Wednesday
Mar102010
Into the Spring Season
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 4:37 PM 
Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson
First Lady Mrs. O met with Mrs. Elizabeth Preval, the First Lady of Haiti, in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House today. For the meeting, Mrs. O dressed in a textured lilac skirt and short-sleeve trapeze coat, closed with a diamond brooch. The first lady looks ready for Spring!
Update #1: Today also marked the presentation of the fourth annual Award for International Women of Courage at the State Department in Washington, D.C. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was joined by First Lady Mrs. O to present the award to Sister Marie Claude Naddaf of Syria.
Update #2: The first lady's ensemble is indeed Moschino.
Image by Alex Wong / Getty Images
tagged Moschino
Moschino
Reader Comments (62)
beautiful.love it.she is really killing it.and God does she know how to accesorize!
Her outfit looks so comfortable, yet polished vs. the guest who dons traditional wear but seems constricted.
I love the design and color of this suit....just not too sure about the fabric.
Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton presented the 2010 International Women of Courage Awards at the State Department in Washington.
Photos and the text of Michelle's speech at the link below:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/10/michelle-obama-almost-cal_n_494059.html
I like it and I love the color. I watched the ceremony live and Mrs. O called SS Clinton Senator Clinton and boy was that funny, but of course her being as cool as she is, saved herself by saying, I almost called you President Clinton. Everybody just laughed! Thats why I love the Obamas because they don't take themselves too seriously and they can make jokes like that.
LOVE THAT OUTFIT..AND SHE LOOKS AWESOME AND HEALTHY...LOVE LOVE HER...M.O
PREVAL DOES LOOK STIFF...BUT SHE IS BEAUTIFUL TOO...LOVE THIS MEETING IN PARTICULAR!
I like this outfit, it is casual yet stylish. Love the spring color. Michelle is like, hello sunshine, goodbye winter colors.
I love it. The Haitian first lady - too stuffy! Mrs. O - too comfy! It's like too hot, too cold. I can only imagine "just right" for some!
Anywho, I'm not feeling this suit, although the color is awesome.
@ ThatOtherMimi - I'm feeling that way myself. We've had a few days of 50s and 60s here on the East Coast, which is downright mild to my cold bones, and I've been rocking my skirts again, short sleeve blouses and light, springy colors. Can't wait until it's officially warm again!
I just love that Mrs. O always looks absolutely gorgeous with her very busy schedule.
These women re-enforce the fact, that as women, we cannot remain complacent. We can fulfill our potential in whatever we choose to do and be examples, for our daughters, sisters and the world.
I love the color and the way she accessorized with her lovely pin. But the fabric does look a little like a bathrobe! I mean - doesn't it look a little . . . absorbent?
I think I can forgive Mrs. Preval for looking a little tense. She's got a lot on her mind these days. The First Lady looks beautiful in that color.
@IVA the weather has been LOVELY!! I'm so ready for spring. I'm going to shop this week for COLOR! I'm desperate for Spring!! Purple is the new black!
Mrs. T. - Thanks for posting the color and description, it looks blue on the computer monitor. Unfortunately the true color is not always captured through the camera with lighting and angles. This is not my favorite, the cut is not the most becoming. But I know she be mixing it up it in future outfits. The texure is wonderful.
Anymore info on the pin? Close ups.
This violet-color is very pretty. I kind of like this ensemble, from the side view and what I can see of it. Is it a trapeze jacket over a sheath or is she wearing a blouse underneath? Hard to tell from these pictures.
Fabric is such a weird thing - the fashion critics all raved about JLo's Oscar outfit but up close it looked like bubble wrap or those stiff layered sheets you put into packages for mailing!! Go figure!
This outfit looks comfortable yet polished. I like the short sleeves on the FLOTUS! and those shoes - please tell us where they are from! Love them! So versatile!
Operafantic - Your funny, just when I was liking the fabric.
Mrs. T - Do you know if there is a website for the Second Lady, Dr. Biden? She has such a nice look, seems that she could target another age group? I have seemed to be able to find anything just yet? Although a fashion question, I admire the work of Dr. Biden and her clothing choices.
I love this color and texture on Mrs. Obama. She looks so divine talking to the First Lady of Haiti who is also handsomely dressed.
Mrs. O is so confident and again i say purple is her color
i would love to know the designer of this ensemble.it looks like a dress with a jacket to me. i'm in love with the fabric.it is very a intriging piece of art.Mrs.T any idea how it is called?
A roaring fire in that fireplace would have been nice.
I like both ladies and although I love Mrs O's suit (both design and colour) I'm not feeling tha material.
Haiti recently suffered an unbelievably devastating earthquake that nearly destroyed this already poor country. It doesn't surprise me that its First Lady may look a little tense. She is having to deal with far more than fashion.
The fabric appears to be cloque. The raised, puckered effect is woven into it.
The last three First Ladies (Haiti, Greece, Mexico) Mrs. O has been photographed with in the Yellow Room have all had on gray or neutral-colored traditional suits. All three women were attractive...could give Carla Bruni a run for her money! I wonder why they choose to dress in such drab attire. Are their countries that conservative??
Jill Biden is just 58. While I could consider it a great pleasure to see more of her, and hear more about her, I would hardly consider that she is in a different "age group" (from Michelle) for fashion, or for much of anything else for that matter. Jill and Michelle might travel different fashion roads because of taste, personal style, and build (to mention only a few factors), but age? I don't see it. Beware those stereotypical and timeworn "groupings!"
Congrats to all women receiving honors and bestowing honors, and also to the multitudes of women who quietly ply their daily work without public acclamation.
A p.s. to my previous post: Hillary looks very lovely in this photo, as does Michelle, as does the altogether diminutive honoree. I especially like the violet color of Michelle's outfit. That said, I am grateful, and even a bit relieved, that she chose to go with a bit more covering up when honoring Sr. Marie Claude. A bare look would definitely not have been appropriate for this occasion. I would even have voted for long sleeves--but at least there are sleeves of some sort!
I like this color too - again another flattering color for her skin tone. I'm not crazy about the jacket.
Her hair and makeup look fantastic - she made a humourous error when introducing Hillary Clinton as SENATOR CLINTON and then caught her mistake and bounced back with a remark about almost calling her PRESIDENT CLINTON. She is quick and funny !
Regarding Jill Biden, huffpo often features her fashion choices in the style section.
There are a lot of photos online of Dr. Biden from her trip to Israel. She is really stunning. 58 used to seem ancient but she looks so youthful! I think keeping busy and doing things you are passionate about keeps you young at heart.
FELLOW FLOTUS ADMIRER HAS ANY ONE PURCHASED THE FLOTUS DOLL YET? I AM THINKING ABOUT ORDERING IT. DOES THE DOLL DO THE FLOTUS JUSTIC? PLEASE LET ME ME.
@ That other Mimi - thanks for the info. Dr. Biden has a style all of her own, with a bit a East Coastal flair. At times she looks alll about Cape Cod beautiful blues, elegant, nothing to do about age.
Once again, a total win win. Colour BEAUTIFUL, cut interesting, fabric stunning.
This is a departure in what we are used to seeing FLOTUS in but I like it. In one of the Yahoo pics it look like it might actually be a dress under that trapeeze jacket. I really like the texture, it looks sort of like cable knit. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think it's interesting. This color is beautiful. She looks good in this color.
Hillary Clinton looks really nice and surprisingly well rested. I'm not aware of the age of The First Lady of Haiti but she looks so young. That salt-n-pepper hair of hers is gorgeous.
I really like the texture and color of the fabric--and the design of the ensemble. It does look to be a lighter purple instead of blue on my monitor. I agree that we should give the First Lady of Haiti an automatic pass. She looks appropriate and is well dressed.
I agree with Charlene in Detroit that this is a departure from her normal look. It's a First Lady 'ish' suit. Mrs. O has not worn the traditional FL uniform. I must say she looks lovely in this. The color is great on her.
I think Elizabeth Preval, the FL of Haiti looks lovely too!
Someone above was asking about pic's of Jill Biden. I don't know of a website but, did see some great pictures of her on Gettyimages the other day.
According to a wikipedia page Mrs. Preval was 47 in Dec. 2009 but those articles can be inaccurate. I must say, she has done a bang-up job hiding her age. Had to search hard for that info! She has great skin. I think if she colored her hair she'd look much younger. But it's her own choice to go gray so more power to her. I know I get sick of having mine colored but it makes a huge difference to me and it does make me look years younger than my real age!
I enjoy seeing Mrs. Obama's varied selection of styles and colors. This fabric looks like a knit, to me. The soft, textured design of the fabric fits her form beautifully, and the jacket's style adds just the right panache. Whether the colors are complementary or contrasting; she, for sure, has exceptional taste and I'm so glad that she brings a freshness to the position and role as the First Lady! By the way, her hair is simply beautiful...so, healthy!
This is not really dealing with fashion, but it was just said that Mrs. O and the girls won't be joining Mr. O on the trip to Asia/Australia since the trip got delayed because of the healthcare debate.
This sucks because I was excited about the trip..So much for seeing what Mrs. O was gonna wear.
P.S. I hope he gets the bill signed..this has been going on for too long.
Hi all, I saw on Politico that the President has pushed his trip to Indonesia back three days (to focus on HCR) and now Mrs. O and the girls will NOT be accompanying him. I was looking forward to seeing pictures of the family over seas:-( but, I definitely understand the importance of Health Care Reform.
The pushed back Asia trip. Yet another reason I cannot stand this congress. If POTUS is not holding their hand every step of the way, they can't get a thing done! I really wanted to see the President show his family where he grew up. And of course I would have loved to see how Mrs. O would have incorporated Indonesian fashion and style into her trip wardrobe.
I think I read that Michelle would be taking a solo trip to Mexico in April.
Mrs O is taking her first solo trip abroad to Mexico in April, so there will be lots of chances for fasion and style coverage. Jackie K went to India by herself (I think) and Laura Bush & Hillary Clinton often traveled on their own overseas. Hope she takes the girls withher.
If you look at a picture of an African violet, Mrs. Obama has pinned this top (or the designer intended it to be this way and it's a large silver button) so that it perfectly mimics the flower! African violets usually have one bright tiny center surrounded by violet-colored petals.The trapeze cut of the top magnifies that even more. Whether that was planned or not, WOW!
No Asian trip but Mrs.O will be going to Mexico next month.
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WASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama will visit Mexico next month on her first solo international trip, the White House said on Friday.
On the April 13-15 trip, she will seek to "amplify the president's commitment to advancing mutual interests, mutual respect and mutual responsibility between nations and peoples around the world," according to a statement.
The statement also said she will seek to "build on her recent conversation with Mexican First Lady Margarita Zavala de Calderon on the issues of education and economic advancement in both countries."
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They both look great.
The pin on her jacket is the diamond pave rose pin that was her anniversary gift from the President last year.
This outfit is Moschino Spring/Summer 09. Looks fabulous on the first Lady. I think it may be a skirt suit and not a dress suit. Not sure though.
recent interview by Mrs Brown to Mrs-O... http://www.number10.gov.uk/showhomepost/22732
Thanks janet25....enjoyed the article.
Another thanks janet25...would not have seen that enjoyable article otherwise
Before this International Women of Courage Awards, MO was the keynote speaker at a lunchtime meeting of the National PTA Legislative Conference.
I was really tickled by operafanatic's "absorbent" comment. Overall though, I liked this outfit, especially the color. Think the comfortable fit of this outfit would have moved well for her throughout that busy day and the fabric choice would have helped in maintaining a fresher/less wrinkled look by the end of this 3rd appearance.