Saturday
May012010
Tres Chic in Prabal Gurung
Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 10:53 PM
Photo by Getty Images
The first lady is wearing a hand-draped, off the shoulder, red matte jersey gown by Prabal Gurung at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this evening. Stunning!
Update: On the jewelry front, it appears that the first lady wore pieces by Bochic and Sutra Jewels. The bottom gold cuff is a Sutra Jewels piece, created from 10 carats of raspberry tourmaline, flanked by rose cut diamonds in a star-burst motif. The top cuff appears to be a Bochic piece, constructed from white bakelite, gold filigree and rose-cut diamonds, seen here.
tagged Bochic, Prabal Gurung, Sutra Jewels
Bochic, Prabal Gurung, Sutra Jewels
Reader Comments (120)
Love that color on her.
Both cuffs are beautiful but way out of my frugal budget !!! The Bohic cuff would have been nice with the gold dress she wore to the last State Dinner.
OMG, that bracelet is fierce!
I love this dress on her. Love the fit and the color. Her hair and make up are also right on target.
Also like the ear rings, but think they are a bit "too much" with the dress.
The event was wonderful SOOOO proud of our Pres!
First off, mrs o's look is stunning. Love it. However, have to say I'm really disappointed that she is wearing 40 to 50k worth of designer chic, particularly in this recession and esp when she made a big to do of her much more affoordable jcrew and talbots clothes during the election. Dems made a huge comparison to sarah palin and cindy mccain and it really helped the president court voters. Now that they are in office, seems like they don't care anymore and its ok. And don't get off on calling me republican. I voted for the O's.
Mrs O is so beautiful. I especially love the ear rings. Also per Ed Henry at CNN, Mrs O sent the following tweet:
from flotus: "here at dinner this is officially my first Tweet. i am looking forward to some good laughs from the potus and jay"
about 19 hours ago via Tweetie
The dress is beautiful but the bracelet cuffs are over the top. One would have been enough.
Hopefully the $17,500 cuff is on loan, otherwise it's really over the top.
I love the post, love the point of view of this blog, thanks.
FLOTUS looked fabulous. My guess is that the jewelry is on loan, if not you would be hearing the right, fox news go crazy about the cost during these difficult economic times. Remember how her sandals (540) and sneakers (~ 600) made headlines, duh, please think... Also, I believe that during the we are one concert, she was wearing 5,000 diamond earrings, which were also on loan.
Give us all a break. she doesn't owe anyone any explanations whether she buys it herself or not. you guys aren't paying any of her outfits or jewelries. GET A FRIGGING LIFE!!!!!!!!
i hate when people act like she is a poor woman.she is not. and it is not her fault that you are either.she can afford it.she works hard to get where she is now and she is reaping the rewards of all that hard work. as i said GET A LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! or better yet, earn your millions and frigging wear and buy what you like!
another view of the dress
I hear you, chrystelle. I must agree, I could never afford such expensive jewellry but what people forget is that she was married to a millionaire BEFORE he became President. It's not unusual for wealthy men to treat their wives to high class jewellry. I would love to have my husband (if I had one !!!) to spend £17k on a fine piece of jewellry for me. As it stands, I'm guessing the jewellry was on loan and if not, all credit to her. It's a lovely piece and if she bought it, then I'm almost certain that it will be passed down to Michelle Obama's offspring for generations to come.
I'm reminded of an incident recently with one of my friends. I happened to be out shopping with her. I bought a £70.00 white Longchamp bag for my summer holiday. When my friend realised that I was buying it, she almost had a heart attack. Saying that I was mad to spend THAT amount of money on a nylon shopping bag. She really had a fit and at one stage acted like she was having an asthma attack. I REALLY had to remind myself whose money it was AND I had to remind her as well. It really isn't that serious. If an expensive item takes your fancy and you can afford it, buy it. You can't take it with you when you die or as my grandmother would say, "there's no pockets in the shroud."
I love this look on Mrs. Obama!! Keep on making us proud First Lady!! :)
@chrystelle Well said chrystelle,
Maybe it's a gift from one of their rich friends, like Oprah, The Sarkozy's or the could be a gift from the president himself, who cares.
Michelle is a hot mama knockout. She has an amazing figure and sex appeal that won't quit. Eat your heart out haters. You only wish you had her spotlight.
Breathtaking. Jennifer about her not wearing her wedding ring. Actually I follow her wardrobe closely and this is the first time I have ever seen her without her wedding rings.
Anywho - These earrings look just like the ones from the India state dinner. Are they?
Who cares if the cuffs are on loan her husband made OVER 5.5 million dollar last year so they can afford what ever she wants to wear. None of the money for her clothes are coming out of anybody's account but Barack/Michelle's account, recisson or not its their money they can do whatever they want with it. I wanted for Barack and I will vote for him again, but I don't care what they or ANY other politician does with the money they earn regardless of party.
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//100502/ids_photos_ts/r148281011.jpg/#photoViewer=/100502/ids_photos_ts/r2612058731.jpg
I didn't realize this was a full length dress. The back seems to be very pretty as well though you can't see it in the pic above. Red actually looks really great on the first lady. Beautiful as usual.
Why is this woman this beautiful?? Wow!! Go Michelle!!
Do we know anything about the ring she's wearing?
I think it's interesting that she occasionally takes off her wedding set and wears a statement piece instead. She did it at the Inaugural balls with the Jason Wu. This dress and the other accessories are a very strong look, and the ring has just the right balance.
If she did purchase this jewelry (frankly, I could care less - it's her money), I hope we see more of it as she incorporates it into her life. I've sometimes wondered if she wears things on loan, simply because we see pieces only once.
That said: I still weep bitter tears that she gave those inaugural diamond bangles to the Smithsonian. There is no way I would have let those babies out of my jewelry box!
Absolutely terrific....the color, the bracelets, and the perfect fit of the dress.
Frequent poster, Michelle: I don't believe for a minute that exhange between you and our President ever happened.
A Lady in red!!
Mrs O seems to love red color !
very beautifull but the one cuff would be enough !!
i hope one day, Mrs O will wear precious stone like Tanzanite, saphir , emerald with diamond!
FLOTUS looks ABASOLUTELY STUNNING!!!!....I saw the entire view on MichelleObamawatch.com.
She was and as always a stunning vision...
You are right about the fact that it is their money and they can buy whatever they want with it.
My point is that the 2 bracelets do not compliment each other and one would have been enough because they are both so large and make a large statement on their own. In my opinion there is too much jewellery on one arm and the two cuffs don't even look nice together. One of the cuffs alone would have been classier.
miss t I think if you hang around here a bit more you'll become aware that Mrs O dresses according to her husband's income. As he is a millionaire, that's slightly above the level that most of us can afford. I don't have a problem with that. He wrote some books, they sell a lot of copies, he's got quite a good job, she can have some nice stuff. It's all relative. I used to spend hundreds of pounds a month on clothes when I was working. These days, I can very occasionally (once a year) afford a £200 dress on my husband's salary - if we are going somewhere amazing. If he was a millionaire I would still bargain hunt, but I would also be buying things that cost £20k. And I wouldn't apologise for it during a recession! One of the problems with a recession is that the media can inspire people to panic and stop spending. And one of the worst things for a country that's teetering on the brink of recession or trying to get OUT of recession - is for people to stop spending! So I don't see why a woman who is married to the Head of State (and is therefore expected to be an ambassador for her country every time she walks out of the house to a public engagement) can be criticised for looking amazing within her husband's means. I suspect the cuff was on loan, but so what if it wasn't? It's really none of my business what Barack and Michelle sat down to discuss about his income and how they were going to organise it while they were in the White House and Michelle was doing the unpaid job of First Lady. OR, whether a design house approaches her and says, "anything we have is available for you to borrow", via Ikram or not. Plus she wears J Crew, H&M, GAP, Talbots and a whole host of more accessible brands so it's not as if she only wears couture suits, all day, every day. Now THAT I would have a problem with!!!!
For myself, I think this incredible evening gown is really beautiful and - as for last years Time 100 dinner - raises the style bar even higher! Beautiful colour, extraordinary jewellery. I really don't like her hair this short but even with that, she looks wonderful. I am also delighted to see Mrs O in a dress with a train. They are so elegant, not often seen and I love 'em.
Mrs. O is rocking this gown. The color is perfect for her. The jewelry really completes the look.
I agree with those who feel that Mrs. O is entitled to wear what she wants. Her husband has made a fortune with his books. She was making good money in her prior job.
I know people who buy very expensive jewelry and since it's their money, it's their choice.
Il colore è perfetto:corallo,la scollatura le sta d'incanto ma i 2 bracciali alti fanno a pugni.
In ogni caso W Mrs.Obama
Not to step on Mrs. T's toes (anyway, I know she is so cool she won't mind the comment), but this headline could have easily been "FLOTUS IN RED." Mrs. O so owns the color and the dress here that she epitomizes the word of that famous song. Her jewelry is on point, her hair is sexy, and I love the combo of the dark eyes and light lips. When FLOTUS O is on, she is ON!!!
I echo the other viewers - Ms. Obama's clothing is HER BUSINESS!!! I personally enjoy her style,, grace and fashion choices - maybe not for me - but she rocks whatever!!! On a serious note - before commenting, please ask yourselves why all the "negativity" re the Obama's personal life; expenditures and travels unlike for other first families - oh my gosh could it be? - oh no ? - but then again . . . .asky yourself what is different about the Obamas????
This is off topic, but this is very geeky but pretty cool/awesome – The National Science Bowl with FLOTUS issuing the bonus questions along with Secretary Chu moderating right now:
http://www.netl.doe.gov/education/scibowl/webcast.html
She looks stunning in a gray top with a very big gorgeous brooch and she is showing all of us her immense intelligence and poise!
I'm with Chrystelle, Jestina, Posh, Becky Sue, et al: Mrs. O owes no one an explanation or apology for the gorgeous things she owns and wears, borrows and wears, or keeps in her closet all to herself, if she so chooses. Less hating and jealousy, please!!
Back on topic: "Tomato" red is the perfect description, at least how the color appears via photographs on this computer screen. I suppose we always will have to be flexible on labeling the colors, since photography/lighting usually will alter them slightly.
Dress - Hair - Makeup......all flawless
This First Lady is really leaving her mark on fashion
I never realized what we were missing from the previous administrations.
My bad - there is a train on the dress. I don't think those are the same earrings as she wore for the state dinner with the Naeem Khan dress but they do look similar. I didn't say anything on my previous post but I, too, agree with several others...I think the two cuffs are a little much. I would have gone with the gold one (with the ruby). Maybe she just couldn't choose and thought "what the heck"!
@"Y": the michelleobamawatch photos are stunning! Thanks!
Big difference between paying for your own expensive clothes ...and having the RNC foot the bill for them. Hence the difference between FLOTUS and Palin. No comparison.
Also...her wedding band is way slim enough to still be on her finger with that statement ring...just her engagement ring would have to be removed.
At the time of the Inaugural Ball in January 2009, it was reported that her jewels were loaned by their designer and destined to go on to the Smithsonian. It was reported at the same time that the Jason Wu ball gown would go to the Smithsonian, so Wu did not charge for it.
I don't believe there is a problem with the loaning of jewels - or even clothes - as long as they go back to the lender or - in the case of the Inaugural items - to the Smithsonian.
No words are needed to know how they feel towards each other!
http://www.daylife.com/photo/0bgT1Rq5Va6pQ?q=Michelle-Obama
chrystelle, posh and others -
the O's are public figures and our president/first lady to boot. that means, they are in the public eye and set the tone with their behavior, demeanor, dress, and other nonverbal aspects. Since ths is a public function and not a private event, i think its fair game.
also, like many of you, i too read the newspaper and know that she can afford her clothing. That's not the point. Cindy McCain can also afford her clothing and multiple homes, yet some folks who read this blog have commented on her overly expensive, in your face clothing. Why is it ok that Michelle is lauded for her fashion flair, while Cindy, Sarah, Nancy Reagan are ridiculed for being out of touch spendthrifts?
and btw, some of us who think these things do make pretty comfortable six figures so personal attacks re our jealousy are not appreciated.
Not sure if this was already posted, but here's a close up of her earrings. Her skin is amazing. The photographer has a lot of nerve, though, getting that much of a close up of her face, especially her lips. A little risque, but luckily she's so pretty the shot worked.
http://www.daylife.com/photo/0gDE9Md9nWgws
Just to add my two cents, this is one of my faves for Mrs. O. She really knows how to do evening wear. Very put together. Lovely look and the President was hilarious. Leno, not so much.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/03/michelle-brings-back-the_n_561455.html
Interesting choice of suit.
Any information on jacket worn by Mrs. O's jacket in the photo here: http://pre.cloudfront.goodinc.com/posts/post_full_1272907559_1f6916490e_b.jpg?
Mrs. O looks great! I love the bracelets and must say that the Bochic piece is pricey at $17.5k! (Wow!).
Her husband has money so she can spend money on clothes. She is very conservative, other first ladies used only high end american designers (Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, etc.) whose dresses are way more expensive, than up and coming designers (like Wu or Gurung).
My two cents. Do you guys think all these designers who she is wearing now, sell her their clothes at retail prices. I doubt it. Surely they sell her these dresses at ridiculus prices praying that Michelle Obama wears them at one of her events. Michelle Obama wearing one of these designers clothes is the best publicity for anyone.
I just love this dress. :)
I really want to know if she is buying the jewelry or is it on loan.
Phoebe
here are the pictures of the FLOTUS at today event from the whitehouse's blog so you don't have to pay for the pics Mrs.T
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/05/03/new-faces-new-solutions
Too bad there aren't more pix of the full length of Mrs. O in this gown. There IS one
I saw, but can't recall where I saw it, so can't offer the link. The beautiful draping
of the top is perhaps even more beautiful as it repeats below the waist.
I really like Mrs. O's hair at this length. It not only looks terrific on her, but shows off her beautiful earrings even more.
When I looked at this dress I was amazed. Do we think that all of the jewelry that she has is lent to her or does she buy it? Anyway she has some fine braclets, rings, earrings...she is delicious.
/And a wonderful woman as well.
@ Iva - There is nothing RISQUE - verging on impropriety or indecency - about the shot of MO's mouth. The photographer more than likely was quite a bit away from FLOTUS but was able to do the shot with a long range lens.
A beautiful shot of a Beautiful lady!!
ALL the dictionaries have been emptied of adjectives to describe the FL.
SIMPLY PHENOMENAL.