Wednesday
Jan262011
Malia Obama's Fashion Moment
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 9:51 PM 
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Those who wanted a good dose of American fashion at the state dinner will now get it! Thread NY reports that Malia Obama wore a Chris Benz Spring 2010 sequin tank and skirt to last week's fete. The pieces originate from the designer's Spring 2010 collection, seen here.
It seems Malia Obama's ascension into high fashion runs parallel to that of Mr. Benz. Prior to starting his eponymous line, Benz was a designer of dresses and special occasion at J.Crew.
tagged Chris Benz
Chris Benz
Reader Comments (26)
Thank you reader Helen for the tip!
Who dressed the First Grandma? She looks SHARP!
Too cute!
Char
@Canyongal, she sure does! :)
great catch. Malia is growing into a beautiful young lady.
I love this photo. How could anyone on Earth not be charmed and enchanted by those four smart, gorgeous females?
Are you sure you're not describing Sasha, in the sequins?
Its a really nice picture. I seldom have seen Hu Jintao smile like that! All of the four ladies/girls look great. First Gran is looking great too, its nice to see a woman of her age dress age appropriately but still stylish and not boring.
Super sweet!
Seems the young ladies Obama and Mrs. Robinson dressed with a shimmering theme. I especially like Mrs. Robinson's earrings. Any information on the designers?
@Christine, curious why you ask this ... Malia is definitely in Chris Benz, as their is a link to her outfit from his Spring 2010 collection above. But he did tweet re: Sasha, which was a bit confusing to me. I assumed it was a mix up, but perhaps both girls are wearing Chris Benz?
Inspirational to see how Mrs. O has brought her mother into her everyday life. And how wonderful for the girls to have Mrs. R right there. What a beautiful role model Mrs. O has! No wonder she can be one, too.
Malia's outfit was cute...but the picture of Sasha shaking hands with Mr. Hu with the parents looking on is the absolute best. Great looking family.
The issue of Michelle not wearing American designer is crap and so is all the nonsense coming from Oscar de la Renta. He is not American born either for record and I heard absolutely no one complaining when he was the premier designer for the first ladies!
For all the attention Michelle is getting I suspect he is a bit miffed that he is not getting any attention so the only way to get mentioned is to critical. Its not working!
I just checked out Chris Benz's Spring 2011 collection on Style.com. It is worth a look, talk about eye candy! I think we'll be seeing some of his pieces on our Michelle really soon. This guy is good!
His prices are definitely a step up from J Crew.
Lovely...generations of loveliness...you just have to know "It's a family affair"! Yes, I know I'm showing my age, lol, but it truly does run in the family. God bless our First family and God bless the United States of America.
It amazes me when I look back at the photos of the girls during the time the President was a State Representative in Illinois, when he was a U.S. Senator, and now as the President; they are growing up, literally, before my eyes! Their features have not changed; the've simply grown into a 9 and a 12 year old. Beautiful family.
Your welcome for the tip Mrs T.
This is such a precious picture. Look at the proud faces of her parents and grandmother! I wonder if this is where she spoke a few words of Mandarin to President Hu. She is learning Mandarin, and they had met earlier in the day when her school visited the White House. What an awesome family!
This photo is beautiful on all levels. The lighting is incredible! Are those green and purple light bulbs?
How can I acheive this kind of ambience at home?
I like the fit/length of the dress Malia wore more than the one from the collection. Malia and Sasha are so adorable and full of grace and class, like their parents.
Hello Mrs. T,
I am a loyal follower of your blog and I look forward to checking it as often as I can.
I was surprised, however, to see that you devoted a post to Malia's outfit. In the past, you've shied away from focusing on the outfits of either of the Obama children and I thought this was a wise, respectful and fair choice. While I understand that Malia and Sasha are often (inevitably) photographed in the same frame as their mother, I don't think it's fair to put a spotlight on a child's fashion choice. Even if you are giving the outfit a rave review, I still don't believe a child (no matter how famous she is) deserves that level of scrutiny, particularly in this case where neither of the girls had a choice about moving into the White House.
I truly hope this doesn't come across as snarky or needlessly critical; as I said, I'm a big fan of your blog and I'm just trying to give you some respectful, honest feedback. Who knows? There may be other followers who feel the same way. :)
Cheryl, thanks for your comment. I did receive one email from a reader yesterday who shares your same point of view. To be honest, it's only as I've seen the broader media give attention to the Obama girls and their fashion choices that I've felt more comfortable doing so here. This story, for example, was first published on Thread NY and Stylite. But you're right, early on I did very much shy away from such stories. I promise to give it some thought. If I do post in the future, I promise it will be infrequently and always positive in nature.
Well-put, Cheryl.
I, too, share your concerns.
I trust that Mrs. T. ,and hopefully her readers, will treat the girls with the utmost respect and discretion.
Aw. This photo makes me smile.
Look at how proud The First Grandma is!
(and the girls' outfits are cute, too...)
@ Mrs T, I like to know who the girls are wearing for special occassions. Maybe the commentary should be mute but a heads up on the designer would be nice. I'm still dying to know who made Sasha's dress, it's gorgeous!