Veterans Day Chic
Saturday, November 12, 2011 at 9:33 AM 
Photos by Chip Somodevilla and Harry How / Getty Images
Mrs. O marked Veterans Day by attending a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery with her husband. From there, the President and First Lady were off to San Diego, CA, where they attended the NCAA men's college basketball Carrier Classic between the Michigan State Spartans and the North Carolina Tar Heels aboard the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson.
On the style front, Mrs. O began the day in a very ladylike but appropriately somber grey lace skirt and coordinating coat, anchored by black knee high boots and a black turtleneck. A statement necklace completed the look. This coat, some may recall, was worn in January 2010 for the funeral of Jean Biden, here. The designer remains unknown (to me at least). In San Diego, the attire was more casual. The First Lady paired a striped top with black pants and patent leather oxfords.
Update: In the first photo above, First Lady Michelle Obama wears a Miriam Haskell statement necklace of European filigrees, glass pearls, and Swarovski crystals. For those curious about Mrs. O's heart and stripe sweater, it appears to be the Heart intarsia striped wool sweater from Sonia by Sonia Rykiel, available here.
Reader Comments (18)
The Veteran's Day look is terrific! Mrs. O looks great.
The sweater look is very cute but for some reason those shoes anger me...am I wrong?
I <3 the striped top! The "weight" of the pants flatters Mrs. O.
I absolutely love the lace coat, skirt, and boots ensemble!
OAN: They make such a lovely couple!
Think the striped top is Sonia Rykiel: http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/166043?cm_mmc=LinkshareUS-_-Custom-_-Link-_-Builder&siteID=Hy3bqNL2jtQ-TaZYi9bfzw80Vo8P0BCpLA
Love the outfits. Bit unsure about the shoes too though... think its the heel on them that's bugging me!
I really like the lace skirt and matching coat. A lot can be done with those pieces, individually and collectively. But I'm not certain if I like "this" entire ensemble--together. I think it may be the necklace; given the lace patterned skirt and coat, the necklace seems to add a little too much "busy-ness." A sort of "over-decorated" feel. And the boots? Individually, they're lovely. (Admittedly, I'm biased when it comes to a "Sistah" dressed in a skirt with high boots. Maybe it's all those Pam Grier and Tamara Dobson movies of the 70s I watched. The leather maxi-coats, the fedoras, the knotted scarves around the neck, etc. ...Drives me *whew!*) Still, here, the boots don't give the skirt that indescribable "exclamation mark" that boots of this sort usually do. ...No matter in the end; Michelle Obama has got style to burn! In my aunt's language: "That chick is baaad!" *chuckle*
Accidentally I came upon this video of an interview done apparently on the day of the youth awards. What impressed me is the quality of the closeup shots. Captures her beauty.
http://shine.yahoo.com/veteransday/
I agree that there is a lot going on in the first photo but if you take away the necklace, the top is too plain and if you put that coat with an all black dress it's not as interesting. Maybe, it's not
fabulous but it is a nice look.
I am with Marcus on the first ensemble. I liked the coat much better with the plain black dress shown on the way to Mrs. Biden's service.
I think Mrs. O. looks great in the second outfit aboard the Carl Vinson. Funny the shoes should be mentioned in a negative way. I happen to like them as I have a similar pair. They are very comfortable and current. Does anyone know if the shoes are by Munro?
Black & gray outfit is fabulous, I think the boots and necklace are great.
She looks totally put together!
The casual outfit with the heart top is fine but the shoes are too shiny and heavy looking. I think a more casual soft shoe would have been a better choice.
Love the FLOTUS, but I have not enjoyed any of her recent fashions. I also do not like the outfit she wore before the APEC leaders dinner in Honolulu.
Mrs o is wearing some nice outfits in Hawaii. Very chic and sexy!
@ Marcus Perry I agree with your observations and comments. There is a lot going on with this ensemble. It's also heavy in line and texture and bulk. For that reason I also found the boots an off note. It's all in the heel. If this boot had a solid, squared-off line the whole thing would work much better. The weight of the rest of the ensemble needs something more than a skinny little point to anchor it.
As for the patent oxfords, I love them and the heel. Looks like there's a little bling or something going on with that heel that isn't translating well in the camera angle. Does anyone have a source or photo that's better for this shoe?
Love FLOTUS' boots in the first shot. As for her outfit at the NCAA game, I like the retro feel of both her and POTUS' ensembles. Looks like both of them stepped right out of the 1930's. But they look really cute together!
I heart that striped shirt, too!! :)
They both do look like they could have plopped down on that ship from a different era. Uncanny and Genius Mrs. O at work again. Love the chunky oxfords and the way she finds fashionable pieces for such events.
@ McKinley, I thought I was the only one who liked the patent leather oxfords. They are sharp! I think they're from Maison Martin. I saw a pair very similar to them on yoox.com.
The coat and skirt ensemble looks great with the necklace and funky over-the-knee boots. I cannot get enough of the boots that I bought last year, I only wish that I had purchased 2 pairs now. I messed up the heel on my left boot and even though I took them to be repaired, it's not the same. Anyway, our Michelle looks snazzy in this outfit with the leather opera gloves.
Go FLOTUS!
I think she looks great at both events. We sure have a lot of nit-pickers for these photos.The boots are fine; it looks like a cold day in D.C. The necklace keeps the whole outfit balanced; a plain black top would have been, well, a plain black top. I love the fresh, young feel of the second picture. I have patent leather loafers, I think I'll start looking for some oxfords!
@ Marcus Perry - You said it all!