Monday
Jul062009
Pretty in Peach
Monday, July 6, 2009 at 10:01 AM 
Photo by Stringer / AFP / Getty
The Os have deplaned in Moscow and Mrs. O is wearing a lovely peach ensemble, reminiscent of her white ensemble worn on D-day, and belt at the waist with a Sonia Rykiel belt. More to follow.
Update #1: Mrs. O wears a Narciso Rodriguez dress, paired with a Michael Kors collarless coat, both in a peachy coral hue. The first lady wore a similar combination from the same designers in white when she visted France last month.
Update #2: The little Os both wear J.Crew -- Malia wears a silk taffeta trench and satin ballet flats by J.Crew, while Sasha wears a twill trench and flats by crewcuts.
Reader Comments (141)
love it
I really love all of their outfits. The girls are adorable, and Michelle is fly as ever, and our Prez is GQ Always!
Love, love, LOVE the color of Mrs. O's ensemble!
I am SO proud of this beautiful AMERICAN family!
(sigh)
I love Mrs Obama sense of fashion, But she needs to keep these belts in the closet for now.
The first family has CLASS. Mrs. O look pretty and radiant in peach. The girls are beautiful and the President is dapper.
Moscow can look a bit dreary and it's apparently cool and windy today, but Mrs. O looks like a bright, beautiful burst of sherbert! When she stepped off the plane, she just made me smile with that color. I hope she makes the Russian people smile too this morning. At the wreath ceremony this morning it was super windy, so I'm glad she was wearing the belt today.
....Did you notice little Sasha has on the cutest polka dot flats? These girls are growing like weeds (as my mother would say).
OK, I love her but I'm with Marilyne -- enough already with the belt under the bust thing. Give it a rest now and then.
She looks absolutely radiant in this poppy color. Pastels certainly suit Mrs. O! :)
Oh wow I just love this peach ensemble! Beautiful dress - loving the neckline and drapey fabric. Perfect belt, perfect placement. 20 out of 10.
Mr O looks as proud as punch of his three beautiful ladies - as well he might!
Michelle should have added a bit of jewelery.
She is in Russia for the first time as First Lady - the look shouldn't have been so casual.
Interesting to see a different perspective. I was thinking that Mrs O looked very formal without looking stuffy! As she's got a big belt buckle and there appears to be some detailing on the bodice of the dress, I'm not sure a necklace would have worked. As with the D-Day outfit, the clothes (for me) speak for themselves.
And compare her to the Russian First Lady. She looks so boring next to Mrs O. Chanel suit? Check. 2 regulation Chanel camellia's? Check. Pearls? Check. Bouffant blonde curls a la Margaret Thatcher? Check. Dull, predictable, boring.
Michelle is a total breath of fresh air to me.
Love everything about the ensembles Mrs. O has worn over the past couple of days, especially the colors..... BUT the belts have outstayed their welcome. I feel like starting a "BANISH THE BELT" campaign", they're not doing her outfits any favors. I jest of course (about the campaign), but the belt thing - obsession/habit - is just too much imo.
Btw, the eldest daughter's hair looks great.
Very nice, and lovely photo of them all.
I couldn't agree more. Enough already w/ the belts! They look terrible. In many cases, the clothes she wraps them around weren't designed to be worn with belts, as is the case with this outfit.
It's also not really clear that the dress and coat were meant to go together. They seem to be slightly different colors.
My first thought when I saw the picture of the first ladies sitting side by side was that Mrs. O had actually influenced Mrs. M. Mrs. M is definitely wearing a more conservative look, but she's also rocking 2 brooches on that jacket. Hard to imagine we'd have seen that a year ago. I view it as a little homage to MO.
It will be interesting to see how MO dresses for the social events this evening. She may be holding back a little in Russia, as it's a conservative country with which we've not had great relations for some time. This is the trickiest part of this trip diplomatically, and letting Russia's first lady shine a little more could be a good thing. I think the most interesting part of this trip will be in Italy and Africa, when I expect MO to let it rip.
On the belt front: is it possible we're all missing something, and she's intentionally wearing empire waist belts? Maybe we're all behind the curve!
I do wish she'd worn another belt with the salmon outfit. It's beginning to look like that clear belt came with a collection of buckles that she can switch up mid-flight - kind of like a watch with multiple bands. The white Alaia could have worked here.
Sasha just seems the happiest when she is with her daddy, she is a total Daddy's girl!
A slide show on the HP
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/06/michelle-obama-family-cha_n_226066.html
I, for one, LOVE the belts. I am someone who also favors certain accessories that people who know me correlate with my personal style. I think Mrs. O should wear as long as she loves them!
Really? I love the belt - very summery! The girls look lovely, too. They brought a little freshness to Moscow.
They all look so lovely.
As mentioned above, this is a diplomatic visit at an important time. Russia is an intriguing country, which is very conservative and a bit touchy. I expect we'll see more of this demure look. President Obama said in recent interview with Russian media how much he enjoys reading Pushkin's poetry. THAT will go a long way toward warming the hearts of the Russian people.
(Well, THAT and those adorable girls!)
Cross fingers! (especially when he meets with Putin -- the man behind the curtain.)
Sign me up for Banish the Belts, too. The belts are ruining the lines of her outfits. Look at the bunching on the side of the peach dress. Whenever there's a distraction like that, the eye immediately goes there. Imagine if there was a clean, top to bottom line from the jacket, the flow would be gorgeous and much more flattering. Same with the yellow sweater over printed dress.
In general, belts do not go over cardigans, unless the cardie is being used as a jacket and is buttoned at least partway. It's been a fun experiment, but it can be retired.
I love the colour of Mrs O's outfit but I don't like the fit, and the belt seems to give the dress a rough look - especially from this angle
I'm not saying a word about the belt this time. I will say that I LOVE the peach color here. I think the dress and coat/jacket DO go together and are slightly different shades on purpose. The girls are adorable. How wonderful to have this whole family representing us in the Soviet Union. They are fabulous ambassadors.
Yeah, I have been on the belts bandwagon for sometime now. Its beginning to look like a uniform now. I love this family and the hope they bring to other families around the world. I swear Michelle is living the life I've always dreamed of , and she is living it quite well. One man's dream is another mans reality. Obama 2012!
I like her outfit. The President does look extremely happy to have his entire family with him. Mrs. O's color choice is perfect for the reseting of relations with the Russians. It conveys a hopeful spirit.
I do not think her belt wearing is an experiment. I don't think it's subject to our desires. I think we all need to learn how to accept the things we cannot change. Mrs. O's belt wearing is one such thing. Let's try hard to focus on the many positive aspects of her outfit.
In the posted photo the color is sort of washed out so that her coral ensemble appears to be peach. The photo in Y A's post a few posts up shows the color more accurately. The belt looks to be the one she wore on the "O" cover. ?
I agree with IVA.
Get over the belt already. It's not that big a deal. Why get so hung up on a belt? Why can't you accept that your style is not mine and vice versa. What may look slammin' on you will not look the same with me. What colors may work with my skin tone may not work for you. It's about I-N-D-I-V-I-D-U-A-L choice!
As women we often copy styles, colors, fit, etc. from other women about clothing and we adapt it to our various body shapes, etc. and we make the style our own.
I could see if she were wearing a mini-skirt and high heels and a pound of make-up (eye black) as I have seen some women her age do, but really, the belt?????? It's not that serious people.
Gorgeous, classy yet fresh...love the belt!!!
The girls are also terrific...age appropriate yet very contemporary! Gosh, Malia is growing up so fast...T-A-L-L. Sasha is adorable.
And, oh yeah, there's Mr. President. ;) Kidding...commander in chief looks fab.
SD
Operafanatic, I didn't even think of that: I bet you're right that this clear belt comes with some different colored buckles. It's a Swatch Belt!
@operafanatic said "Mrs. M. Mrs. M is definitely wearing a more conservative look, but she's also rocking 2 brooches on that jacket. Hard to imagine we'd have seen that a year ago. I view it as a little homage to MO."
I was thinking the same thing!
Mrs. O needs a stylist. What happened to Maria Pinto. I think I've had enough of the sweater and belt thing.
New York Magazine's blog The Cut reports that the unique bell sleeved gray jacket Mrs.O wore to the Cordozo Community Health Center last week is by Suno. I've been hearing a lot about this line and it's designer, Max Osterweis, from various fashion publications. Apparently he uses a lot of African influenced fabrics and patterns from Kenyan sarongs in his designs. I saw some pieces and they are so beautiful, colorful and unique just like Mrs.O's style. I wonder if she will wear one of his more ethnic pieces to Ghana later this week. That would be fabulous, especially since our President and her hubby is half Kenyan himself.
Here are a few links that give some info. on this fashion line along with the official site.
http://fashionindie.com/designer-to-know-max-osterweis-for-suno/
http://racked.com/tags/suno
http://www.sunony.com/
I posted my comment on this outfit on the previous thread, but I am definitely on the same wavelength as Hattie Carnegie above. The bunching up of the coat under the dress creates a sloppy first impression and ruined the whole look for me. When you put a belt over 2 layers like that you are going to get riding up and bunching. It looks uncomfortable, like you have to be constantly adjusting everything in order to look right. Plus it can make the hemline uneven too. I hereby join the BANISH THE BELT club!
On a more positive note: The girls are adorable as usual, especially little Sasha!
Okay, I think that Mrs. Obama could dress better for her body shape. That dress she had on on July 4th, was not flattering at all! She has wide hips, why make them look wider!
I posted my comment on this outfit on the previous thread, but I am definitely on the same wavelength as Hattie Carnegie above. The bunching up of the coat under the dress creates a sloppy first impression and ruined the whole look for me. When you put a belt over 2 layers like that you are going to get riding up and bunching. It looks uncomfortable, like you have to be constantly adjusting everything in order to look right. Plus it can make the hemline uneven too. I hereby join the BANISH THE BELT club!
On a more positive note: The girls are adorable as usual, especially little Sasha!
The other first ladies did have a life and a style of their own even before Mrs. O became first lady. I doubt that they sit around biting their nails waiting to see what she is wearing so they can follow suit. Chanel, which Mrs. M is wearing, is kown for accessories, including broaches. My point is yes, Mrs. M's broaches are not a direct result of Mrs. O style like some posters are stating. I can provide you with at least a dozen links with pictures of previous chanel suits with an abundance of such accessories.
I wonder what hair products Malia uses to for her two strand twists,....they look awesome always
ENOUGH already! of the "belt around the wait" look.
She has such a beautfiul, long body: why not wear long, flowing garmets
approptiate for her age.
BANISH THE BELT!
I dunno, Leah, I think jewelry would have made the outfit a bit stuffy.
I defended the belts, but I am really getting tired of them. Marching to one's own drummer is one thing, but not all the time with something that's unflattering. Some of the time would be better.
The dress, shoes, and the girls' outfits and shoes are terrific. And the Pres. Is there a better looking generally better dressed family in the country? I don't think so.
According to a Russian reporter who interviewed President Obama last week, Mrs. O is more popular in Russia than her husband:
Q Well, I tell you a secret, Mr. President. Maybe you don't know, but your wife, Michelle, may be more popular in Russia than you. You know why?
THE PRESIDENT: Why?
Q Because of the garden kitchen.
THE PRESIDENT: Oh.
Q Because kitchen gardens very popular in Russia, and when she started to make a kitchen garden around the White House she became very popular.
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0709/u_s_russian_relations_365cc974-b324-4f6c-bd23-74e402610826.html
Robin Givhan of the Washington Post must be traveling along. She describes their arrival into a "teeth chattering" wind.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/06/AR2009070601546.html?hpid=topnews
I love the peach color that Mrs. O is wearing. It's great on her skin and is such a bright, cheerful presence. The belt seems to interrupt the flow of both the dress and the duster, but I'm resigned to the belts. They seem to be Michelle. The whole family looks great. I'm so proud to have them represent our country.
I'm having strange feelings about something I saw in the photo of Mrs. O and Mrs. M on Huffingtonpost. If you will look at the slide show on their home page, there is a photo of Mrs. O and Mrs. M seated together. I notice a white "something" on Mrs. O's lap. Where did this come from? I've read that Mrs. M is very modest, and clearly, she covers herself up very completely. Was she or someone else offended by the leg Mrs. O usually shows while seated, especially when she crosses her legs? Was she offered something to cover her legs with? Did she initiate this "cover up"?
Just curious, and feeling a bit defensive for her.
I just saw some looped video coverage from when the Obamas had dinner with the Medvedevs. Mrs. O was wearing dressy black pants, with a shiny top with a white cardigan.....and a GORGEOUS silver necklace with several layers. It made the outfit dressy, but the dinner was labeled as very informal (both men wore no ties, so it was really informal) at the Medvedevs' private residence. Pres. Medvedev gave Mrs. O a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The First Ladies looked very comfortable and at ease and I think it all helps with our diplomatic relations with Russia. They all looked very relaxed. Much better than those stuffy State dinners.
@Willow: You never know about the napkin (maybe Mrs. O's aide gave it to her), but I'm going to try not to read much into it. It's true that Russian wives in politics are extremely conversative, and all women in the limelight there. But Mrs. O is a tough cookie and if it was given to her, she would just deal with it. Diplomatic relations trump showing some leg.....or she could have just wanted to protect her dress while having lunch with Mrs. M.
They've been replaying coverage here of the Obamas walking around the Medvedev residence before dinner (they're 8 hours ahead of ET in Russia). Also, coverage is very positive of their visit and their bringing the girls to sightsee:
http://www.russiatoday.ru/On_Air.html
@ Willow. Perhaps they were sipping tea and having little snacks, so she put the napkin on her lap because there was food and drink involved? That was my impression.
My comment went to moderation. But it was directed to Willow. I saw the picture and I figured there were sitting and having tea and snacks, so she put a napkin on her lap because food and drink were involved. That was my first thought.
Thanks, Janelle and IVA. I hadn't thought about the fact that they were apparently having lunch together, and it could therefore have been a napkin. That's a very large napkin, though, isn't it? Where is Mrs. M's napkin?
Willow, if you look closely both of them have napkins on their laps.
http://www.politico.com/slideshow/slideshow.html?xml=xml/386#id=386&num=9
If I'm not mistaken, both ladies have napkins draped across their legs/laps? It's not obvious on Mrs. Medvedev because the color of her dress is almost the same as the napkin.
PIctures from dinner are up on yahoo. I think Mrs. O is not very inspired for the Russian leg of the trip. The top, with the jewelry, is very nice. But the pants and the shoes, not so much...kind of dowdy. That hurts to say since I love me some Mrs. O! http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Michelle-Obama/ss/events/pl/050108michelleobama#photoViewer=/090706/481/f729b32f36e24aadbacb695a279fa5c9
It's times like this when I wish she'd do sheath dresses as her staple look, so when she's not feeling inventive or bold, she can just adopt a look that's sort of "old faithful."
Well, tomorrow will hopefully be a better day!
I think that it is definitely a large cloth napkin in Michelle's lap.
I like the dinner outfit. It is very becoming.