O-Mazing!

Photo by Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images

This is too much for us! Mrs. O made an appearance this evening at the American Ballet Opening Night Spring Gala, wearing a metallic black sleeveless dress. The corseted top and full, sculptural hip (what we can make out of it), appear to have an Elizabethan influence. We are dying to know who made this dress.

Update: The Associated Press reports that Mrs. O's dress is Azzedine Alaia.

An anonymous tipster reveals Mrs. O has owned this Alaia dress for two years, and decided to pull it out of her closet for last night's event. The First Lady accessorized with Loree Rodkin earrings and diamond bangle bracelets, the same worn on election night. We must say, Jill Biden looks equally O-mazing, in a Spring 2009 Reem Acra dress. These are seriously chic Americans.

Photo used with kind permission from our anonymous friend

Celebrating the Arts

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Mrs. O at the Met (in Isaac!)

Photo by Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

Photo by Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

Mrs. O was in New York today, to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Metropolitan Museum of Art American Wing. She found good company in Mayor Michael Bloomberg, pictured on the left.

Per the AP:

"The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it," Mrs. O told the crowd. "Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation."

Update: First Lady Mrs. O wore Pre-Fall 2009 Isaac Mizrahi for the event! The dress and coat are purple silk wool. Click here to see the runway version of the ensemble. (Isaac's team was peeking at Mrs-O.org earlier. Click here to see. Whee!)

This evening Mrs. O will attend the American Ballet Opening Spring Gala at the Metropolitan Opera House. Stay tuned.

Behind the Scenes

New photos from the White House Flickr stream. We like! The top two photos are from the Os Cinco de Mayo celebration at the White House, where Mrs. O wore Moschino. The bottom photo is from Mrs. O's recent trip to New York, and features a green floral skirt that we've not seen before. Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton Official White House Photo by Pete Souza Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

Cap and Michael Kors Gown

Mrs. O gave the commencement speech at the University of California, Merced this afternoon. After their successful "Dear Michelle" letter writing campaign, graduating students successfully secured the First Lady as their commencement speaker.

Underneath her commencement gown, Mrs. O wore a Michael Kors black tank dress in bonded jersey, the same worn for her official White House portrait. (Of note, the ombre effect in the photo below is simply a photo flash.) Mrs. O added a black flower pin at the left shoulder, the same Mrs. O wore for her appearance on The View almost a year ago.

Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images