She does look lovely today!
Marabout40 - the thought entered my mind yesterday. That would be interesting to say the least. My mother had my youngest sibling at 41, and it wasn't easy for her. I'm more inclined to think it is just a normal weight fluctuation. Either way, I really like the outfit today, I think she looks very nice. I wish I could see what shoes she is wearing. I have to sneak the livestream while I'm at work so I can't watch the show continuously!
where are you guys seeing photos? i can't watch the livestream at work :(
@moja31, it's been on cnn.com/live and whitehouse.gov/live for awhile now. Mrs. O spoke very briefly on stage. The WH link is showing Mrs. O and family more...she's just bouncing in her seat. She really loves jazz.
Mrs. O is wearing a beautiful color combination today. Cream/white skirt and cardigant with a gorgeous color plum satin-like blouse and plum pin in the top center holding the cardigan together. She looks very summery! Hair and makeup are on point...very nice and elegant. Also, the girls are there, Mrs. Robinson, and Sasha and Malia's godmother from Chicago. She's the woman often seen near Mrs. Robinson in a lot of the pictures in Paris and London recently. She wears her hair in beautiful short twists and from what I've read, she's the one that does Malia's twists and braids.
MSNBC showed a quick clip of her speaking. There wasn't even audio.
this is some slammin' jammin' music! I sure wish I was there. Enjoying it from my laptop any way.
Dear site administrators, this is the 3rd time I'm alerting you of the problem with the IE security message when I log in. This only happens when I log in. If I post annonymously, I don't have that problem. How do I resolve this issue?
I hope that the First Lady has a baby. That would be a blessing from God.
Where are you getting pictures from guys?
she looks stunning today. here's a clip from politico...
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0609/w_h_jazz_concert_52c3bb85-2392-4abd-a6d1-a115b6aa0537.html
photos up on yahoo..
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Michelle-Obama/ss/events/pl/050108michelleobama;_ylt=Am9skLnixI2B1Rsinug3zz9paP0E#photoViewer=/090615/ids_photos_en/r4026047368.jpg
gettyimages.com has the best views of her. Yahoo has some nice shots of her with her girls, though. I really like her make up today. She looks very sweet. And she's wearing her strappy Jimmy Choos. I would totally wear this entire outfit.
provide a link please IVA!!!
I can't believe people are saying she might be pregnant, YEESH! She's looked the same she has for years now.
I love her entire outfit.
I didn't even think about pregnancy, I think it's just the usual weight fluctuations that women go through. But her cheeks are round and she was skin was glowy in the vacation pictures, even without much makeup.
What are the chances of a 45 year old getting pregnant. I know she's healthy in that she exercises and eats right and that could help. But she also had difficulties getting pregnant with Malia in her 30's so I guess it would be even harder in your 40s.
But if she were actually pregnant...wow.
Mrs. Obama looks lovely in this picture.
I love white during the summer and it is a great color on her.
Touche!!!
Here ya go. http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=2&language=en-US&family=editorial&p=michelle%20obama&assetType=image&src=quick#
On Politico.com the link "politico 44" will take you directly to a living diary of the Obama administration. Mrs. O introduces the jazz ensemble with a very nice story about her experiences with listening to jazz in her own household. It is very sweet.
The color of her blouse is really an unusual shade - mauve? Dusty rose? It's hard to tell with the camera lighting.
I knew she had that black Alaia belt in white too. Very cute outfit. Wish I was there.
I was looking at the Yahoo pictures (pictures #8 and #11), and if I'm not mistaken, she's wearing a white version of the Alaia belt she wore with the famous purple Maria Pinto sheath in Minnesota. There's some closeups only on Yahoo, but I tell you....it's the Alaia belt in white! It looks great though. I had no idea she got a white version for the summer. LOL
Mrs. O loves herself some belts!
How lovely
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/88499799
She is not a 'great beauty' she is an absolutely stunning beauty
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/88499773
A bevy of beautiful ladies http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/88499826/AFP
I love her fresh white outfit. There is a glow about her though.
@ Janelle
I think she's had that white Alaia belt for a few years now actually. I remember seeing it on the campaign trail with one of her cardigan sets.
looks lovely
Yahoo come on how did they get the picture of her walking the dog? I am sure she is going guys give me a break please:) too funny!!
It does appear that Michelle has put on some weight. I just saw this pic of her in shorts walking Bo:
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Michelle-Obama/ss/events/pl/050108michelleobama;_ylt=Am9sk#photoViewer=/090615/ids_photos_ts/r4209789640.jpg
Here's a picture of her with the white Alaia belt on the campaign trail.
http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/06/20/gal_michelle_indianapolis.jpg
or try picture #15 in this Daily News slideshow on her style
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/galleries/michelles_style/michelles_style.html
Lovely! I especially like the pop of color in her top. Welcome home, FLOTUS!
Absolutely lovely... I'm a big fan of two-color outfits like this, though she doesn't wear them very often. We've seen that mauve blouse before, haven't we? I'd love to see it with the cardi off, so we can see the construction of the blouse. There appears to be some nice gathering/draping in the front.
Loving the jewelry, too. Are those new diamond drops? I'm guessing Loree Rodkin, if they are. They'll look nice with her LR diamond bangles.
I know we're not supposed to comment on the girls, but they look fabulous, too!
she looks great; i love that skirt & her blouse is a a really beautiful color.
I love this outfit..looks really nice on her!
About her gaining weight..it does look like she picked up some..maybe from all the eating done overseas last week..im sure she's hitting the gym for it. About her being pregnant..doubt it..but if she is...Yesss! (Please dont chop my head off..lol)
Malia looks so much like her father in these pics. Same facial expressions and everything.
I didn't believe the pregnancy rumors from a few months back. Why? Cause she didn't look pregnant at all and unless you have a concave tummy, the tabloid media thinks every woman pregnant. I'm sure it's just a little weight gained, but I'm totally hoping for a pregnancy here. She looks like she could be in the very early stages. For someone who always very trim and has been very trim until all of a sudden, well, how can you not think pregnancy?
@Ari,
Thanks for the links and for refreshing my memory. I remember that outfit from the campaign and totally forgot about the white Alaia belt. It blended in with the white blouse that I didn't notice the detailing of it that day. I do remember that I loved the pants she wore and was fixated on that, not the white belt.
...side note, Mrs. O looks great and knows how to take care of herself as well as set priorities, be Mom-in-Chief and enjoy herself with her children and family on vacation (sightseeing/food/fun). Just like the rest of us. She's human, she's curvy, and she's a real woman and not a Barbie doll. Back in Chicago, at one point she got very thin and adjusted. Then later, she admitted that she gained a few pounds (like we all do), and she adjusted. That's what makes her even more relatable, but she has a right to also stay exactly the way she is right now. More importantly, the President can't keep his hands off of her, so I could care less about the physical. I just want her to stay happy and radiant.
The photo of Mrs. O. reaching over to caress Sasha's face is priceless. A few words about Wynton: he is a marvelous educator for young musicians. I've watched him do jazz clinics where he walks kids step by step through the elements of jazz. He is funny, kind, and extremely well spoken. (He also has the softest hands of any man I've ever met.)What a wonderful thing to have the Marsalis family and Paquito D'Rivera at the WH. I hope it was taped for PBS, because it could spur a new interest in jazz by youngsters.
Who knows, maybe The Queen will have jazz players in now, since she's planted a veggie garden at Buck House.
STUNNING....just stunning, hair, make-up, clothing, accessories...>STUNNING
Wow, Michelle looks fabulous today, and can you believe it the belt is UNDERNEATH the cardigan!
I love what she does with brooches. Also, a good place to find brooches is at flea markets!
Great outfit: she's baaaaack!
It was also very cool that young jazz students got to jam.
Love the brooch, but wish she had worn it to the side so that we could see more of the blouse. It's a lovely color.
Lovely. She looks so fresh, beautiful in white. So summery and effortless.
And I love the white Alaia belt for her. A little variety in belt colors (since she seems to love them so and wear them often) is exciting.
Additional footage from today of Mrs. O and the jazz series:
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7846447
So lovely as always. Man, I so much admire and love this US First Lady and her entire First family, of course. They just rock the WH. Oops sorry; I mean jazz the WH this time..hihihihi...
To Hattie Carnegie: It wouldn't surprise me a bit since the British Queen and Michelle are so into each other. Wow, lovely! Class knows class, isn't it?
I woke up this morning and read it on Yahoo news first thing in the morning. What a treat! Enjoy yourselves too. Here you go....
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/pl_nm/us_britain_queen_obama
Michelle Obama finds a new friend in Britain's Queen
Sun Jun 14, 5:47 am ET
LONDON (Reuters) – If Michelle Obama ever needs a place to stay in London, she could do worse than call on Queen Elizabeth.
The two women met at the G20 summit in London in April and have kept in touch since then, royal sources said on Sunday.
When Michelle Obama made a private visit to the British capital last week with daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 8, they were given a private three-hour tour of Buckingham Palace, including a meeting with the queen.
"There clearly is a personal warmth between the two of them," a royal source told Reuters on Sunday, referring to Michelle Obama, 45, and the 83-year-old monarch.
"Clearly the queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Obamas got on very well at the G20 summit and mention was made then that they should keep in touch and they have done."
According to the sources, the queen and Michelle Obama have exchanged letters and spoken by telephone since that first meeting. The visit last Wednesday was organized as a treat for Sasha, who turned 8 that day.
Despite their age difference, the two women are said to share a number of interests, including the countryside, gardening and clothes.
"It's a positive thing for relations between the two countries that the royal family and the president's family get along so well," the sources said.
(Reporting by Luke Baker; Editing by Matthew Jones)
I think First Lady Obama looks wonderful and she appears to be the same size.
It should be noted that whenever you look at individuals from different camera angles with prints/strips/plaid, etc. it adds weight to the subject. Whenever First Lady Obama wears solid colors (one piece or two piece) she looks like her standard weight.
I love the blouse. I wish the broach would have been pinned on the side so that the cardigan was open and we could see the detailing of the blouse more. Other than that, I love the entire outfit.
What would REALLY be fabulous would be if public schools restored music and arts in the curriculum, so more students could have the opportunity to learn about all kinds of music, arts, dance, etc.
I just LOVE what Mrs O is doing with American culture in the White House.
Nyon,
I agree that it would be great to get a good look at that blouse. The detailing that we can see is so soft and pretty. Hopefully as the summer comes on full force in DC, we'll get a peek.
Those shoes are great - so versatile.
Isonprize, my experience in the public school system is that music, arts, and foreign languages are the first subjects to go. It's really a crime and so unfair - learning a language is such a gate opener to understanding other cultures, and every culture is better understood through a study of the fine arts that come with it.
Wynton Marsalis ia a true hero to the music and arts education movement in this country.
Hopefully, Mr. Duncan will put real effort into restoring music, art, and foreign languages to their rightful places in the curriculum.
For those that want to see more from the jazz workshop, here's a longer clip of W. Marsalis call and response with the students (almost 9 minutes). The total workshop was awesome to watch online in its entirety, even before Mrs. O spoke and the later performance. Apparently, the groups were split into 3 separate rooms with the jazz musicians:
http://www.wwltv.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=371509&shu=1
Very pretty Summer Outfit. She looks lovely. and Yey HEELS!
Mrs. Obama looks very nice today. I like the outfit, and her hair and makeup are on point. I'm even OK with the brooch, and I'm no fan of brooches. Good job, Mrs. Obama!
The return of Mrs.O as we know her. This is classic style at work once more, and that pencil skirt...fits her curves VERY, VERY, WELL. HELLO!
As far as her weight is concerned - I'm 35 and I gain weight on vacation, when I can relax, and there is no hustle, and no crazy traffic to deal with! So I totally understand - not that our lives are the same, but I'm just saying...IT HAPPENS TO ALL OF US.
Oh and by the way, this whole Music series and Jazz workshops in the White House is way freaking cool!
Cheers!