Hooray for Shorts

Photo by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images

When we were posting photos from this past weekend it never occurred to us that a pair of shorts would cause such a faux-fuss. After all, what else would one wear to hike the Grand Canyon in mid-August? We are in the camp that looks up to First Lady Mrs. O as a modern woman, with a real-world, democratic sense of style. Shorts included. Now, we hope this silly topic vanishes as quickly as it appeared.

Scenes from the Weekend (Updated)

 

Photo by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images

The Os made several stops out west this weekend as part of a working vacation for the president. Saturday brought a visit to Old Faithful Geyser at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Mrs. O wore an ensemble quite similar to that sported in Paris, reintroducing her Rick Owen Lillies vest.

 Photo by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images

Landing in Arizona, Mrs. O debuted a new summer dress, paired with a Sacai belt. We have an idea about the dress, but want to confirm details first...

UPDATE: Thanks to those who contributed fabulous tips in the comments section. We have confirmed that Mrs. O's dress is in fact Merona from Target. It is from a past collection and no longer in stores. Another major moment for democratic fashion - hooray!

Off and Away

Photo by Mark Wilson / Getty Images 

The Os left the White House this afternoon for a weekend away; the president is traveling to Montana for a town hall meeting on health care. We love Mrs. O's summery basics - metallic flats, a breezy skirt and a signature cardigan in bright pink.

Red Hot

Photo by Jim Young / Reuters

Later in the afternoon, the President and First Lady Mrs. O hosted the Medal of Freedom award ceremony at the White House. Gay rights leader Harvey Milk and tennis legend Billie Jean King were both honored.

For the event, Mrs. O wore a fitted red sheath dress with coordinating red belt. A stack of diamond bangles and black patent leather kitten heels completed the look.

We've had a glimpse of this dress once before, when Mrs. O was leaving Moscow, seen here.

Honoring Justice Sotomayor

Photo by Jewel Samad / Getty Images

The President and First Lady hosted a reception at the White House this afternoon honoring the newly sworn in Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Mrs. O wore an ensemble we've seen once before, when the first lady toured the gardens at 10 Downing with Sarah Brown in mid-June, seen here. Mrs. O topped her ivory and black patterned dress with a turquoise cardigan, embellishing the look with turquoise accessories. The turquoise starburst brooch is the same Erickson Beamon piece first seen during the Democratic National Convention last August. A stack of turquoise and pearl beaded bracelets completed the look.

We don't yet know the designer of Mrs. O's dress, but hope to have an update soon! Update: Mrs. O wears a black dot twist front tank with eyelash trim, paired with a black embroidered dot micro-pleated skirt, both by Jason Wu.

 

Image by Jewel Samad / Getty Images