Leaving London
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 7:41 AM 
Image by Tony Melville / AP Images
... and looking tres chic!
Mrs. O was at Stansted Airport this morning, as the President heads for the G8 Summit in Deauville, France. It's unclear whether the First Lady will be accompanying her husband to France, as media reports have offered conflicting information. We will wait and see!
In the meantime, Mrs. O has given us another delightful ensemble to admire, wearing a purple ombre effect dress and coat, closed at the collar by a vintage pink brooch. Berry hued pumps complete the look.
It's safe to say that the First Lady has been on one incredible sartorial roll while in London.
Update: First Lady Mrs. O wears a Peter Som Fall 2010 dress and custom coat. Peter Som has certainly become one of Mrs. O's preferred designers as of late! The pin is a vintage Henry Schreiner brooch from House of Lavande.
House of Lavande, Peter Som
Reader Comments (70)
Simply beautiful....i love these colors on the First Lady...polished and fresh.....i have been so thrilled with styles and fashion.....i was simply blown away by the ivory gown...and the black gown was so elegant....Our first Lady...is fabulous....
Oh my gosh, just look at her!! She's really knocking it out of the park, head to toe. I love her in this color palette, love her accessories, love her elegance. Dying to know about the fabric as it has a lovely drape.
I would think she'd love to see Carla Bruni in her pregnant state along with the other wives but perhaps she desperately misses her girls. In any case, what a brilliant tour de force once again.
Mrs. T, I just read that POTUS walked FLOTUS to an SUV, kissed her on cheek and then boarded AF1 alone -- so I take that to mean that FLOTUS did not go to France. By the way, POTUS is now wheels down.
Now, to the fashion --> I like the look. A lot. The colors are yummy. Very chic/sophisticated!
Could that be the red coral and gold brooch given to Mrs. O by the queen earlier in the week ...? If so, it would speak volumes ...
I love the coat, with its bracelet sleeves. Sometimes I think that the near-ubiquity of central heating in our homes and workplaces, and our predominantly indoor lives, encourages us to miss the optimism of spring dressing.
Another fantastic emsemble from Mrs. O, and fantastic reporting from Mrs. T, whose schedule in keeping up with the First Lady's appearances must have been pretty punishing! Thank you.
Mrs Obama has represented America well on this visit. She has been polished, professional and inspiring and it shows in this picture. The colour of her outfit is gorgeous.
Oh my! As much as I appreciated Mrs. O in ivory and black over the last two days, it's good to see her in strong colors again. We'd better see this one again SOON since it is way too good to waste on a quick deplaning shot. And how about the timing on the gust of wind to show off the coat!
"Berry" refreshing!
"First lady Michelle Obama is driven from Stansted Airport after saying goodbye to her husband President Obama." From www.theobamadiary.com
Mrs Obama lovely elegant and lovely in these colours but she also looks tired and I agree missing her girls. She has not failed to surprise and enlighten and charm us all with her wardrobe and her words.
WOW. Gorgeous.
After the black gown last night, this is the best look of the entire UK trip to me.
Okay - here's one for everyone who wants to see MO in an "appropriate" suit and wearing shoes that aren't too much of a contrast Here's First Lady Appropriate, Michelle Obama style.
Fabulous.
This ensemble reminds me of the red/black ombre Narciso Rodriguez she wore at the post-election rally. Here the fabric looks kind of textured, like a very light boucle.
Special thanks to the UK for the breezy weather, which allowed us to see a good view of this and the Marc Jacobs when the coats got caught in the wind. Now THAT is attention to detail!
RIGHT WHERE SHE BELONGS!
I love Thursdays, because the NYTimes has a Style section and a Home Section. But today I got an added treat on my doorstep: The Obamas and the Queen and Prince on the first page, above the fold, thank you very much.
Great way to start the day.
Love this! Would like to see it without the coat and the wind. :) I also really prefer her hair down. But, her hair on her worst day looks better than mine on my best day. :) I think I wish she had worn this to the palace.
Oh come on! She's killing us with the fashion bonanza! Our Michelle is not disappointing with this trip abroad. It seems that each time she steps in front of the camera she's totally on point. I just love this ombre outfit. I really appreciate the texure in the fabric and how the color in the pumps play well against subtle hints of burgundy in the sheath dress. These colors are totally unexpected for spring yet it works. Her hair and makeup are gorgeously done.
PERFECTION!
Mrs. O is SO CHIC. I really cannot get over the fashion on this trip ... to say it's been MAJOR is an understatement.
Could our First Lady look any more beautiful?? When, since Jackie, has a President's wife presented herself with such flair, elegance, imagination and pure class? She is a joy to behold!
Its like she's saying, "Peace, I'm out, any last words?!!"LOL
the navy bag is hottt!!
@ktk1961, great thought! That would be a very thoughtful Mrs. O gesture. Wonder how we could find out?
I love the outfit, especially since she modified the closure of the coat with a broach; buttoning the coat with its own buttons would have been to matchy-matchy for the first lady. The shoes are what I can't take my eyes off of, though. They really make the ensemble pop.
Never before--and never again! Mrs. Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama has REDEFINED the style, as well as the substance, of First Lady!
I love this outfit and I love the way she is STEPPING!!
Beautiful vinage Schreiner brooch from House of Lavande. :)
YES! this color on her is just so right! The whole look is really majestic!
Hands down the outfits on this trip have been her best ever. Tremendous consistency, just one great look after another. Also very figure flattering. The Tom Ford and Ralph Lauren gowns were my favorites. Also love the shoes as she proves you can wear a comfortable heel height and still be chic. Très chic.
I agree with Mrs. T
to say MAJOR is an understatement
there are no words !
truly remarkable, european fashion extravaganza
I thoroughly enjoyed the fashion on this trip. Thank you Mrs.T ! Mrs.O. did not disappoint, class act that she is!
This is vintage Mrs. O, yummy!
I agree, Operafanatic -- this is what she should have worn to the palace. Love this look!
O how I love this color on Mrs. O! And the brooch... Is that the gift from Queen Elizabeth? I hope so. Wouldn't that just put a personal touch on the 'special relationship' everyone kept mentioning?!?
The only thing I don't like about this outfit is the "pulled back and up" hairstyle. I know, I know, she's been traveling, and looking fabulous. And there were those few days when her hair was blowing all over the place, but I just don't think this style is flattering on her.
Maybe it's the angle of the photo, but getting off the helicopter, my smart, beautiful and caring First Lady kinda looks like a conehead. Now granted, she'd be the jazziest conehead Dan Akroyd and Jane Curtain ever hung with!!! And since she didn't ask me (!) I'm sure it's just fine with her. LOLOL
ABSOLUTE PERFECTION from head to toe. LOVE IT! This is one of her best outfits ever.
Huffington Post has some photos without the wind.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/26/michelle-obama-london_n_867512.html
Mrs. T I think you did a WONDERFUL job this week. I clicked on the tags of Tom Binns and read through all the previous posts of Mrs. O wearing his daring necklaces and this one in particular I found very insightful and delightful to read. I really enjoy your articles and informative pieces (The one at the height of the Mcqueen controversy was great and the one about a change in stylist was brilliant). Maybe you can do a little write up? Would very much enjoy it. I remember when the site use to have a little poll rate-o-meter type voting device and certain looks would score 9.8 and 9.9 like the Time 100 2009 black look. Just a trip down memory lane :)
http://mrs-o.org/newdata/2009/3/3/pearls-in-peril-the-back-story-of-a-necklace.html
@isonprize you tickle me about the hairdo -cone-look comment. As far as I can gather the hair dresser has a tough job when she has to be on the go.....and still keep her looking FABULOUS
She's carrying a very nice bag, that you don't see in these photos. I was looking at something similar from Furla just last week. Now that I've seen her with it, I might splurge and get it!
FLOTUS looks chic, fresh, and modern! She wears those kitten heels like no one else.
@isonprize you made me laugh, from the front she does look like a conehead but the pics on HuffPost show her hair swept up into a lovely swirl/French roll at the back.
Love the outfit. Shape, fit, color is on point. But I don't like the hair. It's the most unflattering hairstyle, not just on her, but on anyone. I don't see the appeal of cone head hair. She's worn updos before that looked way better than this particular style. Her bob is the most flattering and actually better for travel.
L-O-V-E those gorgeous shoes!! What a fun trip this has been for Mrs. O's fans!
Love the entire ensemble especially the purse
Do you know who the bag is from?
What a cute outfit. So loving the brooch! I love those colors too :) and her shoes!!!! Just perfect.
Very chic. I noticed that, having worn outfits from her closet in the weeks leading up to this visit, she debuted new fashions from the Winter 2010/Spring 2011 lines of the big names for this visit. Her ensembles were a huge hit both here and abroad!
@MI Mom, I agree--I want to see this again, soon!
I love the outfit and the hair! Some may not realize but sometime it could be quite challenging for a woman of color to wear her hair in the usual bob everyday..Mrs O rock!!
Mrs O looks like a supermodel this time.
Mrs. O has been so wonderful to watch this entire trip. Absolutely amazing... she continues to express so beautifully what Mrs. T and Kate Betts have observed about her in their respective books. A unique, creative sense of personal style along with unmatched substance. I think Mrs. O has influenced everyone the world over from designers to first ladies in other countries, to women and girls of all backgrounds. This is because she shines through ... she carries the clothes and you can feel and sense that even in photographs, even if you've never heard her speak. But to hear her speak in concert with how she looks, that is the real "Wow!" Michelle Obama has incredible beauty, incredible heart -- she's a woman for the 21st-century. She's such an amazing role model. I can only hope to strive to achieve a portion of what I've learned from watching, listening and reading about Mrs. Obama and her life. For everyone, here are some additional must reads:
"Michelle Obama in Her Own Words," and "Go Tell Michelle: African American Women Write to the First Lady." Thanks so much to Mrs. T for this wonderful, insightful blog! CBS News link on the dinner at Winfield House: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20066482-10391698.html
And for all those interested in fashion and in sewing, I came across these two very interesting links; one to a website about sewing, and the other referenced on that site is a presentation given at USC by Johanna Blakley, entitled: "Lessons From Fashion's Free Culture."
http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2011/01/sewing-and-intellectual-property.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/johanna_blakley_lessons_from_fashion_s_free_culture.html
Oh, I also meant to say, I love the variety of Mrs. O's updos. Her upswept look with this gorgeous outfit is perfection. There's no "conehead" in sight here, IMHO. I love @Joss' comment that she's saying "Peace. I'm out ..." Mrs. O really knows how to have fun with fashion and get across her own sense of style. Fashion is not life or death for her -- she takes everything in stride, and she has fun with it, while sending important messages with what she wears at the same time. How great that we have a first lady such as Mrs. Obama in these times.
For all those who feel the need to nitpick and criticize... I don't suppose you could do it better on the world stage, eh? ;)
Beautiful. She should've worn this to the Queens for lunch.
this color is so hip right now....she so of the moment always. And it's beautiful and dramatic on her. Fantastic! LOVE the vintage brooch!
whose handbag is michelle obama carrying?? does anyone know?
The Bag may be Black Rose Collection. I'm loving it. I have been looking for a bag shaped like that but in Taupe. Any suggestions from the many shoppers among us. I will be in the U.S. in two weeks. Whoo Hoo!! Char, anything?