Wednesday
Mar142012
Marvelous in Marchesa
Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 7:31 PM 
The state dinner festivities have begun! First Lady Mrs. O looks elegant in an off-the-shoulder blue Marchesa gown, accessorized with strands of Tom Binns pearls.
Of note, this is the first time that Mrs. O has worn Marchesa for a major event. Marchesa is a New York-based label started by British born designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig in 2004. A very clever choice by the First Lady!
Update: By request, a photo of Jill Biden in a strapless, white chiffon gown. Samantha Cameron wears a lace gown by Alessandra Rich.
Reader Comments (70)
The dress is beautiful, love the color but the necklace is too much.
I agree with another poster about postrure, Mrs Obama does have round shoulders and this dress accentuates the fact that she does not square her shoulders. Also, I don't like her hair style.
Jill Biden looks like she is wearing a bunch of towels, not a flattering look for a woman of her age.
Love Jill Bidens dress, colour is great, very simple and lovely.This dress I would wear.
Mrs C dress I love, but as someone mentioned, she should have had her hair up and also
a pair of evening foot wear would made her look fabilous
I LOVE THE DRESS! She looks FABULOUS as usual..I think the necklace was over kill, but she still looks amazing!
When I first saw it, I thought it was a different color of that fabulous black Ralph Lauren she wore last year -- on closer inspection, I see the differences, but in any case, this immediately goes to the top (along with that black Ralph Lauren) or near the top of my all-time FAVORITE Mrs. O looks. So beautiful, so elegant and VERY flattering. BRAVO!
Mrs. Cameron's dress is growing on me. I like it. The First Lady looks nice but I am not wowed and there is too much going on with the bodice and necklace although she kinda gets away with it because of her height. Could it be that since this was not a head of state visit, the Queen is the head of state for Britain, that both ladies chose to be more subdued? They seemed to enjoy each others company, though and Mrs. O was definitely admiring Mrs. C's dress who wore belts with everything!
Mrs. Cameron is wearing a beautiful dress. Anyone know the designer?
This goes in my top 10 evening looks for Mrs. O -- without a doubt! Amazing how she manages to look quite sensual in this dress, while also astutely and demurely covering up using the necklaces. This is very similar to the Ralph Lauren worn in London, which plays up her curvy waste and supplies a faux bust (which she somewhat lacks) with the folds around the chest . This cut is magnificent on her. Not everyone is comfortable being a little sensual. Mrs. Cameron's lace dress has a very bold and intricate pattern, but is quite timid in the cut. They provide a lovely contrast -- but I think I prefer a sensual cut to a bold pattern.
I got to see Mrs. O speak tonight. It was wonderful, she was fabulous, and beautiful, and everything you'd hope. The room/crowd was much smaller than I expected, so we were only about 30' away. Unfortunately the lighting was poor, so my pictures are very grainy. She was wearing the dress pictured in this article:
http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2012/03/visiting-michelle-obama-praises-minnesota’s-community-programs-military-fami
But without the belt or sweater. It's sleeveless, and a bit past the knee. She also had on green jeweled earrings that you can't see in that picture, with a slight dangle, and green heels. And wow, her arms! They look even better in person. She has not been skipping workouts, she looks great.
Her speech was very much a stump speech, but skewing motivational -- she knew she was speaking to strong supporters, and pushed volunteering and support in the coming election. And her love of and support for the president really shined. I'm so glad I had the chance to go.
Mrs. O is Mrs. Oh-My-God! in this dress and necklace. Simply beautiful. The cut, colors, and choice of jewelry are flattering and subtle yet make a bold, unified statement. I wish I could say the same for Mrs. Cameron. Her gown seems to be made from the leftover material from the dress my great-grandmother wore to my wedding in 1972. Dr. Biden is a vision in the strapless white-so nice to see an older woman bare her shoulders proudly-an absolute hit!
Jill Biden FTW.
The top of Mrs. O's dress is already doing a lot because of the pleats, so the necklace makes it overkill. One strand of pearls or two strands would have worked. It looks heavy too. With a plain/ unpleated top dress maybe it would have worked.
Mrs. Cameron comes across as a plain, if not frumpy, dresser. That dress ages her as it looks much like curtain fabric.
I like Jill Biden's look.
@LizaJae, thank for the eyewitness report. How thrilling to be so close!
Interesting to see all the different opinions on all three dresses. My two cents: while I liked Mrs. O's best, I agree that something about the fit of the bodice wasn't quite right and the necklace was a little overwhelming. I think that the necklace could have been shorter, with fewer strands. Alas, I'm in the "looks like a towel" camp for Dr. B, who usually looks so chic.
I learn a lot from this website (like "torsade" -- thanks, Charlene!), so I wondered whether someone could explain Mrs. Cameron's dress. The color and texture are clearly dazzling, but why such a dowdy cut?
am looking at POTUS starring at FLOTUS as if they just met and he is wondering where this gorgeous woman dropped from!9th or 10th cloud? she is absolutely gorgeous.
Wow! When I saw our First Lady in this magnificent Marchesa gown I gasped. The gown is beautiful…she is beautiful. You could see the pride on President Obama’s face.
I looove the torsade of pearls (thanks CID); there is something elegant and ethnic, fabulous and yet funky about the look.
I think Mrs. Cameron looked absolutely lovely the entire visit.
littlered is on the mark….This visit was a symphony of blues. Brava! Brava!
Dr. Biden looked spectacular in her white gown. Loved her shoes. Vice President Biden was sporting a smile from ear to ear. :>)
Peace.
Hi Mrs T,
Hope your travels are going well. There's some great family photos on theobamadiary of POTUS, FLOTUS and Sasha walking from the White House to church yesterday. FLOTUS is repeating some of her faves. Will check in later for the latest!
It is reported that Mrs Cameron's sparkly gown was deigned by London-based designer Alessandra Rich. It is very elegant and simple. It packs well and allowed her to re-use pieces she had worn- the belt and shoes. I am impressed with her light packing for the trip. Very stylish.
In my eyes, the two dresses are symbiotic. They play well together. Standing alone, Mrs. Cameron's dress is structured, but the peep of skin makes it somewhat airy. Anchored by a collar of pearls, Mrs. O tamped down the sex appeal of this beautifully cut dress. Mrs. O's dress is even more gorgeous viewed from the back. I think both ladies displayed signature style.
I am distinctly underwhelmed by SamCam's dowdy and frumpy dress. She manages to take every elegant public occasion and kill it stone dead with a disrespectful and flippant choice of outfit that in no way showcases British fashion, or acts as a respectful nod to her hosts. Her outfit for the Royal wedding was a disgrace, and this is no different. Awful dress. No style, no panache, no ambassadorial fashion opportunity. Really? You went on an official visit to the US, had a dinner at the White House, and all you could come up with was a sleeved maxi dress made out of 1970's nylon, better suited to a housecoat??? Perlease.
I must say I'm not in love with Mrs O's outfit, but at least it's stylish, cut beautifully, and actually something that people would want to rush online and buy. AGAIN.
SamCam. As much personality as a clothes peg.
"I do wish Mrs. O would stand up straight, her shoulders are humped over." I think sometimes she's trying to make herself appear shorter, when there's other people in the photos who are of less height than her. Not in casual photos, but in formal photos, or pics taken at formal occasions. Don't know if she had issues with being very tall when she was a child, but the way she positions her arms sometimes, and holds her shoulders forward reminds me of how people I've known, esp. women, hold a posture, who are taller than those around them. Witness how relaxed she looks in the later photo the military guys - maybe the more formal the event, the more rigid the body language.
Posh Tater-and who exactly do you think you are? I dare you that my wardrobe could challenge Michelles anyday but your comments are way over and I will request it deleted. You are almost always nasty.
I really likes her hair too. Both women look great!and the man as well.