Saturday
Nov272010
Game Night
Saturday, November 27, 2010 at 8:06 PM 
Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images
The first family attended a basketball game at Howard University tonight, where Howard faced Oregon State, coached by the first lady's brother, Craig Robinson. In honor of the Oregon State Beavers, the Os sported an orange and black palette, Mrs. O included. The first lady dressed in black from head to toe, adding interest through texture and silhouette, with a signature pop of color at the waist.
Reader Comments (35)
Silky Smooth FLOTUS! Inspite of his injury, POTUS seems to be enjoying the game.
I'm not against the belts, really I'm not. I just don't understand why she wears them so high. Serious question, can someone tell me why she wears her belts to sit right under her bust line.
Is it her height? Does she have a short body? I just don't get the blet placement.
I think if they were lower they would enhance her outfits more.
Mrs. T, the colors of the Oregon State Beavers are orange and black, and as such the entire Obama entourage was well color-coordinated. Only the president had to maintain some semblance of impartiality, so his all black look was "cool" yet appropriate.
Good observation mszonian54. I updated my post to reflect that the team colors are black and orange.
@Joyce:
Serious answer: she is high-waisted. Look at this picture. You see where the narrowest part of her torso is? See how it seems to start not too far past her bust line? That's where she wears her belts. If she wore them lower, they'd be at her hips. But most folks tend to wear belts around their waists because that's where they end up when you walk and move.
Whether one likes the belts or not is a point for debate...I guess. This has been talked about to death; she's going to wear wide belts whether we debate them or not, because she likes them. But why she wears them "high" seems clear to me; she is wearing them at HER natural waist. Not everyone is built the same way.
Mrs Obama has just given me a brilliant idea for a lime green suede belt that has been hanging in my closet for the longest time. The red belt really pops the whole outfit. I love the look. High waist belt or no high waist belt, this is a woman who clearly dresses to please herself and I truly admire her for that. She has really inspired me to look at my wardrobe differently.
On a slightly different note, is it me or does the first lady have the most beautiful hands?
I love her cheeks! She's too gorgeous. Black with a color pop never fails.
@Christina
Well said Christina!!!
Thanks Christina for addressing the belt and waist issue. I may still not like her in certain belts, but well done on your part!
@ Christina: >> You see where the narrowest part of her torso is? See how it seems to start not too far past her bust line? <<
I think that's true of all women. I know, from having watched an endless number of episodes of "What Not to Wear" that the narrowest part of any woman is jut past the bust, as you pointed out. That's one of the reasons a good bra makes such an enormous difference. It helps to emphasize that *clench* and provide definition.
I think the belts are high partly due to her "booty". She has a Black woman's curvy hips (I'm Black too so I know!) and if she were to wear the belt lower on her torso, it would only accentuate them. There is no woman on earth who wants her behind looking any bigger than it is!! Might as well wear a big horizontal stripe around your hips ... or a measuring tape.
That's my take on it anyway, but the belts don't bother me.
Without belt loops, there is nothing to hold the belt at the waist so it rides up. Also if you did want it to stay down, you would have to tighten it so much that it would cause pulling and bunching of your shirt. So if you loosen it a little, then it rides up to the bust. Anyway, belts disappeared from my closet years ago, about the same time my waist started to disappear. I agree Michelle is very high waisted, but at least she still has one! I have not always liked her belts, sometimes they look nice and sometimes a bit awkward. But it seems to be very much a part of her style.
Christina Thanks for the answer it helps, and yes obviously I know "not everyone is built the same." (God is very imaginative) :) I was not trying to "debate the point, just asking the question.
The picture you linked does help to illustrate the fact that "HER" natural waist is high; higher in fact than I had realized.
I'm 5"8 with a 32in inseam. Only very skinny belts are an option for me because I have almost no torso at all. I wish I could wear a wider belt they cut my body right in half.
Okay, THIS is what I love to see! Our President showing his down to earth, husband, brother-in-law, Dad side supporting his bro-in-law's team!! Love this. And LOVE the way they whole family looks. Mrs. O looks stunning in black and orange. I love the silhouette and the winter feel of it. Go Beavs! And Go Team Obama!
I love the outfit and love that they attended a game at my alma mater of Howard University. The extraordinary, every-day ordinary of her elegant look and style is so wonderful. She dresses confidently when she is in casual attire or elegant formal attire. The way she wears clothes and accessories encourages all women to embrace their own body as beautiful.
I like this outfit. It's cute and comfy looking.
Poor Howard. Can you imagine the first family all rooting against you?
Re the belt: It's also a fashion trend when wearing wide belts.
See Fabulous Supermodel Iman here! (I know there are pix of other fashionistas also)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FW86_jO7k_A/TO53X9UjfFI/AAAAAAACNdQ/nHgohHpDRqQ/s1600/The%252BFashion%252BShow%252BSeason%252B2%252BEpisode%252B3%252B10.jpg
Only our First Lady looks this good at a college basketball game.
Belts should sit at the natural waist, which is right below one's rib cage. Sometimes Mrs. O gets it right and her whole ensemble looks pulled together and chic. This is a miss. The placement ruins the whole look. She would have done better to wear a long necklace or pin.
Look back at the Honor and Elegance post on this site from Nov. 16th....the red brocade Michael Kors dress. See where the waist of this dress is? This is where she should be placing her belts if she wears them. This was perfection.
@ Joyce: Looks like you took a "beating" on the First Lady's belt comment--unfortunately. :-) Yet, I did NOT take your comment as critical or foul.
An open question to my fellow "Mrs. O"-ers: Help me understand this "high waist thing." Is having a "high waist" synonymous with having a "short torso" and/or being "long-legged"--thus necessitating that belts be worn some distance above the navel? (And would the same hold true for men who are "high-waisted"? Of course men don't wear belts outside of belt loops, but you get my point--I hope.) Or is it simply a matter of body parts not being "proportionate"--in and of themselves, or in relation to (an)other part(s)? I'm just asking.
I always thought that the "conventional wisdom" taught one to accentuate one's best feature(s) (whatever one believes that to be), and, by extension of logic, to downplay or camouflage less "perfect" ones (whatever one feels those are). For example, vertical instead of horizontal stripes to appear "taller" or "thinner," higher heels for "longer-looking" legs, a short vamp on a shoe (e.g., a loafer) so a longer foot appears "shorter," and push-up bras for, well, um, you know?
That said, I don't know what purpose belts serve in fashion for women, besides being decorative--and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. As a man, in my experience, they are purely functional--and uncomfortable, though I do (have to, in hewing to "professional acculturation,") wear them.
Still, given the myriad ways women wear belts, and the endless variety of them, they often seem to distract more than catch my eyes.
I believe a well placed belt can demarcate the body. They are especially effective when breaking up a single color. FLOTUS is dressed monocromatically and without the belt she would just look like a long tube of black. I think the belt works well; it draws the eye to the narrowest part of her (thank you Stacey and Clinton), it adds a pop of color and interest and it gives her a longer vertical line. She carries more of her weight below the waist so she wouldn't want to draw attention to the hip area by wearing the belt lower on her body. I'm not sure why people think that belts have to be worn at the waistline. The only reason for that is to hold up your pants. She's using the belt as a fashion accessory, not to hold up her pants.
Well said Marcus and Babs ...
This "belt thing" will always be an issue and often photographs don't give a realistic view of all the details and sizes.
But if I had a choice of belts vs. pins and trinkets, I'd go for the belts - it is the pins that I find distracting.
I think this outfit is very cool.
ChickaBOOMer: Caption This!
http://chickaboomer.blogspot.com/2010/11/caption-this_29.html
They all all look great! Am not always enchanted by Mors. Obamas' belts but love this look. Her daughtere are striking.
Go Beavers!!! I'm current a fashion design student at Oregon State University...LOVE seeing the first family and one of my style icons decked out in the orange and black!! :)
http://www.examiner.com/first-lady-style-in-national/the-obama-family-at-oregon-state-game-picture?slide=26464701#main
Here is the best picture of the ensemble. The belt is exactly the right size, however it should have been placed directly below where it is (about 3-4 inches lower down) and the area where the belt is should have been black (her shirt). I wish I could photoshop it but I'm sure you all get what I'm saying. Worn this way it looks like she is just pushing up her bustline. That can be done with a good push up bra! Lower placement of this brightly colored belt by just a few inches would have put everything in proportion. We all saw what the below the knee mid-calf turquoise (in India) and the light pink brocade number (with Dr. Biden) did to her. Because of her height she can get away with a lot of looks most of us can't but at the end of the day it boils down to the fact that not every trend works on every body.
@ Jestina,
You are so right! I have always thought the first lady could me an excellent hand model, and if you notice, she's very expressive with her hands when she speaks.
@ Jestina,
You are so right! I have always thought the first lady could me an excellent hand model, and if you notice, she's very expressive with her hands when she speaks.
I thought about this some more and I realize that I actually don't wear belts at the narrowest part of my torso; I wear them a little bit down around my hips. But I also tend to buy "hipster" pants and I don't wear belts except in belt loops. If I wore my belts just around my waist, they would ride up to just below my bust line, too.
Anyway, sometimes I like her belt placement and sometimes I don't. But the belts are so much a part of her: she has worn a gazilion different outfits publicly, but I bet all of us here could come up with a handful of common themes: She favors wide belts, cardigans, brooches, flats or low heels, big showcase necklaces, patterns rather than solids, and dresses as opposed to suits.
A very nice outfit and one that I have in my wardrobe and am working to death this season!
Joyce, I'm always surprised at the things that still mystify some people on this site after two years of out-in-plain-view style from Mrs O. Christina's answer is really just explaining the obvious, yet again, as many of us have already. If you are 5' 8" with a 32 inseam then you're the same height as me so you could wear a belt any way you like, as I do with great success. It's not to do with height, it's to do with your build. Any woman not the shape of an apple can give herself the illusion of a waist, however tall or short she is. It's down to a good bra, the right proportion clothes and occasionally, the right belt - of any thickness. It is HOW you wear it.
Any person's "natural waist" is where your body bends, and it would be pretty impossible to bend from right below the rib cage. Mrs. O. is not what I would call high-waisted, she is short-waisted, and I have seen numerous pictures of her wearing belts (slim ones) at her natural waist where her body bends, which is MUCH lower than right below the rib cage. They are infinitely more flattering than the wide belts, which do tend to ride up as opposed to slimmer ones.
i think the wide belt with this outfit works. i dont know why we're nitpicking about her waist, or the widest part of her body, or the placement....it doesnt matter. she wore it and imho, it works. love the pop of color also!
@Christen, You know our discussions here about Mrs. O and this waist/belt thing usually left me feeling like there was more to our analyzing....
For me you have hit the nail on the head (for me) - Short waisted, yes there is a difference as appose to high-waisted. At any rate I agree that slimmer belts are more flattering on her.
The proper measurement for the waistline (belt) placement is 1 1/2 inches the belly button.
http://pattern.stringcodes.com/anin0102.html