Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 4:08 PM 
Official Portrait of Nancy Reagan in the Red Room of the White House, taken on February 7, 1981
This Sunday, February 6, at 10:00 PM, PBS will air a new documentary on Nancy Reagan, titled "The Role of a Lifetime," which profiles "a first lady whose power and influence were often underestimated." Find your local airtime here.
Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 3:04 PM 
Images by Saul Loeb / Getty Images
Love a good reader tip! Reader "njmrso" reports that the skirt Mrs. O wears in the photo above, taken on January 3 as the Obamas traveled back from Hawaii, is the work of Gregory Parkinson. And indeed, it appears to be from the designer's Spring Summer 2011 collection, seen here.
The choice is significant in that Gregory Parkinson was selected as a 2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalist. Just a few days before wearing the skirt above, the first lady also wore a skirt by Jolibe, a fashion house sponsored by the CFDA Fashion Incubator.
Steven Kolb, the CFDA's executive director, was recently quoted in WWD, discussing what he considers to be the "pinnacle" for an American designer -- dressing the first lady -- and referenced this very occasion:
Kolb cited Joel Diaz of Jolibe, a participant in the CFDA’s Fashion Incubator program, whose work was scouted by Obama’s wardrobe adviser, Chicago boutique-owner Ikram Goldman. “Mrs. Obama wore his skirt. That, to him, was such encouragement,” Kolb said. “It’s validation in a lot of ways.”
It's exciting to see Mrs. O shine a spotlight on yet another CFDA darling. Parkinson was born in the north of England, but has lived and worked in Los Angeles since 1989. His signature "hand-dyed, sliced and layered" fabrics offer a distinct aesthetic, combining "an English sense of eclectic colour and pattern with a Californian love of casual." His collections are carried at Barneys New York and Linda Dresner.
CFDA, Gregory Parkinson, Jolibe Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 2:28 PM 
Image by Charles Dharapak / AP Images
The President and First Lady attended the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. this morning. For the event, Mrs. O wore a matte lurex coat and matching cap-sleeve dress from the Moschino Pre-Spring 2010 collection. We saw a glimpse of the same coat in January 2010, here.
The choice is timely, as just this morning, Robin Givhan wrote of the first lady's view of fashion as a global business, adding: "One label regularly in rotation is Moschino, an Italian brand. She's worn it on a host of public occasions."
"President Prays for Peace in the Mideast" [NYT]
"National Prayer Visit Closes with Tribute to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords" [Politico]
Moschino Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 9:01 AM 
Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 8:32 AM No story is complete without perspective from The Daily Beast's Robin Givhan, who has more insight to offer than almost anyone else, having spent considerable time at the White House over the past two years. This latest story looks at why we care about Mrs. O’s style again, echoing many sentiments shared here in the past two weeks, both in posts and comments. Do be sure to read through to the end, where Robin Givhan elaborates on how the roles of Ikram Goldman and Meredith Koop have evolved.
"Michelle Obama Style: Why We Care Again" [The Daily Beast]
In other news, Sally Singer, editor-in-chief of T: The New York Times Style Magazine was interviewed on Morning Joe yesterday and offered this:
“I actually think the problem with the dress was [that] it didn’t fit her well. It’s not the right dress for her. It was then worn again by Mila Kunis and it should be worn by a diminutive, younger woman… It was the wrong dress for her. I think she’s a beautiful woman… and it didn’t flatter her.”
“I think for American designers this was a moment to say something about American style, to say something about America’s trade relationship with China, and to go to an English design house with European backing seems like an odd choice — and a strange choice for her because for so long she’s been so good with making symbolic choices.”
"Sally Singer on Michelle Obama's McQueen Dress" [NYMag]