Serving on the 100th Day

Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

First Lady Mrs. O and Dr. Jill Biden joined 160 Congressional spouses and children to volunteer at the Capital Area Food Bank today. Mrs. O and Dr. B are pictured with Lynn Brantley, Executive Director of the Capitol Area Food Bank and Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America. Mrs. O wears J.Crew's Featherweight cashmere argyle cardigan in silver olive salt, paired with cropped gray pants and Lanvin's cap toe sneakers. Click here to see another fantastic image from today's event (thank you American-n-Rome!) P.S. We do love Dr. B's cropped white pants and silver flats!

Thanks to Janelle, who informs us the latter are Tory Burch's ‘Reva’ ballerina flats.

White House Photos on Flickr

The White House has released a series of behind-the-scenes photos on Flickr. It reflects a spirit of openness and sharing, for which we are grateful! These photos are stunning. We have highlighted our favorites below, but please click here to see the full Flickr stream. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza / Creative Commons Official White House Photo by Pete Souza / Creative Commons Note: For those curious about the stunning dress pictured above, it is a custom made Peter Soronen gown, worn to the Alfalfa Club Dinner. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza / Creative Commons

Honoring Sojourner Truth

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

First Lady Mrs. O will join Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today in unveiling a bust of abolitionist and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth in Emancipation Hall at the newly opened Capitol Visitor Center. Click here to read Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" speech delivered in December 1851. The bust is the work of sculptor and painter Artis Lane, the granddaughter of abolitionist educators. The LA Times has a profile of Ms. Lane, here. First Lady Mrs. O spoke briefly at today's event. From the AP:

"I hope that Sojourner Truth would be proud to see me, a descendant of slaves, serving as the first lady of the United States of America," Mrs. Obama said to loud applause at a ceremony at the Capitol Visitor Center.

"Now many young boys and girls, like my own daughters, will come to Emancipation Hall and see the face of a woman who looks like them," Mrs. Obama said.

Mrs. O wears a striped shirt dress by Sophie Theallet, a French designer living in the United States. To show her Spring 2009 collection (the same collection Mrs. O's dress originates from), Ms. Theallet chose a full casting of black models, notable in an industry criticized for its lack of diversity. The designer told Fashion Week Daily, "It came totally naturally with my collection because I love colors and I think colors are really beautiful on dark skin. And these girls are like princesses, and I want to show that." Prior to launching her own line in Spring 2006, Ms. Theallet spent 10 years alongside Azzedine Alaia, another Mrs. O favorite. Style.com caught up with the designer this afternoon to get her reaction:

"It was the best gift—it blew my mind!' Théallet said. "I am really proud—it’s the first word that comes to me. I love the way she is, the way she talks…and she looks happy in that dress."

Weekend Plans

We wanted to pass along a few upcoming events that are on our Mrs. O radar. For those not in New York, we will have full coverage on Mrs-O.org.

#1 New York Times, Sunday with the Magazine Fashion Designers for the First Lady Sunday, May 3, 2:00PM, $30 Cathy Horyn, New York Times fashion critic and On the Runway blogger, will host a panel discussion with three of First Lady Michelle Obama's top designers – Maria Cornejo, Thakoon Panichgul and Narciso Rodriguez – this Sunday at the New York Times TimeCenter Stage.

#2 The Museum at FIT presents Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out June 17 - September 26, 2009 Though still a month and a half from opening, it feels like a good time to mention FIT's upcoming exhibition of Isabel Toledo's work. The exhibition will reveal Isabel's "focus on technique, willingness to experiment and strong personal vision". Robin Givhan of the Washington Post reports that the lemongrass dress and coat Mrs. Obama wore for the Inauguration will be included. For obvious reasons, this is a must-attend. William Norwich of wowowow.com recently interviewed Dr. Valerie Steele, Director and Curator of the Museum at FIT, about the upcoming exhibition – in the works long before January 20. Commenting on the significance of the First Lady's fashion, Dr. Steele adds:

"Clothes don’t make the role, but they do augment it. The historic significance of Michelle Obama’s fashion sense is how 'dress' can present an image, in this case the image of her husband’s administration as young and idealistic. Also, as multicultural, choosing designers like Isabel or Jason Wu reinforces the message of diversity, of youth and of excitement."

Pleats and Pearls

White House Photo / Samantha Appleton

What a tremendously busy day for Mrs. O! It seems the First Lady also hosted Jordan's Queen Rania in the Yellow Oval Room at the White House this afternoon. First Lady Mrs. O wears a pleated taupe chiffon dress, last seen for a daytime event during the Democratic National Convention. See our earlier post here. This dress is one that eludes us. Truth be told, we've spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to identify it. We've wondered if the March issue of Vogue perhaps held a clue.

In his interview with Mrs. O, the great Andre Leon Talley wrote, "The day of our interview at the Hay-Adams, she wears a soft, silk-crepe accordion-pleat dress by 34-year-old Thakoon Panichgul." If only he had hinted at the color!

Update: The dress has been confirmed as Rodarte! The dress is from the Mulleavy sisters' Fall Winter 2007 collection. It is 100% linen, with a feather bow belt. An additional image of the dress can be seen here. Mrs. O also wears a trio of glass pearl necklaces by Erickson Beamon, from their "Peace at Last" collection. The necklaces can be seen in detail, here.