Monday
Jan102011
A Moment of Silence
Monday, January 10, 2011 at 2:24 PM 
Images by Mark Wilson / Getty Images
The President and First Lady observed a moment of silence at 11:00am EST to honor those killed and wounded during the shooting in Tucson, Arizona this past weekend. For the somber occasion, Mrs. O turned to a lavender Narciso Rodriguez coat, first worn during the 2009 inauguration, paired here with purple leather gloves and black boots.
tagged Narciso Rodriguez
Narciso Rodriguez
Reader Comments (44)
My prayers go out to those in Arizona who have suffered so terribly.
My prayers go out to all those who have suffered so, in Arizona.
It's one of the most superior and most beautiful minute of silence I've ever seen. Michelle is so fervent, so "mater dolorosa", full of pain, deeply wounded, deeply hoping.
The colour of the coat conveys something both icy and soft like the bruise, the moral pain. All those feelings that Michelle shows on her eyes-shut face. She's very great. (Sorry for my bad english language)
Sad circumstances for AMERICA - in a strange way, this could bring some divided parties together.
I hope the congresswoman recovers quickly.
They both look perfectly appropriate for this somber occassion.
My prayers to all who are hurting, all who are providing medical support and all law enforcement; and to the President and all others who are entrusted with the responsibility of peacefully leading this nation daily.
on a trivial note; she must pick out the President's tie as it is coordinated with the color of her coat... couldn't just be a coincidence
Prayers to all those who have suffered so in Arizona and our nation. No matter what our differences may be, hatred is never the solution.
Really? I don't remember this coat from the inauguration.
I first met her on the Whistle Stop and she was wearing the
black coat with the purple leather gloves.
Purple is definitely her color!
She wore this coat when the President, Vice President and Dr Biden went to Arlington Cemetery to pay their respects at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Congresswoman Giffords, her family, friends, staff, colleagues and constituents are in our prayers at this difficult time.
Maybe it's not even important what she wore--but she was dressed in a most appropriate way. We can look to this wonderful couple as examples of the way to manage ourselves in this tragic time. God bless us all.
Very beautiful and appropriate for this somber occasion. I agree with Mademoiselle's astute comment: the color conveys the bruising hurt of this heinous act.
No, I think this is the coat she wore in Oslo on the Nobel Peace Prize trip...
I closed the door to my office to in order to participate in this, via live stream this morning.
I'm believing the purple color is symbolic of our red and blue states coming together during this tragedy and we, as a Nation, are "bruised" because of this devastating incident.
God bless the United States of America.
Mrs. O has worn this coat numerous times. First at Arlington Cemetery during the Inauguration: http://www.daylife.com/photo/0dAL4RZ9qu8oO
And later in Oslo:
http://mrs-o.org/newdata/2009/12/9/off-to-oslo.html
Fashion aside, thank you all for leaving such thoughtful, moving comments.
Beautifully expressed, Mademoiselle H. Perhaps this is why the Victorians used lavender clothing for the later stages of the formal mourning period.
@Soccer Nana, we can only hope for the breakdown of the red/blue division.
I love how Mrs. O's coat matches the President's tiw.
She was bowing her head in a moment of silence. She is a wonderful role model in a time of great American sorrow.
Thanks, Mrs. T.
@ SoccerNana: I believe you are so right!
Lady Michelle looks lovely as usual, though her wardrobe is obviously not the focus of this occassion. May those who died rest in peace... I also wish for a full and complete recovery for all those who were wounded. Such tragedy often brings solaridity or at least it should.
stunning, breathtaking and beautiful. These two take my breath away....so dignified, so appropriate. I was so incredibly proud when I first saw this this morning. I just thought, "that's our President and this image is being shown throughout the world today."
Mademoiselle H. -- what a lovely statement. "icy and soft like a bruise, the moral pain" --a wonderful way of expressing our Michelle's sadness.
This couple is class personified.
President and Mrs O will travel to Tucson on Wednesday for memorial service. I so hope that the nation feels the hugs that she will bestow at this event.
I am so moved by this picture, somehow comforted.
Read that the ladies (FLOTUS and Carla BS) had lunch today but it was kept low key and private out of respect for the Tuscon shooting victims. Good call. One can only imagine how the death of the 9 yr. old girl has wounded Michelle Obama's heart. She is a mom, as we sometimes forget, and she had to talk about it with the girls. and we all know what a passion and heart she has for children.
Mademoiselle H., there is no language barrier when on is speaking from the heart. Your words painted a poignant picture that we all felt in our souls. SoccerNana, you called it exactly right about the lavender-purple.
Pray for our country, ladies. Thank you Mrs. T for the picture.
They represent our nation with sincere poise and strength.
Pray. Love. Love more. Our world needs it.
The true strength, grace and compassion of our President and Mrs. Obama strike a very deep chord at this hour in our nation. I love them dearly and hope for the highest protection and healing.
My heart goes out to the families affected by the Arizona shooting. What a lovely, genuine First Couple!
On the fashion front they look fabulous - matching and all!
I was looking at the front page of the Huffington Post this morning when I saw a picture of the First Family. My heart tear by looking at it. What they are facing together, helping a nation mourns, healing our minds and hearts as we face this tragedy at least for now, together.
My heart goes out to those in Arizona.
I appreciate the soft, tailored style of Michelle and agree that the color is a metaphor for our bruised, but not broken spirit. When I see some people in the media dressed in military styled leather, their clothing and words make me anxious. I prefer peaceful discource. (see the terrific point made earlier by "Soccer Nana! ") While I am sickened by the tragedy and the misguidedness of those who have inspired it, I do remain patriotic and hopeful for our country. My prayer is that the hatred that is spewed at this president and our congressional leaders will subside and that more people can see we can disagreee without hurting each other. Let's not stop praying, hoping and believing. HOPE is always in style!
Good comments, everybody, and thank you Mrs. T.
What a B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L looking couple!...I feel very P-R-O-U-D to have them representing these yet-to-be United States of America!
How could I stop to love you American People, American Nation ? I'm moved and I feel honored by your comments about mine. Thank you very much.
My husband is due to come home from Afghanistan soon. I am on edge, my baby girl senses it. I feel horrible about what happened in Arizona so it hasn't been a good week. Mrs. O's outfit is beautiful but through my eyes, severe, adding to the somberness of the time. She is so lovely; you can see the pain and emotion on their faces. May God Bless America and keep our troupes safe.
@ Mademoiselle H: Kudos, again! As Auni stated, "What a lovely statement ("...icy and soft like a bruise, the moral pain.")." Your summation is profound and poetic.
God bless the victims, their families and friends, and all who were affected by this tragedy.
P.S. And the coat is fabulous.
@ densie
May God keep your husband and all of our troops safe and bring them home soon.
Give your little girl lots of hugs and kisses from all the Mrs. O ladies.We stand with you!
Char from Seattle
Maybe this is not the right place to say this but I feel I need to say this and get it off my chest . I cannot understand America’s fascination with guns. In my opinion one would have thought that after tragedies such as Columbine, Virginia Tech, shooting of presidents (Reagan, JFK), post office shootings etc. too numerous to mention Americans would one day get up and say
“Enough is enough, there is no war going on in this country, it is only us, AMERICANS, the era which allowed guns to be carried is no more and irrelevant right now....who are we protecting yourselves from if nobody has guns ? We can disagree with each other,we can argue , we can fight but not with guns-never should such tragedies occur when it can be helped" and declare a national day to throw away all guns and stop manufacturing and selling them and vote to leave all guns only to law enforcement and security folks to do their work and maybe game/sport hunters who may not own automatic rifles.
Guns do not heal people nor can they resurrect people once fired .They are lethal .When people choose to make thier point with guns there is usually pain and regret, so just stop politicizing guns and those making money from it please find other things to do and let peace and love reign in America.
It always breaks my heart when I hear of such tragedies and especially when innocent and unsuspecting people become the victims.
My sincere condolences to the victims families and loved ones .I wish the congresswoman a speedy recovery and may God bless the President and Michelle.
Dasie:
I will pray for your husband. I have someone in Afghanistan too, and there are no words to describe how much I worry about him. Whenever there is a newsflash about new casualties or a road bomb, etc. I hold my breath until I hear the names of the victims. I trust that your husband will come back to you and your little girl safe and sound.
Much love!
I feel so trivial commenting about Mrs. O's outfit today, but we need some levity in life sometimes. That being said, she looks appropriately somber but still stylish. Adore the second pic!
I love the color of this coat...periwinkle? and the cut is fab for Mrs. O as well.
Comment by "Mademoiselle H", in her 'bad English' evokes such mixed feelings in me. I'm swept away by the style, and the substance it tries to convey. Who else can accomplish it so efficiently? Except our First Family!
God Save America !!
I would prefere a lighter haircut, MIchelle should take a look at the danish crownprinsesse Mary's stile.
Michelle is a beautiful person, she could look more fantastic with a little younger style.
I saw a picture taken of them from behind - where both their arms are crossed as they support each other. I found it very touching and truly a picture of their relationship. As they are also parents of a 9 year old girl, the feelings of the Greens must have been so close to their hearts.
I can't imagine how this coat is symbolic of anything, it's just a beautiful coat. The important thing is that the couple took part in the minute's silence.