The White House Dance Series
Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 2:07 PM 
Image by Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
Image by J. Scott Applewhite / AP Images
Image by Jewel Samad / Getty Images
First Lady Mrs. O hosted The White House Dance Series this afternoon, beginning with a student workshop, followed by a tribute performance to Judith Jamison, the artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater who will retire next year. Addressing the audience, Ms. Jamison declared, "Dance is the soul of this nation!" The New York Times has a lovely summary of the program, here.
For the event, Mrs. O turned to a black and white palette -- an increasingly frequent choice for the first lady -- highlighted by a mix of prints and textures. A full skirt was balanced by a printed sheer top worn over a white camisole, all belted at the waist of course.
Update: Mrs. O wore a leopard lace dress by Byron Lars, available here through Carina New York, paired with a perforated leather Alaia belt for yesterday's event.
Alaia, Byron Lars
Reader Comments (74)
@ Nyon - love ya, gal! You say it!
Also love Mrs. O inside and out. Her outfit was on point. Edgy, feminine and artistic. She looks fresh and well rested. I'm sure she's ready to get back out there!
Mrs. O has the most beautiful skin! Asbsolutely flawless! Even in close-up high-res photos her skin is all that.
Michelle is growing her hair out, love the layers! so glad to see her back!
I missed the Live Stream but just finished viewing the YouTube version. Although the audio left a lot to be desired, nothing could dampen the beauty and the gracious movement of the dancers. Same goes for Mrs. Obama. As has happened many times before, there’s a world of difference in the still photo, captured in a nanosecond, compared to the beauty of the moment when our gracious, glowing, and gorgeous first lady took the stage. I too thought the dress was a little busy at first, but Mrs. O’s presence breathes life whenever she appears and whatever she wears quickly radiates her presence and takes on a life of its own.
I love this dress. When I first saw it on the livestream I did not like it. However, when she stepped down from the podium I realize the dress is beautiful, and different. I discovered,I love Michelle's style because she wears clothes that no other woman will wear, which I love. We both do not play it safe when it comes to fashion, and we both like to stand out from others.
Mrs. Obama looks FASHIONABLY FIERCE!!
Re Ms. Jaimison. For a woman who was considered too tall, too this and too that, Alvin Ailey saw her potential and grace! Congratulations on all her accomplishments...they're well deserved!
@Star struck....CHEERS! Might I add that the 'real' scenarios vs the fakes are absolutely hilarious! No wonder when stars are seen in person, without Maybeline, Mac, or photo-shop (actually, I prefer photo-chop), people wonder if it's them or not!
@IVA, LOL, if they don't know, now they know!
Not my favorite outfit, but defn my favorite event. I love that she is supporting dance. Go Michelle!
Dasie, LOL and well said! Well, no, sorry about the interviews. Hope you do get a job. But you made me laugh out loud!
@Star Struck, Nyon, Iva, Mrs .M and all the Mrs. O troupes, U ROCK!!
Someone mentioned in one of the previous threads that whenever First Lady Michelle kept her hair in a bun for long, she debuted a new hair cut,and voila! She's done it this time. I'm loving it!!
I think this dress was once again custom-made for her. The inner white top seems to have spaghetti straps and a V-neckline in comparison to the actual dress from the Carina link.I think its a subtle way to embellish tboth her shape and the leopard print ! Sexy too!!!
Dear Daisie - You amasie me. Great post. I login here at least once a day as well, simply because Mrs. O somehow manages to put things into perspective for me. She is involved, she is real, her looks are not manufactured. Sometimes she makes fashion mistakes, like we all do. She is also outward looking. It's not always about herself. She is really involved with the world around her. I am so sick of narcissistic movie stars and the people who salivate over them. It's really a sickness with our country. Mrs. O glows from within and her values are strong. A great First Lady.
I agree with Mrs. S that the delicate, ingenue look doesn't work on her. It makes her arms look beefy instead of toned. The belt would look better on a more tailored enemble with sharp lines. Contrast can be interesting, but there has to be chemistry between the elements.
Well, Dasie, I would suggest the following...whenever you're in a bad mood and your day is not going well and you happen to come on this site, ishould the First Lady be wearing one of her numerous belts that you are not feeling that day, then just move on and save your comments for something else. That way you won't be known as "Dasie the belt winer". Just a thought.
does anyone know if these dance series concerts are televised anywhere eventually?
Not sure if it will be televised, but you can see the video on WhiteHouse.gov.
I have to agree with the posters that the dress is too short, emphasizes width through the hips and looks too girlish for a woman of her age and size.
I think the dress has lovely potential but it is a little too short. I agree with the others regarding the way the belt distracts from the outfit. The fabric is delicate. The heels look good, but I think an open toe or sandle type shoe may have have been nice with the sheer dress as well. Her hair looks beautiful and her skin is clear and healthy.
This dress is really the lowest point of Mrs O.'s (so to speak) fashion show ... I just cannot believe the belt ... [edited]
I really want to love this dress, and in many ways I do. I agree that if the hem was just an inch or two lower that it would appear more elegant. Also, while I love the belt, I think it just a pinch too wide for this dress. Having said that, the overall "look" of this dress is lovely, as is Mrs O.
@mszonian524 I think you completely misunderstood my comments
Yes mszonian, I think you are on the button with some of your comments but in this case you might have got the wrong end of the stick about what Daisie said. It was funny and sweet and self deprecating. Give it another go!
Are those Choos, First Lady Michelle is wearing?
Oh dear. Oh DEAR what a MESS that black and white dress is! A mistake once again to wear the darker visual effect on top and the lighter effect below the waist, accentuating the perception of tiny bust and big caboose. I know some gorgeous women who sadly lack fashion sense, and there's nothing wrong in that...but the First Lady should have people who know how to dress her.
She looks great in fitted outfits, whether pantsuits or simple dresses. She is very hippy and short from the waist up compared to the bottom part of her body and wearing wide girlish skirts, while they are adorable, are a no-no, because they accent her wide hips and shorter top making her look matronly.The best choice for her are fitted dresses with knee length coats. Oh, yes, this means when she wears black and white, the black should be at the bottom,not vice versa, for the same reasons.She should stay away from flats when she wears full skirts and stick to pumps which are the best choice for her and flatter her figure.
She should show off the positive parts of her figure, like her great arms (she does) and her swan-like neck(which she does). People should not wear something just because it looks nice and it is avant garde but because it suits them and is also the appropriate outfit for the occasion. That is, unless she wants to wow with her dress instead of how the dress looks on her.She does has a good sense of colour though.