Wednesday
Mar302011
Spring Blossom
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 7:36 PM 
Photos by Jacquelyn Martin / AP Images
Mrs. O spoke with students at Ballou High School in Washington, D.C. today as part of a mentoring program. Per the first lady's press office, Mrs. O was set to "share her experiences with students, and encourage them to strive for excellence while pursuing their career goals."
Later this evening, the first lady will invite mentors and students to reconvene at the White House's East Room for a dinner and program. On a fashion note, Mrs. O wore a floral Moschino jacket for the daytime event.
Update: For the evening reception, Mrs. O wore a Fall 2008 dress by Jonathan Saunders.
Image by Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
tagged Jonathan Saunders, Moschino
Jonathan Saunders, Moschino
Reader Comments (48)
I was never a fan of this look, especially when it was paired with the matching skirt. I thought it was kind of "elderly" for our hip FLOTUS (I speak as a 64 year old who would not have worn it). But I think this is the third time she's worn it - bless her heart - and this time I'm comin' around.
My enthusiasm may be in part because her lipstick and nail polish are perfect. Also, I'm a fool for bound buttonholes!
And, of course, her enthusiasm at this event is completely irresistible. Gotta love her.
I know I've seen this on her before, just can't remember when. Anyway, she looks really lovely. Mrs. O shines when the color pink is anywhere near her pretty face!
This is my take on it all. What is so refreshing about Michelle is that she really is your neighbor next door, that just found herself in celebrity status. This is what she does, like the rest of us, wear the same clothes.
I love Mrs. O for taking time out of her busy schedule to support students and their mentors, and, she looks great in the process!
jacket pairs well with her striped pants (here: http://obamadiary.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/michelle-obama-ballou-high-5.jpg?w=600&h=402)!
Is the black dress the one from the Sargent Shriver funeral, only without the turtleneck? If not, it looks very similar.
Yeah for mentoring! On the style front yeah for nails, makeup and hair. Second photo....wish I had her cheekbones.
She has worn it at least twice. http://mrs-o.org/newdata/2010/5/17/a-moschino-moment.html (I haven't learned how to make a link.)
OpFan, I love your mention of the buttonholes. They are very polished, along with the covered buttons.
Two lovely and wonderful events today!
Love the pink and grey combination in this print; a very nice look for early Spring.
Char
Didn't she wear the second outfit when she attended Ted Kennedy's funeral (Jan. 23rd)? Looks like she wore it with a black long-sleeved t-shirt under it back then, along with a big flower pin.
i love the floral look on her, no matter how many times she wore it..
I'm with operafanatic. I love the Moschino suit because I'm a floral gal but I much prefer when she wears the items seperately as she is here. On another site, I observed that she's wearing pin stripe pants with the jacket and it looks really nice, the dress is equally nice.
Mrs Obama has changed her make up, it is softer and lighter, almost nude - gorgeous.
@ Jestina - "Mrs Obama has changed her make up, it is softer and lighter, almost nude - gorgeous."
I agree that her make up is gorgeous. As a Professional Make-Up Artist, I recognise that her make-up is applied to suit the time of day and the event.It flows from Natural Daytime to Daytime Glamour to Natural Evening to Evening Glamour and on some occasions even a little drama. And while I know that she has a Make-Up Artist, the finished face is usually decided by the client (in this case MO). After all the client must be pleased with the end product.
She is a beautiful woman in more ways than physical but she has a magnificent face (canvas)
Oh how I would love to do her make-up!!!!
My only lament is that she has lost too much of her natural eyebrows but again what is there is STILL beautiful.
That's our girl ... ALWAYS on point! Her makeup is reflective of spring ... lighter & sheerer. Her nails are sheer matte pink. The "nude" look is very in right now. The floral suit with the dressmaker details is fabulous. It is so feminine and ladylike. Worn as separates or as a suit it's a great look. Mrs. O rocks and rules.
@ trinisamba - I agree. Her natural eyebrows look lovely, it completely changes the shape of her face. I couldn't quite work out what the change was, so thanks for pointing it out.
On closer inspection, in the last picture, it looks like Mrs Obama has lost a bit of weight around her middle. Her small waist and curves look gorgeous. I really need to get down the gym after work - there's no excuse !!
Looks like yesterday was a day full of already worn and already seen clothes. Darn! I love when Mrs. O wears something new!
Personally, I think the dress is a little too "edgy" and "sophisticated" for this event. After all, the event does include children. But I love the first outfit! I just wish she would have chose something new!
I would just like to give a shout out to Mrs O's PERFECT manicure! Wow.
The Moschio suit is one of my favorites on FLOTUS. I just like it better when worn as seperates. The print is quite lovely, but seems a bit busy when it's head to toe and long sleeved to boot. As for the black dress, well it looked so very different from when our Michelle wore it the first time. At that funeral, the dress seemed more somber (whiich was probably intended for the occassion). It's amazing what a difference is made by adding, or subtracting a black turtle neck. I think this dress stands better on it's own, it looks more chic. I guess that's what 'dressing up and/or dressing down' is all about. This is a classic example of that concept.
Her hair and makeup is on point and compliments each outfit. It's good to see her out and about again!
I like the jacket better hen it's paired with a basic.
And I'm loving that dress. It shows off her shape nicely.
Mrs. O looks lovely, and she looks happy. Her work with young people suits her and them. I like that she wore outfits that are "recycled" to be with this group. if they follow her fashion as much as we do, they will also learn that great wardrobe pieces are meant to be re-worn.
This dress should be worn like this without the long sleeve shirt. It's so nice now! and look at her waist!
I really like when she wears a good repeat outfit.
And, I apprecitate her efforts to make an appearance and often speak at the different charity events and school functions.
I disagree with all of Michelles' statements and wonder how somebody can be too sophisticated.
LOVE MRS OBAMA BLACK DRESS SHE WEAR THE FOLOW JACKET ON MOTHERS DAYDINNER LAST YEAR
That black dress is KABOOM! I love it.
I thought this dress was seen more than once before and I just had to go back to Friday, February 6, 2009. Check out this ...........
http://mrs-o.org/newdata/2009/2/6/mrs-o-wows-at-kennedy-center.html
Is it the same dress or are my eyes deceiving me? Here it is being worn with the black top and a beautiful silver/pewter brooch.
As a nail aficionado, I must say: Her manicure is absolutely FLAWLESS!!! Hair and makeup cute too. Outfits, sort of blah (and repeats for the most part). So no comments.
That Jonathan Saunders dress looks so much better than when she wore it with a sweater to a funeral, I don't remember whose. She was pictured with Caroline Kennedy. I really like this look. I'm not crazy about the Moschino but her hair and makeup are flawless.
trinisamba, I remembered this too, and I think you are right. Thanks for taking the time to find it!
@Michelle, these children are sophisticated high school students.
@ trinisamba, I'm thinking that it is the same dress
@ Trinisamba, you got it girl! Good looking out!
Beautiful lady in a nice dress
I love that Jonathan Saunders dress. It is so smart AND sexy. Also I don't recall seeing it without a sweater underneath so this is a good day for me!
I am not dismayed at all that she is wearing repeats, in fact, I would expect it, since she debuted so many new outfits on her trip. She is just being sensible.
The black dress is not what I call edgy. Looked fine for an evening dinner with young people.
But go and find photos of some of the stuff the invitees wore! What were they thinking? Short, tight, backless, 5" plus stilettos, the works. Did they misread the invitation?
http://www.listal.com/viewimage/173794 Would love, love, love to see Michelle Obama have her eyebrows done like this. She has the eyes for this look.
Considering Mrs Obama is mentoring young ladies, I think her clothes are very appropriate. It sends a message out to these young ladies, that this is how a professional woman should dress. I would not have been impressed with anything less, although if Mrs Obama turned up in jeans and a sweater, it would not have made a difference.
Why ?
Because......
The world knows the First Lady's story. A little girl from humble beginnings, who worked hard, kept her head in her books, remained focused and ended up getting herself into the history books. She is truly an inspiration and I can't wait to see the achievements of the next generation.
As for the other mentors on the day....yes some of them looked a tad over dressed but who can blame them. They get an invite to the White House, to meet the First Lady. I would want to wear my finest as well even if on reflection 5" heels aren't appropriate.
I have yet to see any of the British political wives work as hard as the First Lady.
Mrs. Obama looks wonderful. I like the floral with the pants much better than with the matching skirt. And she looks perfect for an EVENING event with high schoolers. She is modeling appropriate dress for the occasion.
Love the colorful and stylish prints Michelle Obama wears. I love her fashion sense in sunglasses too! http://www.sunglasswarehouse.com/blog/putting-fun-in-presidential-fashion-michelle-obama/
I guess it's OK to say Mrs Obama is being appropriate when she is appropriate but not when she isn't!
The "appropriate police" are two-faced. Aside from this, both outfits look fine in my opinion and it's great that she repeats her clothes like the rest of us do. She is a wonderful role model for the children.
Why is it that some always see the negative side of what is sometimes a perfectly simple and subjective comment. There was no need to take it all the way to "Jeans and a sweater" when all the poster said that the look was a bit too sophisticated for that context (which I view as a compliment, because I happen to like that dress and the way it is styled here). It is all the more disingenuous because sometimes it is the very same posters who clamor about Mrs. O's originality for not dressing the traditional way in "professional" settings. I, like many, have appreciated that Mrs. O has allowed us to think of the dress as feminine AND professional, depending on how it is styled. Sometimes it works and other times it does not. It would just be nice to at least be "consistent" and fair to Mrs. O's style and other bloggers in our opinions, while remaining true to our own fashion likes an dislikes. Let's keep this fun, fair, and fashion-focused.
@Nora: High-five! And brava! ...I find it disappointing that some posters to this site pounce defensively and post, sometimes veiled and sometimes not so veiled, snarky or negative "attacks" about other posters who post less-than-solely-effusive comments about the first lady's fashion/style, when nearly all of us are admirers of her, as best I can tell. Not liking an outfit or it's styling does not equate with not liking/admiring the first lady. Anything but.
Her skin is flawless.
@ canyongirl - You are on point with the eyebrows. If you look at early pictures of Michelle Obama, you will see that her eyebrows start that low. The entire arch of her eyebrows has been raised and this gives her more space for eyeshadow. The shape of her face and the position of her features allow for her to look just as good with her brows starting in either position.
She is definitely one of a kind. In my line of work (Make-Up Artist) I have only seen this on one other face.
Most people would look hideous or at least VERY strange.
The stack of bracelets adds a nice finish in the third photo. Mrs O would look much less polished without them.
@trinisamba: Many negative comments were made during the presidential campaign about Michelle Obama always looking "angry". A softening of her arches would give her an entirely different look. It drove me nuts that whoever was doing her makeup didn't see that. Take a look at Black Eyed Peas frontwoman Fergie. She had a very bizarre arch to her brows and for years I wanted to plead with her to lose the center part in her hair. She appeared recently on American Idol with blonde hair done in a side part and noticeably different arches to her brow. The result was so pretty and flattering that now everyone's convinced that she's had plastic surgery!
I love the black dress!!! I only hope to get back half of my figure after having my little one, just to fit in this sexy number :).
I believe FLOTUS also wore this dress at the FELA show in NYC http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/11/20/420x316-alg_michelle_obama-split.jpg
Love it!!
@ Nora and Marcus Perry It is NOT about no liking something MO is wearing. There is NO one who is going to like everything 100% of the time.
It is about disrespect.
You are probably a lot more sophisticated than this work-at-home Mom who spends her days in sweats and does her shopping as thrift shops. So I am sure you know when you have been dissed, when someone insults you with carefully couched words or simply calls you a garden gnome and tells you that you just don't get it, with the intent to disparage. That is what I am defensive about and that is not going to change.
WHAT DASIE SAID!! X1000