American Royalty
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 3:52 PM 
Photo by Chris Jackson / Getty Images
Mrs. O has arrived at this evening's state banquet at Buckingham Palace wearing a divine ivory gown and gloves. In an instant, this will become one of the First Lady's most iconic looks. The ivory hue conjures up fresh memories of the royal wedding. The long gloves dial up the drama further. The fit is perfection.
Per the Telegraph's @HilaryAlexander on Twitter: "I think Michelle Obama's gorgeous white gown at Buckingham Palace, London, tonight might be Tom Ford." Peter Hunt, Royal correspondent for the BBC, is also reporting that the gown is Tom Ford. Wow!
With the designer confirmed, Hilary Alexander has gone on to note that the gown is a "ingenious choice" as Tom Ford is an American designer with design headquarters in London.
Reader Therese has shared this link, which shows Jacqueline Kennedy at Buckingham Palace in 1961. Perhaps Mrs. Kennedy's ensemble was a source of inspiration?
"Obama and Queen Elizabeth Trade Toasts" [Chicago Sun-Times]
Tom Ford
Reader Comments (145)
Mr. Ford cut this dress to perfection. After wearing Marc Jacobs, I knew Ford would not be too far behind. What a debut!
Oh, be still my heart!!!!!
Beautiful lines, perfect fit. This is a romantic yet modern gown. The way it flows, the simple detail at the waist, plus - oh the gloves! The gloves! Has there ever been a fashion invention quite as breathtakeing as the "over the elbow" glove? It speaks volumes. Mrs. O is perfection here.
Truly, truly beautiful! The long gloves look fabulous on Mrs. O. I don't think I've seen her wear them before. I'm not a big fan of the bow, either...wouldn't a diamond (or even rhinstone) brooch have looked fabulous instead?
@isonprize, your link is nt working and I can't find that Washington Post video, oh, I want to see the back od the dress...please repost!!!
Just couldn't help but note the difference in the cut of Mrs. Kennedy's dress as opposed to Mrs. O's. Mrs. Kennedy, small-busted and slightly narrow in the shoulder, chose a boat neck with a horizontal line to draw the eye outward and make her appear wider at the shoulder. Mrs. O, broader in the shoulder, chose a criss-cross pattern to draw the eye inward and narrow her shoulders slightly. Both are done sublty and with elegance. What is so beautiful about Mrs. O's choice too, is how the dress stands on its own but is not wearing her. To the person who is helping her make her fashion choices, I tip my hat.
looking fabulous but lacking protocol... who has the job of keeping the President up to date on protocol? They should be fired. How embarrassing!
SHE IS THE BEST!!!!!!
MARAVILLOSA, TODA ELLA FELIZ, SERENA, EDUCADA, SABER ESTAR, ES LA IMAGEN DE LA ELEGANCIA!!
BRAVO SEÑORA MICHELL,
pilar
Well done. Her outfits on this trip have been misfires but this gown was perfect. She looked fantastic.
That dress looks very Audry Hepburn!
Love it!
Well done FLOTUS! This is a classic, timeless look. Fifty years from now I hope my daughter will be looking back at this classic fashion statement, just like we are looking back at Jacqueline Kennedy's chic, timeless look today.
I agree with you Pilar, Mrs. O is the image of elegance!!
First Lady Michelle continues to knock it out of the park!!! Breathlessly beautiful from
head to toe. Perfection!!!
Simply, breathtakingly beautiful. This lady is truly a LADY and exemplifies the very essence of being the FLOTUS. You go Mrs. Obama! God bless Mrs. Obama, God bless our First family and God bless America! I am so very proud to be an American and to be so well represented by our President and First Lady.
The conductor's head will not be rolling.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/8534947/Barack-Obama-suffers-royal-toast-mishap-at-Queens-banquet.html
I would not have posted that unless I had known it was correct. Formal occasions call for the anthem first, THEN the toast.
Again: TH and peekaboo. The band was at fault with the President. Unfortunate, but not his responsibility.
Re gloves: at any white tie dinner, ALL the women guests present should be in white opera length gloves. The Queen overlooks it if people don't wear them for a state dinner, but she loves it if they do. And the gloves stay ON till the food arrives. Unless the Queen takes hers off before that. In which case your hostess is your guide. The Queen kept her gloves on all through her speech and all through the President's speech, therefore for *both* toasts. Some purists consider it the proper etiquette to only remove the right glove while eating.
Don't comment if you don't know what you are talking about.
Ah yes BeeGee. The Telegraph. Also known as the Torygraph. Which means that they are so sycophantic towards the right wing Tory party that ANYthing not fitting into the prescribed parameters makes them flutter their fans and reach for the smelling salts.
However, I refer you to the first paragraph: "The US President had just begun proposing a toast to the Queen when the orchestra accidentally struck up God Save The Queen."
Accidentally. Meaning, an accident. Meaning, they shouldn't have done it at that time.
Yes, Sandy, earrings are Cathy Wateman. Simply gorgeous finishing touch!
OMG, someone call the sheriff. The president lifted his glass before the music stopped. Give us a break!!
BACK OF DRESS as she walks into dinner..... better view than what I posted earlier. Several have asked to see. The link from the other poster didn't connect so I am posting this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MTgB28s7ds
Posh, I am mesmerized by your acute knowledge. Continue to shut BeeGee down. You have my blessing.
Bee Gee needed to say what she had to say and I can tell you categorically that she did not see the word " accidentally" in that article. Let us move on.
To all the @nora bloggers, the people who have been loyal followers of this site know that I am a long-time admirer of Mrs. O and that Mrs. T has even used some of my suggested captions every now and then (i.e., Just go back just a coupel of posts for proof); and although this isn't about me, all your negativity toward me is just water under the bridge. Instead of just commenting on my comment and just leaving it at that, you felt the need to take the extra step and malign me. Oh, well! And to clarify, my post said, "it is recommended," not "she had to know." If anything, it is precisely because you don;t know that such things should be considered during the planning stage (and believe you and me a heack of a lot of advance planning go into these trips). Please at least be a little logical in the postings and responses. And it is unfortunate that I ended up posting the info about the wind under a picture where Mrs. O's outfit was absolutely breathtaking, but I can assure you there was no malicious intent as many are implying; it just happenned to be the most recent post that I was commenting on when I saw the windy pic. Also, I am not knocking Mrs. O for the wind, I just said it might have been more practical. (And if you look at my comments on the main picture for that dress, it was nothing but positive).
Mrs. O looked smashing!! President looks too fly as well!
Definitely American royalty, MADE in America!!!
I have been a regular "lurker" on this wonderful site since the inauguration, this is my first post. I too am completely enchanted by the Obamas and by Michelle in this lovely dress.
@Bee Gee please note that the article you posted clearly said that the band began to play "accidentally", yet the tone of your post suggests that the incident was triggered by a faux pas on the part of President Obama, and this is not so.
She looks extremely beautiful, elegant and vibrant. I hope the Americans are proud to have such a fabolous first lady! wow wow!
I think the First Lady looked amazing. This is her top evening look so far! I also don't post regularly but I visit this site everyday. I find it unfortunate that a few posters have such an ugly tone on such a beautiful site.
FLOTUS looks DIVINE.
this will become an iconic picture of her when it's all said and done.
SHE'S STUNNING!! A REAL SHOW STOPPER!!
She is stunning in black tonight. Just saw a quick clip of her and the president greeting the Queen and Prince Philip
Ivy-
The earrings are Cathy Waterman. I am not sure what stone, but they sure are beautiful! I do know she uses conflict free stones (phew!) if that helps!
Ciao!
I'm so sorry, but I think she looks like a bad debutante. Those gloves are horrible.
One of the many many reasons I love the show Mad Men is for the fashion. It constantly reminds me that most don't know how to dress today. When did gloves become "horrible?" How about elegant?!
This dress is the return of the 1960's glamour. It is very camelot.
She was the most outstanding woman in the room that night Absolutely breathtaking!!
Love the look here.
Classy and elegant and appropriate in terms of the fit, the occassion everything.
Love the gloves. very Jackie O-ish.
And I actually like the little bow detail.
POTUS looked handsome as ever. :o)
What an absolutely great dress! And Mrs. Obama's beautiful shoulders and posture really make it work.
Reading through thiese comments and the tempest in the teapot about the gloves, it does seem to me that there is a hidden agenda here for some people to always find something 'wrong', no matter how beautiful the occasion, no matter how joyous and proud we all feel when we see these two amazing people representing our country. Why not open your heart to the pride that is bound to flow in if you just let it, instead of constantly searching for some trite and meaningless "mistake?" This is a very special presidency. By this time, it should be obvious to everyone.
I have a quick story about when I was in Paris with my sister two months before the presidential election in the US. I found a couple of "Obama for President" buttons at the bottom of my purse. We decided to wear them, walk around Paris and see if we got any reaction. Whoa! A cafe owner invited us into his restaurant, gave us free wine and we sat and talked with him for an hour. Two policewomen came over to us and hugged us! A group of tourists from Germany went by and started chanting "Obama! Obama!" This was the "person on the street" view, not the view from the top. There is something about both POTUS and FLOTUS that draws people together. Let's enjoy it while we can. It doesn't happen very often.
The bow is out of place. Otherwise the dress is nice.
I gasped at the sight of this dress. Everything about this dress (and gloves) is perfection! FLOTUS is even shown wearing this dress on the cover of the daily newspaper here in NYC. That's the way to represent America!
Well let me say it. What I like most about this dress is that little bow! and the gloves!!
The gown is stunning with the exception of the silly bow. And when one wears gloves to a formal event, one always removes the gloves upon eating. Her stylist should have known this. Also, why do they keep putting her hair in an "upsweep? Just look at the wind disaster upon their arrival in Ireland. First of all, she has a large forehead, and secondly, as a black woman, she has a lot of forehead "hair" and it should be waxed. Mrs. Obama is so much prettier with her hair down. Thanks!
Mrs. O looks like a Princess!
This outfit is a knockout. The gloves are gorgeous. I remember the days when gloves were de rigueur and the Queen, who gets to make the rules in her house, loves her gloves. That Mrs. O would take the opportunity to acknowledge and respect the Queen's dress code rather than swim against it shows her desire to impart good will. She probably also got a kick out of it - and she is our American queen.
For those of you who feel the need to comment negatively about the gloves, please attempt to listen to Posh as an expert in royal style protocol and get out of your xenophobic holes. And if you don't want people ridiculing your contributions, why not withhold your ridiculous controversial links?
Beyond fabulous! This dress is divine. She looks smashing!
Is this girl having FUN or WHAT? She is loving every moment of this once in a lifetime experience. In six years, when it is over, she will look back with great joy, and so will we. Fashion history will need to occupy a large space in President Obama's eventual presidential library/museum. It is being written before our very eyes.