Thursday
Jun252009
A Sunny Volunteer
Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 11:25 AM 
Photo by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images
First Lady Mrs. O and President Mr. O are participating in a "United We Serve" volunteer event at the Fort McNair fitness center in Washington, DC. There, Mrs. O is helping hundreds of volunteers fill backpacks with books, toys and snacks for children of military personnel. For the event, Mrs. O has reworn her Lanvin bow top, paired with a bright yellow cardigan.
Update: Mrs. O wears J.Crew's Jackie cardigan. Lanvin and J.Crew - this is democratic fashion at its finest!
Reader Comments (32)
I love most of her outfits but the big bow is one I still just don't care for. Still love Mrs. O though.
That's a glorious photo! Mrs O really does look sunny. I would never have put Lanvin green with bright yellow, but she carries it off with her usual aplomb. If I did this, I would look like I got dressed in the dark.
I really like the bow blouse--but not the combination with the bright yellow cardigan.
I saw this event live on the news. She looked great--and is devoted to a very good cause here. What a great First Lady!
Is this the same blouse she wore when she was planting trees with the POTUS and Bill Clinton? I like the combo here. The yellow is a great color on her!
There is a very cute video of the POTUS and FLOTUS on politico where the FLOTUS is talking about the luau this afternoon and she does a little dance. The president looks at her very appreciatively. It was cute!
I like green and yellow together.
I love this sunny look. Really cute video of Michelle doing a mock hulu.
http://www.politico.com/largevideobox.html?id=27550649001
Love the Lanvin top; the yellow cardigan brings out the green. I didn't even notice the POTUS in the pic.
I saw the full outfit at gettyimages.com. I'm not a fan of the cropped pants and sneakers paired with the blouse and cardigan. However, the bright colors and her glowing smile are so refreshing.
Here's a link to the beginning of the event today--the President and Mrs. O are so cute together:
http://c-span.org/Watch/Media/2009/06/25/HP/A/20171/Pres+Obama+First+Lady+Participate+in+United+We+Serve+Event.aspx
...also, I love the Lanvin blouse as I did when she wore it before. And I couldn't pull off that yellow cardigan, but she really stood out and made me smile. Also, I was watching the full event online at cnn.com/live (they were there for awhile) and what was so funny was at one point about 15 minutes into the service event, Sasha was jumping up and down to get the President's attention because he was talking while working and slowing her up, and Sasha wanted him to hurry up on the line packing the bags so she could put her book in. So he moved down and let her start the line, and boy, Sasha was hustling and moving so fast it was hilarious! It was so funny that some of the volunteers stopped working to take a picture of her pulling the bookbags from the box and unzipping them--she had a serious fast rhythm going. She was so focused! She wasn't talking or looking at anyone or nothing! Just bent down and picked up the bag, unzipped it and passed it along. I couldn't stop laughing--made my morning. That's how you have to do with kids, get them started early when they're willing and able to help. They should send Sasha down to a GM plant to build cars---that girl doesn't play around with her assignments--LOL! Malia was very measured and steady---you can tell how their personalities are by the way they work.
That cardigan against that bow top looks wonderful! It's so fresh looking!
I've always liked this Lanvin blouse. I'm just wondering why Michelle wears it to garden and pack bags. It seems those are somewhat labor-intensive jobs and she should be more casual. On the other hand, if you know your being photographed, maybe you'd dress up for the manual labor tasks too. Afterall, she is on television. Michelle looks wonderful in Yellow. I barely noticed the President. I think his hair is turning gray. I hope he doesn't drop from exhaustion before the Health Care Bill is passed. Fortunately, the First Couple are very hard workers (and very attractive). I've noticed the First Lady loves sneakers too. I don't even own a pair of sneakers. I thought I was too old to wear them. But, maybe not.
Janelle,
I was watching Sasha , she was about her job and she had me laughing too, that little girl was unzipping those bags w/ speed lol
Mrs. O is a perfect at how a bright colored cardigan can truly liven up any ensemble. Love it! :)
I've always liked this top. And the bright yellow cardigan - spot on for the event, the weather, and for getting in the mood for the festivities of the afternoon at the White House. As usual, her hair and makeup were on point.
Mr. and Mrs. O are so cute together...flirting a little as Mrs. O did her hula dancer impersonation.
I haven't viewed the whole event, but Janelle and dee84's description of little Sasha is just bringing a smile to my face. I saw the pictures of them working, and those kids are so poised and so pretty. This is a blessed family. Here's a tender moment between daddy and daughter that I found: http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/88681233/AFP
@ Ruth Leslie - POTUS has been going gray, quickly, since the campaign. I actually think the rate of his graying has leveled off - it was really fast during the campaign
There is a LOT of color going on! But I like it - or at least most of it. I think the green in the blouse with the yellow sweater is great. I subscribe to a "green is the color of nature" philosophy, so almost any color looks good with it. But . . . the cropped pants look more like blue to me, and that's where she kind of loses me - though they look great with the sneaks. What I really like is her ability to take a $$$$ Lanvin blouse and wear it with cotton slacks, a cardi that may be Gap, and Puma sneaks. That is really working your wardrobe!
I don't know this blouse. Is it the same style as the white BIG BOW blouse she wore on her first Paris trip this year? Can someone tell me where I might be able to see a picture of this one?
I love how courageous she is with color. I think she must use a color wheel to dress herself, she just seems to know how to throw a bright color in the mix to make her the focal point of the room without ever being gaudy.
Don't forget the Health Care Day of Service on Saturday, Mrs. Obama's remarks here,
http://www.obama-mamas.com/blog/?p=288
and overview and transcript of last night's health care forum on ABC.
http://www.obama-mamas.com/blog/?p=290
is there a video of this event where one could see Sasha Obama?
What a great photo! Mrs. O's smiling face and bright colors absolutely make my day. I would never have thought to pair these two colors, but I LOVE it! Sandy, you're right, Michelle usually is the focal point of the room. I don't know if she deliberately sets out to be, or if it just turns out that way because she loves color and mixing it up. I've also noticed that at each of these gatherings, she is cheering people on and raising the enthusiasm with her words and gestures. Maybe her clothing choices are designed to also raise the energy and enthusiasm. Even the still is working for me. I can imagine what it's like to be in the room with her enthusiasm, her little hula, and the President's reaction. :->
This photo started these lyrics going through my brain: "You are the sunshine of my life", and "You light up my life". I love it.
Thanks for the links to videos and photos.
Posh, it's good to see you up above.
Part of the Congressional Luau (changed from the yearly "picnic" for Congress and their families) and comments from the President will be at 6:30 p.m. ET at cnn.com/live and whitehouse.gov/live. I'm not sure how much they will show or for how long, but you should be able to see something. (I recommend checking in early and hanging on till the end of the feed--sometimes CNN has a feed up early online for an event and I can catch great background stuff like I did of little Sasha today at the service event---CNN stayed around at the end so there was more footage online; that doesn't always happen. I think Sasha intrigued the camera people because the online camera was stuck on her and the President this morning). I would love to see the tiki dancers and the decor outside. If we can't make it to Hawaii, might as well feel like it!
Very descriptive posts Janelle...One can visualize in one's mind what was missed...thanks for sharing such lovely expressions-
They are indeed a very lovely and disciplined family...It always amazes me how unconsciously in-sync the President and First lady always seem to be....Look again at that picture-
As for the first lady, she always does look so incredibly and uniquely lovely to me - no questions about it!
Good catch, Audrey, about how in sync they are!
http://www.daylife.com/photo/0fkb0KSgCtejp?q=Barack+Obama
It's a nice close up, and highlights their "in syncness!"
thank you Janelle
Aw. So cute! Great cause. And, makin' the congress critters work for their supper.
I'm eagerly awaiting a video of Mrs. O hula-hooping this summer. Seen pix, but I wanna see her in motion! (Pres O says she's really good...)
Michelle has such an exuberant personality, it jumps right through the photo. You can tell she's trying to express it here through her clothing. That cardigan and blouse are competing with each other. If you wear a blouse that is constructed to draw the eye then any wrap or jacket should play it up or compliment it. A cardigan is too shapeless a garment for this type of blouse, and the lemon color isn't doing any favors against the dark green. Whipping it off would be an instant improvement IMO. Let that blouse shine! You don't need the yellow in this case; your beautiful smile is sunny enough Michelle.
I love the top half of the outfit, but MO has lost me on the pants. The HuffPost pointed out that her and Sasha were color coordinated. I don't know if it was on purpose, but I thought it was adorable either way.
Mrs. O at the luau! The whole family looks very nice! http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=2&language=en-US&family=editorial&assetType=image&p=michelle%20obama&src=standard
Why, oh, why, does Mrs. Obama insist of wearing these big bows? That Lanvin bow top is hideous. However, packing the goodie bags is a cause that's certainly not a hideous one so kudos there.
She really needs to find better fitting pants.
Malia looks great in this "Hawaiian" pic. Mrs. O.? Not so much. There are some truly beautiful muumuus (even full-length ones!) that are so much more beautiful, yet so much less expensive.
Malia looks great in this "Hawaiian" pic. Mrs. O.? Not so much. There are some truly beautiful muumuus (even full-length ones!) that are so much more beautiful, yet so much less expensive.
This series of pictures has the best view I've seen of the blouse - it is picture #28
also picture #27 showed her to be in great shape at that event
http://community.livejournal.com/obama_daily/214850.html
Here is a little snippet from the Obama's volunteering. It shows Sasha a few times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiCOOnS7Izg