Pinto Reprise

Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

The President and First Lady Mrs. O met with the Crown Prince and Princess of the Netherlands in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House last Friday. Mrs. O wore the same Maria Pinto sheath dress first worn in November 2008 when the Os visited the White House following the election.

A close-up of the photo reveals that Mrs. O added a floral brooch at the collar and paired the dress with metallic heels the second time around.

Casual Friday

Photo by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images

First Lady Mrs. O toured a Habitat for Humanity project in Washington, DC this afternoon, before rolling up her sleeves to paint interior walls of the home. Mrs. O was appropriately dressed down for the event, wearing sneakers, a blue Gap cardigan and cropped jeans. We believe the jeans - a proper demin pair - are a Mrs. O first!

Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

A Moment of Silence

Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

The President and First Lady Mrs. O observed the eighth anniversary of 9/11 on the South Lawn of the White House this morning.

Thumbs Up for the Ensemble Too

Image by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

As the President addresses a joint session of Congress this evening, First Lady Mrs. O is debuting a new and modern take on the skirt suit. Mrs. O's jacket features bracelet length sleeves, detailed seam work that radiates from the neckline, and a bow tie closure (adorned with a signature jeweled brooch of course). While bows and brooches have long been staples of Mrs. O's wardrobe, the kick pleat skirt and warm, dusty rose hue are new and quite flattering features.

We also should observe that Mrs. O has chosen a jacket with sleeves for this appearance - of note, only because it was a sleeveless dress worn for the President's first speech to Congress in February that gave way to "sleeve-gate". Those who were arm-adverse should be happy to see Mrs. O embrace sleeves for this occasion. And lovely sleeves they are!

Designer TBD. Update: Mrs. O wore a Moschino bow front pique swing jacket with matching skirt. Her rhinestone, pansy brooch, shown in more detail below, is Sonia Rykiel. 

Image by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Shopping Mrs. O's Style

 

We were window shopping at theoutnet.com, and couldn't help but notice several pieces from Mrs. O's wardrobe featured at a considerable discount (though sadly, not quite considerable enough...). Still, we had to share.

The first is a dress that makes our heart flutter -  the rose print dress from Thakoon's Spring 2009 collection. The cheeky, fantasy-filled print, which features roses that have sprouted legs, was the result of a collaboration between designer Thakoon Panichgul and artist Laurie Simmons. Perhaps deemed a bit much for the first lady, Mrs. O wore a pixelated floral version of the same dress, sans legs, when visiting Strasbourg, France in April 2009. (In the New York Times panel this spring, Thakoon also revealed that Mrs. O's version of the dress had been a contender for the Inauguration.)

Next is another dress from a more recent international trip, worn by Mrs. O as she arrived in Moscow this summer. At the time, the linen blend coral dress by Narciso Rodriguez was paired with a coordinating coat by Michael Kors, concealing hidden details such as the cocoon skirt and exposed zip at the back. We are delighted to take them in now!

Finally, we also stumbled upon a dress that goes a bit further back into Mrs. O's wardrobe. Not yet first lady, Mrs. O was a guest on The Ellen Degeneres Show in September 2008. For the appearance, she wore a printed skirt, paired with a purple wrap top and trio of floral brooches. The skirt, we believe, is Hanii Y, shown as a dress here. 

Just a bit of fun to start off the week! P.S. Fans of the White House kitchen garden will be delighted to learn that the Office of the First Lady nonprofit group Fresh Farm Markets has applied for a farmers market permit near the White House, with support from White House chef Sam Kass. Read details here.

Update: We just spotted the same Thakoon dress, in size 8, on ebay, here.