Mrs. O's Little Christmas Elves
Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 2:54 PM 
Image by Yuri Gripas / Reuters Pictures
The First Family is hosting the "Christmas in Washington" celebration and concert at the National Building Museum this evening. For the event, Mrs. O is wearing a gorgeous black lace overlay dress, featuring a high square neckline and full skirt. Sparkly oversize earrings, akin to snowflakes, complete the first lady's holiday look.
There is so much to say about these photos. In the presence of children, Mrs. O is always her most radiant, which has never been more evident than here. The top photo, with the first lady kneeling down to pick up the little elf -- party skirt ever so elegantly fanned -- is beyond words.
And it seems, increasingly so, that fashion is an Obama family affair. Malia and Sasha Obama are transforming into lovely young women before our eyes, showing their own flair for style. Brightly colored crewcuts coats have been replaced by party dresses, accessorized with belts and baubles. Let us not forget Mrs. Marian Robinson! The first grandmother has never looked more chic, wearing a black lace crochet dress with sheer bracelet-length sleeves. Fabulous!
"Christmas in Washington" will air on TNT on Sunday, December 20 at 8pm EST.
Update #1: Mrs. Marian Robinson wears the Leafy Lace Dress from Talbots, available here. Thanks to reader Ashley M. for the tip, which has been confirmed with Talbots.
UDPATE #2: This is a major moment in Mrs. O fashion! Per The Huffington Post:
Mrs. Obama is sporting a vintage 1950s black lace dress by one of America's once-great, now-obscure American designers, Norman Norell.
This rare garment came from the impressive archive of New York Vintage, whose owners cite this as a rare - and perhaps unique - instance of an American First Lady wearing vintage at a public event.
"[This is] truly an historic event, as this may be the first time a First Lady has worn a vintage dress," says New York Vintage co-owner Jon Schneck. "Other dresses from the archive have being scheduled for use by the First Lady later this year. We are truly honored that the First Lady has chosen a gown from New York Vintage as her first venture into vintage couture."
UPDATE #3: The First Lady wears earrings by Cathy Waterman.
Cathy Waterman, New York Vintage, Norman Norell, Talbots
Reader Comments (89)
Love the festive dresses of the entire ensemble. BRAVA
Amazing dress. Mrs. O looks completely glamorous here, elegant and sophisticated. And the girls look wonderful too, as does Mrs. R (and our Prez). I'm feeling repetitive, but it has to be said again: what a beautiful family!
LOVE the dress, shoes and earrings! Glamourous and beautiful!
Gorgeous. I can't wait to see the performances. Right now I am enjoying White House 2010 on HGTV.
Love love love!!! The flotus dress is gorg!!!
First Lady looks amazing.. as always.
And the girls -- i just love their style...
The whole family look happy and radiant - welcoming the world to share the joy of Christmas. I feel that the photos don't really do the beautiful fabric of this dress justice (I would love to see this up close) and the design is certainly a winner in the fashion stakes - it is just gorgeous. Mrs O has a real glow of happiness when she is with children and the whole family seem to be sharing the fun with her. Mrs Robinson's dress is also lovely. Malia and Sasha look very pretty and their dresses are entirely age-appropriate. As for the President - gotta love that smile - it lights up the room.
Mr. O looks spectacular! I especially love the way her dress looks in the first pic!
just lovely! A little Audrey Hepburn wedding dress in the movie "Funny Face". I wonder if it is Isaac Mizrahi.
Very very lovely family.l Great choice head to toe.
Yes, SPECTACULAR!! The whole family looks stunning and so festive. What a beautiful family. Wishing them and the nation a wonderful Christmas!!!
MRS OBAMA LOOKED PRETTY AND THE FAMILY LOOKED GREAT AM GLAD THAT THEY LET MALIA AND SASHA AND THE GRADMOTHER COME LAST YEAR THEY WASNT THERE HAPPY HOILDAYS TO THE OBAMA FAMILY
Love the pictures of the First Family and love the little elves! View the photos on the Obamadiary link and the scene surrounding the little "shy" elf unfolds, as the First Family tries to "coax" her into coming over to where the rest of the little elves are.
http://theobamadiary.com/
Love the look...so glamorous.
Side Note: If you knew what I looked like, you would have seen me
in that Whte House Christmas 2010 special on HGTV......... :)
Lisa H, SO?! (in my totally jealous voice) But for real, that is so cool. Did you get to see any members of the Obama family?
These are the most adorable pics ever. The girls are indeed, little fashionistas. Malia is looking so stylish with her chic dress and cute side ponytail and you can't see it in these pics, but Sasha has on a ring that is hella cute. I love Mrs. O dress and I love it even more that she doesn't care about wrinkling it or something by picking up that adorable child. Mr. O is handsome as usual and the First Grandma is looking pretty pretty good.
Fabulous. Loooooooove Mrs. O's dress. The O'girls, the president and grandmama Obama looks stunning. I am just tickled at the baby girl not wanting to stand with the group and Mrs. O having to switch into mother mode to get her in the picture. LOL!
Love, Love, Love!
Michelle looks fab!
I really need to get me a pair of patent pumps.
This is so much fun
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/107544969
While I concur that Mrs. Obama & Mrs. Robinson look lovely, a black dress on Malia
at age 11? not so appropriate.
She should be First Lady forever. Mother. Lover. Friend.
She wore a similar dress by Isabel Toledo for this event last year. I wonder who designed this one. I am partial to anything retro and this dress gives me a thrill!
Looks like one little elf was ready to wander off the reservation! LOL
I'm putting in my guess for designer -- Azzedine Alaia. Everyone looks just as cute and polished as can be. However, if there is one outfit where I'd say the earrings seem too big, it'd be this one (as opposed to the Kennedy Awards gown, where I thought they looked great.) These here look like Christmas ornaments. Which may have been the point.
They look GREAT!
She looks great.
Interesting she wore a black dress two years in a row.
Earrings, while awesome & snowflake-y, are too big.
These photos are just so wonderful. And thank you Mrs. T for such a lovely description that so fully captures the spirit of the occasion.
I love Mrs. O in these garments with a fitted elongated torso and full skirt. This whole ensemble is one of my favorite looks EVAH. She looks tremendously elegant and approachable, her warmth and personality beaming bright. The girls are blooming so beautifully. I see many a male broken heart in the future. Grandma really shines here, too. She's really going for the glamour lately! For me, the President becomes more and more charming with each passing day.
Merry Christmas and many continued blessings to the First Family. And of course to the entire Mrs. O community!!
I love all the photographs. I adore the little elves.!! :) The first family looks so lovely!!
she looks fabulous in that dress!
Rhea,
Malia Obama was born on July 4, 1998. And her dress is just fine.
@Nyon: Yes, I met the First Lady and the First Dog:)
I saw a little bit of video of this event -- it turns out the little elf girl in the front was trying to wander away from the photo (she probably spotted her mother or father in the audience.) It was so cute because the President and Michelle were like, "wait, wait, come back!"
It reminds me of when one of my cousins was getting married -- there was a three-year-old ring bearer, so of course everyone was "ooohing" and "aw-ing" when he was walking down the aisle, all by himself. He was the focus of so much attention that he got stage fright and a few pews from the front of the church, he made a beeline for his grandmother's lap (she was sitting down) and buried his face in there. It was adorable. They had to coax him up to the front.
I realize you may want a little more than that, but I will just say that I have had the honor
of meeting the First Lady in the past as well, and she is the lovliest, most gracious,
sincere and genuinely warm person. She is also the most beautiful woman I have
ever met in person. Pictures do not do her justice.
Actually, I think Malia's dress might be blue...?
Here is the video think Christina was talking about.
I like how Michelle seems to ask permission to pick up the little girl before she does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6z_wfI4XqDU
@ Rhea
Are you serious. The dress is knee-length, what are you looking at? She's 12 1/2 and 5'9 so she's automatically going to look older in anything she wears. Stop being so critical.
Anyway look Michelle's dress and Sasha's too. So beautiful. I feel like a loser for saying this but these pictures make me happy.
Absolutely Gorgeous
One word: WOW
wow beyond words is right! they all look really wonderful and elegant
LOVE THE PICTURES...JUST LOVE THEM! My First family and grandmother is AWESOME! I love you and support you. Thanks for all of your graciousness from all of you. May God continue to bless you all and keep you in His care.
Our First Family all look really fabulous at this holiday event. Lately Mrs. O's fashion sense has been right on point, and this evening's dress is lovely, a true classic. One thing I will say Mrs. T is that from the photos I've seen I would say the color of Mrs. R's dress is not black, but a shade of deep olive green, which looks wonderful on her. And both ladies are sporting some knock-out earrings.
Happy Holidays and best wishes for the new year to all my fellow Mrs. O fans, and a gracious "thank you" to Mrs. T for all the effort you put into this great website.
i don't love the dress michelle is wearing . however, if she is going to wear this style, she needs to do something different on her feet. pumps do not work with this dress. i dont understand it . i also agree that the earrings look silly.
Very pretty and Christmassy. Had to smile when I saw the gold belt on Malia. You know where THAT came from, right? *lol*
To whoever said the earrings were too big ... it's Christmas! It's about extravagance and sparkle! Go big or go home!
That video is too cute!
(I forced my husband to watch it & even he chuckled)
So sweet. (one favorite part is when a little kid pipes up: "I can help!"...)
t's actually helped kick-start me into the little holiday spirit....
GORGEOUS dress. I love ballet length dresses on Mrs. O. What a charming family.
@glammie -- LOL! Well, she's definitely going big.
I wonder...do we think this is a dress, or separates? It's probably a dress, but in some shots I think hmm, maybe not.
About Malia's black dress: I am of the generation (b. 1947) whose mothers said "absolutely not!" to "girls" in black dresses. I actually learned how to sew so I could buy my own black material (with my babysitting money) and make my own black dress. Therefore I understand where some of you are coming from concerning "girls" in black dresses. HOWEVER, I became a godmother and we have a generation of girls for whom it takes a whip and a chair to get them to wear dresses of any color. To the Obama's credit, they broke up the unrelieved black with an elegantly bright belt. This is a new day and for an almost teen of this generation, Malia's dress is quite wonderful.
OMG! I haven't been to this site for quite some time but the first pic is PHENOMENAL! I love the whole look & her caring personality is just beautifully shown here. KUDOS Mrs.O for a lovely ensemble.
The Lady has so much class I just love the Obama Family.
@ Dr. Cheryl,
I wholeheartedly agree with your observation regarding the wearing of black by preteens or teens for that matter. The fact that Malia added a bright-colored belt to her dress gives it a completely different vibe. So no, there's nothing somber or mournful about this outfit. The problem with some posters is that for some reason they cannot get beyond their insular, closeted, and old-fashioned way of looking at modern-day fashion, hence the constant harping about what is "appropriate" or not. I've come to the conclusion that many of those who subscribe to the "appropriateness" criteria are just repressed fashion-wise, afraid to step out of the self-copntained box they've placed themselves in and are instead projecting their outdated views on the First Lady and now her daughters. So kudos to the Obama girls for their strong sense of fashion and self even at such a young age, obviously that self-possession is being passed down from Grandma to Mom and now to them. More power to them!
Mrs. Robinson looks like she is wearing Talbots' "Leafy Lace Dress," as seen here: http://www.talbots.com/online/browse/product_details.jsp?id=prdi25520&rootCategory=cat70008&catId=cat80018&sortKey=Default§ion=Regular&conceptIdUnderSale=cat70008
Looks like Mrs. O and Mrs. Robinson both wear Talbots!
Gorgeous outfits...the girls' clothes are exquisite as is Mrs. O's grown-up ballerina dress! My only quibble is the 'bunchi/scrunchiness' at the top of her dress.
Very cute....
While Mrs. O looks lovely, (and BTW, I see nothing wrong with Malia wearing Black; Sasha wore Black on election night, remember), Mrs. Robinson is the best dressed person in this picture. Her lace dress is stylish and elegant. Go Mrs. R!!!
Love the whole family...They all look great. The 2 girls are just beautiful...So well cultured