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Mrs-O.com is a blog dedicated to chronicling the fashion and style of First Lady Michelle Obama. Founded September 2008. 

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Thursday
May072009

Pretty O

Photo by Yuri Gripas / Reuters

Mrs. O attended a meeting with representatives from Corporate Voices for Working Families, an organization that aims to improve the lives of working families.

First Lady Mrs. O told the group:

"We need to discuss flexible work hours. We need to discuss paid leave for birth and adoption. We need to discuss quality on site child care."

Mrs. O is wearing the floral Etro blouse we got just a peek of in Strasbourg, over a lilac camisole. The layered tops are cinched at the waist with a studded belt by Sacai.

Thursday
May072009

Sunny Day Sweepin' the Clouds Away

Photo by Richard Termine; (c) 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.

Admittedly we're a little late on this, but it's just too cute not to feature. As many of you know by now, Mrs. O visited the set of Sesame Street to tape a segment on healthy eating during her trip to New York on Tuesday.

Mrs. O described the appearance as  "probably the best thing I've done so far" since being at White House. She continued, telling the U.N. audience:

"I'm thrilled to be here but I was just at Sesame Street I'm sorry. And I never thought I'd be on Sesame Street with Elmo and Big Bird, and I was thrilled. I'm still thrilled. I'm on a high."

On a style note, Mrs. O wears a Hanii Y cardigan, the same she wore on the cover of Essence. The video below includes clips of Mrs. O's appearance.

Tuesday
May052009

Simply Stunning

Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Time Inc.

We are beside ourselves, our First Lady is so beautiful. Really, there are no words.

Mrs. O is in New York City this evening, to address Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People" gala.

Update: Red Carpet Fashion Awards reports that Mrs. O wore a simple black sleeveless Azzedine Alaia gown, with a Peter Soronen corset, accessorized with multiple strands of necklaces by Loree Rodkin, and simple diamond stud earrings.

Correction: Mrs. O wears a Michael Kors square neck gown in stretch, double face wool crepe. Photo by The White House

A fantastic slideshow from Talking Points Memo follows here.

REMARKS OF FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE AWARDS New York, NY; May 5, 2009

Thank you Rick for that kind introduction and thank you for including me in tonight's festivities. It is a pleasure to join you all. There are few times in history when the saying 'we are all in this together' would be more applicable than now. Events like this one show how truly connected our world is; how one person's invention can create an entirely new economy; how one person can change how we see the world. The ability of one person to influence the outcome of someone else's life inspires me.

When I made the decision to leave my job to found Public Allies Chicago, an AmeriCorps program that prepares youth for public service, I realized right away that I had made the right decision.There are few things more rewarding than watching young people recognize that they have the power to enrich not only their lives, but the lives of others as well. But careers in public service are not always encouraged. We push our young people to strive for things, an advanced degree, a job title, a big salary. Rarely do we urge them to stop and think about what their passion is, what kind of life they want to live, what kind of neighbors and colleagues and parents they want to be. 

In doing so, we, as a society, often miss out on their creativity, their inventiveness, their resourcefulness- and some really good ideas! We also miss out on the opportunity to inspire a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs who will direct their energy and talent toward solving their community's - and our nation's - most serious social problems. Careers focused on lifting up our communities - whether helping transform troubled schools or training workers for green jobs or helping low-income families access health care - are not always obvious. But, at a time when our nation is facing unprecedented challenges, encouraging careers in public service and social innovation is more important than ever. Already, we are seeing young people leading the way with their entrepreneurial spirit, energy and commitment to serving their communities.

For example, Charles Best, a former Bronx public school teacher, started an online philanthropic marketplace called Donors Choose to help teachers who were spending up to $500 a year out of their own pockets for basic classroom materials. Through Donors Choose, ordinary citizens can directly fund projects initiated by enterprising public school teachers. Online donations have helped students in San Jose become avid readers through the Dr. Seuss series. An art class in the Bronx had no paint brushes. Now every student has a set.

Rebecca Onie is a social entrepreneur who founded "Project Health" to help break the link between poverty and poor health. I remember meeting Rebecca when I was at the University of Chicago and I was very impressed with her. Rebecca organizes college students to staff Help Desks in urban medical centers, universities and community centers. Students then connect low-income families to other critical community and government resources - such as housing vouchers, supplemental nutrition assistance, and educational support. This year, 600 college volunteers will dedicate 100,000 hours to connect over 15,000 low-income children and adults to the resources they need to be healthy."

And then there is John Alford who grew up in a housing project in Brooklyn, attended college in North Carolina and then Harvard Business School. John recently launched NOLA 180 a 'turn-around' organization for failing public schools in New Orleans. NOLA 180 transforms these public schools into high-functioning charter schools that prepare every student for college. Langston Hughes Academy is the first school to benefit. Students spend 50 percent more time in their classrooms. Parents are given teacher's cell phone numbers so they can call for help with homework. And, in honor of their namesake, Langston Hughes, students receive instruction in persuasive writing, public speaking, debate and poetry. In its first year, Langston Hughes students outperformed the city's public school average in reading, writing and math.

Charles, Rebecca and John. I know they are here somewhere. Congratulations and thanks for all of your hard work. This is exactly the kind of social innovation and entrepreneurship we should be encouraging all across this country.

And that is why tonight, I am pleased to announce that as part of the new Serve America Act, the Administration is creating a Social Innovation Fund to help innovative nonprofit groups and social entrepreneurs, like the ones I just mentioned, expand their successful approaches to tackling our most pressing national challenges. The idea is simple: find the most effective programs out there and then provide the capital needed to replicate their success in communities around the country. By focusing on high-impact, results-oriented non-profits, we will ensure that government dollars are spent in a way that is effective, accountable and worthy of the public trust.

In this room of Leaders and Revolutionaries, Builders and Titans, Artists and Entertainers, Scientists and Thinkers, Heroes and Pioneers, I think we can all agree, we did not get to where we are alone. Our success was made possible with the encouragement of a diligent parent or teacher, a grandparent who told us we had real talent, an older sibling who paved the way and set a good example, a scholarship or grant that created an unexpected opportunity, or a neighbor or community leader who told us to dream big. That's certainly been the case in my own life.

I stand here today because of people who loved me, and pushed me and believed in me. I stand here today because of scholarships and grants and experiences that gave me opportunities I was afraid to dream of. I never imagined that, as a result of all that support, I would be in a position to be a role model for girls around the globe. Girls who look at me and see something more for themselves, more than society expects of them. Girls who now think anything is possible. As global leaders, let's not underestimate the power each of us has to change the world for someone - and let us not be afraid to try.

Tuesday
May052009

Feith Redux

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Mrs. O is in New York today, where she spoke at the United Nations.

U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice introduced the First Lady by saying, "You insist on reminding people that your extraordinary life is rooted in the ordinary women that surrounded you. We love your style, your warmth, your brilliance."

For the event, Mrs. O wore a Tracy Feith dress, with fitted bodice and full skirt; the dress was last worn for the National Prayer Service following the Inauguration. The printed fabric, depicting cranes nestled among Asian flowers, is produced by Kona Bay, a Hawaii based fabric company. Image via Kona Bay Fabrics

Monday
May042009

'Spring is Here' (Updated)

Photo by Yuri Gripas / Reuters

 

That is the sentiment -- put best by our own LeahD -- projected by Mrs. O's dress du jour, a citrus yellow, beaded delight. The President and First Lady are hosting a Cinco de Mayo event at the White House tonight, and if Mrs. O's dress is any indication, the mood is festive! (Does anyone know why the Cinco de Mayo celebrations are happening today rather than tomorrow?)

To see the exquisite hand beading on Mrs. O's dress, click here. To see the volume of the skirt, click here.

Update: The acid green satin dress is from Moschino's Spring Summer 2009 collection.  (Thank you Mr. William for the tip!)

A new video from Politico: