Wednesday
Oct062010
Dressed to Honor
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 6:59 PM 
Image by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images
The president and first lady attended a Medal of Honor presentation ceremony in the East Room of the White House earlier today. The ceremony honored Staff Sergeant Robert Miller, who was was killed in Afghanistan in January 2008. To read more about the honor, click here.
For the appearance, Mrs. O returned to one of her classics -- a tomato red Maria Pinto sheath dress with inverted pleats at the neckline. A diamond floral brooch adorned the neckline.
tagged Maria Pinto
Maria Pinto
Reader Comments (43)
LOVE MRS OBAMA DRESS ITS VERY NICE
One of my favorite dresses - her appearance in this dress at her first WH meeting with the Bushes gave everyone a heads up as to what we could expect from her.
Take a look - Forbes newest list of the most powerful women has MO first on the list
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39540749/?gt1=43001. No surprise.
Love this color on Mrs. O. What makes this dress hot is the delicate draping of the neckline. It takes a simple sheath and turns it into something quite lovely, soft and feminine.
I wonder if this dress will cause the uproar that the other dress that Mrs. O wore to a military medal ceremony caused? Let's hope not.
Also, check out my blog page, www.musingsofacoloredman.blogspot.com. Thank you Mrs.T.
Oddly enough, I was just thinking about that first meeting today and of course this red dress. It fits her so beautifully. Here is a little flashback to that day:
http://gothamist.com/2008/11/10/the_obamas_meet_the_bushes_at_the_w.php
Beautiful. Love the way she puts a little kink into everything with a brooch here and a well placed bangle there.
Gorgeous autumn hue. I'm convinced she can wear any color out there.
This is one of my favorite dresses as well. Mrs, O looks so lovely, and the lipstick is great.
I always love this dress, but wat's up with Mrs O hair. It is me or her hair needs cut/ style.
perfect, understated, yet beautiful and sophisticated. Bless our First Family.
Beautiful dress..she looks stunning as always.
WOW!! Look at the most Powerful woman in the world! Love the dress, but LOVE her more!!
Nic John, to answer your question, it is you.
Jazz, I believe you talked this one up!
Yay! A legendary dress! Glad to see it back.
Not a fan of the diamond broach though. I like the previous version, where the neckline was the star
This dress brings back memories of the Obama's first visit to the White House. I loved it then and I love it now. Dresses are Michelle's signature look.
I'm loving the FAB FLOTUS!!....What an attractive looking couple!
Yes, Nic John, it is you.
Her hair is lovely and I for one am very excited that she is letting it grow longer.
She's not the most powerful woman in the world for nuthin'!
I just love our First Lady, and the President of course! :-)
la sig.ra Obama è elegantissima.Il rosso E' il suo colore.Ma anche il Presidente è bello,anzi bellissimo.I love Mr.President.Sara' perche' essendo italiana ho sempre davanti gli occhi Mr.Berlusconi...bbleah!!!!
Ahhh...I love Mrs. O. in this dress. Besides it being classic and fitting PERFECTLY (snug, but not tight), the dress evokes so many images for me. Among my favorites are: polished "professional" woman; elegant socialite; and sexy school teacher (circa late '60s thru 1970s). ...Makes me wanna holla!
I think it looks tight through the hips. However, it may just be that the moment this photo was captured it looks that way because she was in midstride.
I can't see why the red dress she wore that day with the Bushes cause a ruckus. It's beautiful and appropriate.
I guess it's just that's Mrs. Obama is SO striking--tall, leggy, beautiful and self-assured that she always steals the show from any other women who happen to be around, no matter how they are dressed. Certainly that was the case when she stood next to Mrs. Bush. Because of her physical attributes, she makes every dress she wears look sexy.
I'm glad this dress made a reappearance - it is truly one of my favorites.
She looks fantastic !
They both look a little tired - I guess it goes with the territory
I must say , she always look great even when she repeats an outfit. I like this look better than when she first wore the dress. What a difference in her hairstyle? The day before it was bouncey and shinny , however today it looks dull. Who knows maybe the President was playing in it all night. They both appear tired as well.
I love seeing that diamond brooch because it was an anniversary gift from President Obama. She wears it with love and pride in her husband.
Mrs. O looks fabulous! I also love the versatility of the diamond brooch the President gave her.
I visit this site often to see the latest outfits and events of Mrs. O. Today, I thought I need to take a minute to read about the reason for the occasion.
Thank you Mrs. T for posting the link about the honor that was bestowed upon the family of Staff Sergeant Robert Miller. After reading this link, I was very touched. Suddenly it did not matter what she was wearing (which she always looks so beautiful whatever she is wearing) or how we may not like her hair or shoes or if it is a repeat. The article was very touching and it put everything in perspective, how the men and women in our armed forces are sacrificing so much for their country. I encourage everyone to read this article.
I love this dress and loved it when she went to visit the White House prior to the enaugural.. The President looks really fine, as always. I am moved by some our friends from outside of the States who visit this site and admire our first lady. Nyon, i second your emotion! Love the clothes and love the lady. What an amazing woman!
i think she has her young stylist in the east wing summarizing the comments of this blog. I have noticed that the adjective "hot' has vanished, and Mrs. O has moved to a more ladylke presentation. This dress is well-structured and an approrpiate colorfor the medal of honor ceremony. That she looks flat and unemotional is not the fault of the dress.
I like how our Michelle added that special little touch by wearing that brooch. Yoou can tell that it means a lot to her and it punches up this dress. A few others have commented that they look a tad tired and I agree. We are so fortunate that they give so much of themselves for our country, I'm truly grateful of their sacrifices. And they look pretty darn good while doing it, too!
@susanna rose
I highly doubt that Michelle cares what other people say about what she wears. Especially since she has worn this dress before, and she is not exactly a woman that looks for others apporval! Checking out what blogs say is for insecure people, not the First Lady of the United States! Also, it always irks me with people act like Michelle should be told what to wear like a child. Hmm, I wonder why.
Anyway, I like this dress, but don't like the placement of the brooch. However, I am pretty sure POTUS saw her in the dress and loved that she wore the brooch he gave her.
Hot! Hot! Hot! This is a first lady that does it right all the time!!!
What makes her even more admirable is how comfortable and natural she is in this role as a traditional yet modern 21st century first lady. I love her and our smart President so very much. God bless them both always!!!
@mia monte
one of the tasks of the whi communications office is to monitor all media -- including blogs such as this one -- and summarize comments for use in strategy sessions aor getting out 'the message' of the administration. and yes, comments about appearance -- particularly when they signify a 'trend' in opinion -- are included. also, as we all know, ikram goldman of chicago's eponymous store plays the role of stylist, and there is a young staff assistant whose eye for fashion attracted mrs. o who is supposedly playing a more hands on role, similar to hillary's huma abedin. as far as being a 'child' -- quite the contrary, i think the first lady is a savvy adult who wants to use whatever resources she has to promote her husband's agenda. fashion communicates a great deal. it creates important visual cues.
I have a suggestion to make to Mrs T. Why dont we a facility on the site that shows how many visitors you have on a page. The people who write comments are not the only visitors as it is implied . That will give an impression on how many people are interested even though they are not registered.
@Jazz - you had mentioned on another thread, you'd like to see her wear this dress again. So ironic. You go girl!
I don't understand why people are using the adjectives "grim" and "tired." People do not grin like apes all the time. To me their expressions are somewhat sombre and reflective in different ways. They will have to process and control deep and signficant emotions--their own and the loved ones of the fallen soldier which will be projected on them. Not grim or tired at all, they both look lost in their own thoughts as they think about the upcoming ceremony.
nonpasserat and susanna rose, please get a life! and I mean that sincerely.
Mia Monte & nonpaserat: Well, I agee with both of you. FLOTUS is obviously very independent and savy and wants to express her own style, but she definitely cares what people think - as do all of us do! We seem to make impossible demands on our public figures based on some rule about what is right for what occassion, etc. I have disliked some of her outfits and been in absolute bliss about others. Biut that is the same re my own wardrobe! But it is interesting to read the differing opinions.
Beaula Lowes, I can tell you the daily traffic is around 8,000 - 10,00 visits, and very international!
Michelle Obama tops Forbes "Most Powerful Women" list!
Here is her profile on forbes.com:
Power Women: October 2010
"She has made the office of First Lady her own. A forceful advocate of school nutrition standards and military families' affairs, she's more involved in policy than Laura Bush was. But unlike Hillary Clinton, who championed a secretive (and ultimately unsuccessful) health care reform, Obama has stayed away from hard policy. A fashion icon and an athletic mother of two, she's Jackie Kennedy with a law degree from Harvard and street sense from Chicago's South Side. She's also effective: In response to her Let's Move! campaign against childhood obesity, companies like Coca-Cola, Kellogg and General Mills have pledged to reduce the calorie content of their foods by 2012. The first lady remains popular: 54% of Americans view her favorably."
If the First Lady truly cared about what people think, her wardrobe would consist of a sheath dress in every color and a boring boxy gray suit. It is evident that Michelle dresses to the beat of her own drummer and takes chances with her wardrobe while aware of the expectations of being First Lady.
It would appear that some posters - and we all know who they are - come here to make snide and negative remarks only, because they NEVER have anything nice to say without throwing in a jab. I thought you Negativistas were only making fools of yourselves among a small community, but it appears thousands get to read your trash. Good job.
Nice try, Ulanda W = Wanda. Your comments are crude.
Totally agree with Bevi. I visit this blog for many reasons (first, the subject, of course) but also because it is, let's say in a word : well-mannered. So please, rude girls, go and take some lessons of how to behave and the right place to say or write what you have on mind - and if you really need to spread you trash words, there are blogs especially made for this
As for the dress : tomato red is her colour, it is amazing, it makes her radiant. As for the brooch : I would have prefered it on the neck (and of course I would love to be offer ed the same !)
Same request as Beaula Lowes : I would like to know where the visitors of this blog come from, especially EuropeHonestly, we have some pretty 1st ladies over there, but for sure no one like Mrs O. And I do not think they deserve a dedicated blog like this one ; maybe Carla Bruni but but it would sound different because she is not as involved as Michelle Obama in her husband's politics.
Pete Souza released some new photos today. This one of Mrs. O and PBO is stunning:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/5063417928/
and this one is also very lovely:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/5063404354/in/photostream/
Such beautiful and uplifting moments to share.