Honoring Justice Sotomayor
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 2:33 PM 
Photo by Jewel Samad / Getty Images
The President and First Lady hosted a reception at the White House this afternoon honoring the newly sworn in Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Mrs. O wore an ensemble we've seen once before, when the first lady toured the gardens at 10 Downing with Sarah Brown in mid-June, seen here. Mrs. O topped her ivory and black patterned dress with a turquoise cardigan, embellishing the look with turquoise accessories. The turquoise starburst brooch is the same Erickson Beamon piece first seen during the Democratic National Convention last August. A stack of turquoise and pearl beaded bracelets completed the look.
We don't yet know the designer of Mrs. O's dress, but hope to have an update soon! Update: Mrs. O wears a black dot twist front tank with eyelash trim, paired with a black embroidered dot micro-pleated skirt, both by Jason Wu.
Image by Jewel Samad / Getty Images
Erickson Beamon, Jason Wu
Reader Comments (59)
Love the bracelets...she is always so fabulous.
Beautiful dress with a pretty cardigan and brooch. While I love the color combination (turquoise and black/white), I'm not "feeling" the location of the brooch on the dress.
I'm glad to see Mrs. O again!
Mrs O looks young fresh and feminine. I adore how she coordinates her jewelry and sweater to add soft color to the outfit. Her black kitten heels bring out the soft black dots on her dress. The dress fabric looks chiffon, soft and flowing. Her skin looks radiant. Perfect outfit for a midsummer morning reception.
The combination of bracelets is so fun!
Mrs. O looks youthful and classy.
I like the flow of the dress and the color combination. I also like the red number she wore at the Medal of Freedom awards ceremony!
So pretty. Her sense of style is amazing.
She looks GORgeous! It is hard to believe it's the same ensemble, sans belt. It's so soft and pretty here.
The pin is probably a little heavy (literally) for the fabric, which is why it pulls it down a bit. And, though she may get all kinds of flak about the lower neckline, she won't hear any from me. I think a V is a great neckline on her.
She made all the right decisions on this outfit, and it's going to become one of my favorites.
Though they did not make nearly the good choice of pictures to put up as Mrs. T did, on michelleo.blogspot.com the second picture shows the "flippiness" of the hemline. I agree it's some kind of chiffon - it's sheer and light and has tons of movement going on.
And may I just say that our new Supreme Court Justice has fabulous legs!
I think this is a very cute look on her. Everytime I see her, it's almost like she's getting younger looking. Always looking so fresh and clean and HAPPY. Yes, the neckline is low and the brooch is not only drawing attention to the neckline, but also dragging it down a bit, thus showing a little more skin. I ain't mad at her for that, but the haters and prudes will do their thing! To me, clothing is supposed to be fun.
And the bracelets are so cute. I have been doing the mixing and matching too, with my random bracelets every now and then this summer.
And operafanatic - that link is wrong - I think this is the correct one . . . http://michelleostyle.blogspot.com/
michelleo.blogspot.com worked for me. (http://michelleostyle.blogspot.com/ did not.)
I like it. I liked it the first time and I like it this time. Dare I say I will like it the next time.
Later she changed into a bright red, sleeveless sheet dress for the Presidential Medal of Freedom award ceremony. Don't see any pics on Daylife of Getty yet.
If we look at the neckline closely, we would see that it was deliberately ruched with the brooch to create the V-neckline....Looks great to me....Shows versatility AND style..... Gorgeous as usual.
Love it so much more this time without the heavy black belt. She looks so radiant and the fresh and lively color combination suits her perfectly. And I love the jewelry selections - that turquoise pin is my favorite!
Photo of Michelle in the red sleeveless dress is now up on Yahoo.
I would like the length of the dress a little longer. The proportion seems off for Michelle.
Sorry that dress just fails....on her.
the fit of the dress seems a bit strange, the dress is droppy
Anybody else getting the stobe effect from the dress. It looks like it's moving in a still photo.
Dress is Jason Wu.
Sorry, but this is not flattering. Spring 2009. #9 out of 31 in the slideshow here:
http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/S2009RTW-JASONWU/?loop=0&iphoto=8&play=false&cnt=9
on the Other hand, the sleeveless Red dress she just wore for the medals of honor ceremony is as perfect as it comes......she looks gorgeous
Here is the red sheath. I believe this is the same dress with matching (self?) belt that we saw as she headed up the gangway to a plane leaving from ? to return to Washington, DC or ??? (Drawing a blank, but I recall this dress.)
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090812/i/r4181459110.jpg?x=221&y=345&q=85&sig=9RxRcV5M6eWb8OQELLJo6w--
Much more flattering than the busy print Jason Wu.
Love the dress.
Adore the bracelets!
I'm going to have to copy that style - it's so summery!
Here's a picture of her in the red dress: http://www.daylife.com/photo/09pC0PZcU4d7f?q=michelle+obama
Perfect fit!
She is having a terrific clothes day. The red dress is fab-u-lous. And the fit is perfection. Love love love it.
OMG, that red dress is the one she had on when LEAVING MOSCOW. I Love it!
Since we didnt get to see both outfits in detail when she 1st wore them overseas, I like to think she did it for us her Fans....lol
Somebody, please, help me with these bracelets. I *love* the stacked beaded bracelets look Mrs. O is rocking this summer. Where do you find them? How can I replicate this look?
That red dress? Slammin'.
The dress she is wearing is Jason Wu. Here's Leighton Meester wearing the same dress:
http://fashiondesigners.instyle.com/who_is_wearing/photos/jason-wu/results.html?No=15
Our First Lady is a breath of fresh air during these tumultuous times. God Bless America!
Twitter = Strongforu
http://strong11foru.blogspot.com/
I'm pretty sure the dress is Spring 2009 Jason Wu and the sweater is Dear Cashmere like the yellow one she wore on the cover of O magazine and to board Air Force One before her trip to Russia with the President and the girls.
Here's a photo of the dress from Style.com
Dear First Lady,
Your purpose for these festivities is absolutely delightful! Thank you to you, all at the White House, and certainly to Ms. Sonia! ALL good efforts bear good fruits. Thank you for all of your good efforts - May our Creator bless you, and us, with many many more.
No surprises here. Mrs. O can do no wrong with her fashion choices. She's always smart, sophisticated and pleasant, great traits of a great lady,.
The turquoise just pops against her skin. I like how she chose to wear the dress this way compared to how she wore it in London; it's a very relaxed and comfortable look. I think instead of the cardi though a slightly stiffer fabric in the jacket would have been a nice contrast to the soft flounciness of the dress, and given more structure to the top half. But that's a minor nitpick. Overall, thumbs up!
I like the color combo and the jewelry, but I'm not sure about the dress. I agree with Pat...the proportions seem off. Not one of my favorite looks from FLOTUS.
Perfect without that belt she wore in London, perfect for a summer morning in August!
Wow! I think this is much more flattering than at 10 Downing. Much softer, feminine looking.
The cardigan, brooch and bracelets make it 'pop'. It very well may be her beautiful smile and soft hair.
Love the color combination, love the bracelets, but I agree the dress appears to not be hanging right on her. Also in the middle of summer she could have worn open toed shoes or sandals.
Sorry, ok I am old but I thought the dress too casual for the event.
SO much prettier without the belt. I love the turquoise accenting the black and white, and I think the postioning of the brooch is perfect!
Was that Downing Avenue, Downing Road, or Downing Lane?
I'm not so impressed with this outfit without the belt as it was worn before. I love the colours and the print of the dress, but the suit is a bit flollopy to just have a cardigan open over it, and the proportion is wrong without the accentuated waist. That belt really sharpened it up. And it made the length seem OK. Still, she looks, as ever, radiant and beautiful.
This is one of the funnest outfits I have seen Mrs. O don yet. It's so youthful and free-spirited, and that addition of matching bangles is such a jewelry-created treat. Gorgeous! :)
MrsO2: you can find bracelets that will give you this look (which are probably much more upscale) in places like Banana Republic, Talbots, Loft (probably a good bet), and even Target and import places like . You might also try QVC. The good news is that a lot of this is probably on sale now, in anticipation of fall. Happy shopping!
LOVE this look too - never thought of b+w with turquoise. Only thing is the skirt length needs to be literally 3cms longer for her long legs (just like the red dress above). I think it's really clever that they are separates but together looks like a dress.
Another 10/10 look!
She seems to have retired belting so high. Outfits looks so much better without that. Now for the brooches.
@ Kel - Are you serious about the brooches? That is vintage Mrs. O. No way they're going anywhere, or else many of her fans will be sad.
Mrso2 et al: sorry about the 1:09 p.m. message. That is what happens (to me, at least) when I try to write when I'm on the phone, and then run out before proofing what I've created.
Soooo - to fill in the blanks: I was trying to say that Mrs. O's bracelets are probably more upscale than what I'm suggesting. Though, maybe not - she is nothing if not egalitarian when it comes to clothes.
In terms of where to buy: the import places I meant to specify were Pier One and Cost Plus. Macys and other large department stores probably have things on sale right now as well.
I love that she is creating a signature with her various bangle bracelets. I've worn bangles pretty much daily for years - some very nice pieces usually found under our Christmas tree, others from stores like I'm suggesting. I combine them them more these days, thanks to being inspired by MO.
The dress is too low-cut for a First Lady, and the brooch's sagging position makes it look like a tad sloppy ensemble. Otherwise, this outfit would've been alright. I love the bangles though. Didn't she wear those in London back in April when she went to meet British First Lady Sarah Brown?
Hi Operafanatic,
Thanks for the tips on the bracelets! I have a few nice ones, but, I like how she mixes in some trendy ones. They look fun and youthful. I'm thinking Nordstrom too.?
Kel: What on earth could possibly be wrong with Mrs. O's brooches? They add quite a bit of interest to some of her outfits, and it is not as if they are unflattering, as are the high-waisted belts. If Mrs. O did, indeed, give up the high-waisted, too-wide belts, then hallellujah!! Keep the brooches...they're beautiful.