Must Read Mrs. O

A peek inside the January 2009 issue of Vogue

On this frigid weekend in the Northeast, Mrs. O and family have returned to Hawaii for a final retreat before they make their way to Washington. And while the world eagerly awaits the Inauguration, the Mrs. O media frenzy continues.

A few of this week's highlights:

The Washington Post: Gown & Country Robin Givhan, The Washington Post's Fashion Editor, brings us more Inaugural designs from Rachel Roy, Kevan Hall, Doo-Ri Chung, Derek Lam, Tracy Reese, Marchesa, Lyn Devon and Peter Som. While there are a few repeats from the WWD sketches, several of these new additions seem to better embody Mrs. O's signature style. The Rachel Roy asymmetrical gown in ivory silk crepe is perhaps our favorite to date - a sophisticated, modern look for a modern First Lady. The Inaugural design craze doesn't stop here. The Washington Post is taking it a step further, inviting readers to submit their own designs. The grand prize? Robin Givhan's favorite design will appear in the Post's Style section. Layo G., we see you were one of the first to submit a design. Congrats and best of luck!

L.A. Times: A lesson in Thakoon economics From the moment Mrs. O wore Thakoon's floral frock for the final night of the DNC, we've been anticipating the arrival of the designer's lower-priced line for Target. This weekend, the L.A. Times Fashion Critic Booth Moore gave the upcoming Thakoon for Target collection a compelling review. Noting similarities to Thakoon's runway collection, even writing that "Thakoon ripped off Thakoon", fans will have good reason to visit Target on December 28. But the biggest question: Will Mrs. O wear pieces from the line as well? What a coup for high-low fashion that would be.

Vogue, January 2009 The arrival of this glossy paged gem always puts us in a good mood, and January's issue doesn't disappoint. A special feature section in tribute to our new president-elect includes a series of beautiful portraits by Annie Leibovitz. The caption for a striking photograph of Mrs. O reveals it was taken during the June 2007 shoot for Vogue. Mrs. O wears the same Narciso Rodriguez gown seen in the image used for Paris Match, though here it appears in an azure blue and is paired with a sapphire blue wrap. We also took note of the caption's title, "A Lady First", which rang familiar but took a minute to place. It's the title of the excellent memoir by Letitia Baldrige, an accomplished businesswoman who was also Jackie Kennedy's White House social secretary. There is one paragraph from the Vogue feature that we must share here. It offers a succinct, insightful perspective on the frequent comparison to the Kennedys:

"The obvious comparison here is to Camelot. But that would be a mistake. In the matter of iconicity and cultural authority, the Obamas have no need to look backward. On the contrary. Nevertheless, this tribute to the new president and his family echoes a tribute to President Kennedy published in Vogue on January 1, 1961. It's hard to believe that it's been almost 50 years since the country felt so inspired, so happy to look ahead."

Finally we'll end with a new CNN video that covers the Inaugural fashion buzz and takes us inside Maria Pinto's Chicago boutique. (The video also gives this site a brief and much appreciated mention. Thank you CNN!)

What Nancy Wore

Image courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Library

Our trip back in Inaugural Ball history continues, this time to visit the gowns of arguably the most fashionable former First Lady since Jackie Kennedy: Nancy Reagan. In both 1981 and 1985, Mrs. Reagan wore gowns from California-based couturier James Galanos. Known for his unerring attention to detail, Mrs. Reagan dazzled in Galanos's white beaded creations. The dress Mrs. Reagan wore in 1981 was a white, one-shoulder lace, silk satin sheath with crystal and bugle beads. Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, described the look as having "California pizzazz".

Despite the fact that Mrs. Reagan didn't own the gown - it was on loan from Galanos - the $10,000 price tag caused an uproar in the midst of the early 80s recession. Further trouble brewed as it came into question whether accepting a designer gift was a possible violation of the Government Ethics Act of 1977. Undeterred, Mrs. Reagan remained loyal to her favorite designer. In 1985 she wore another Galanos gown, in white beaded chiffon with Art Deco influences and a bolero effect. The Austrian and Czechoslovakian glass beads took more then 300 hours to apply by hand. 

Image courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Library

Both taken in the Red Room of the White House, these photographs practically beg for comparison. Former President Reagan looks for the most part unchanged, as though he could have stepped out of one photo and into the other without notice (though Mrs. BT does point out that he switched from tails and a white tie in 1981 to a black tux in 1985). We can see Mrs. Reagan's look, however, dramatically transform from disco-era glamour of the late 1970s to "Dynasty"-inspired extravagance of the 1980s in the span of just four years. From her hair to her gown, the change is immediately evident.

So what style lessons can we derive for Mrs. O? A champion of high-low fashion, we have to think price will be a consideration when choosing her Inaugural Ball gown. As Valerie Steele weighed in for a recent Us Weekly interview, spending in the range of four figures seems appropriate for the occasion and economic climate, but anything more may raise eyebrows. As Mrs. O has proved so capable of doing to date, we're confident she'll choose a gown that's within financial reason, while of course, memorably and timelessly chic.

Opulent Minimalism

Image via Factio-Magazine.com

We love this photo of Mrs. O with her long-time fashion collaborator Maria Pinto. It was taken on a sultry June day in 2007 at Sepia restaurant in Chicago, where an invitation-only crowd was invited to view a runway preview of Pinto’s fall 2007 collection. One of the hostesses of this event was Mrs. O. Mrs. O’s Mediterranean blue dress—designed, naturally, by Pinto—is made of silk faille, which adds appropriate weight and body to the style while avoiding bulk. The faille ribbing tones down the sheen of the silk while adding a subtle design detail, which can be seen, in a different color, on Pinto’s web site (see image on top right).

Here is one more example of the opulent minimalism that is Pinto’s signature look. Particularly fetching, we feel, are the low-cut armholes and the snug high-banded waist, both of which are style favorites of Mrs. O’s. This picture seems particularly prescient to us: one year later, Maria Pinto opened her one-and-only boutique, next door to Sepia, in the West Loop neighborhood. And the bright color of Mrs. O’s dress seems to foreshadow the night, fourteen months later, when she wore the muted turquoise dress (also by Pinto) while speaking at the Democratic convention.

Chicago Chic, Circa 2004

Photo credit: (c) Todd J. Tubutis

It's fair to say that intersecting stories abound in this photograph. Gathered for the November 2004 opening gala of "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years" at the Field Museum in Chicago, this photograph was taken just days after Mr. O won the junior U.S. Senate seat for the state of Illinois. Mr. O is joined by the ever-glamorous Mrs. O, Senator Ted and Victoria Reggie Kennedy of Massachusetts, and the now controversy-embroiled Rod and Patricia Mell Blagojevich of Illinois - all posed in front of a portrait of Marshall Field, founder of the Chicago-based department stores and the museum's namesake.

Wearing a caramel-gold silk halter paired with a long black velvet skirt, Mrs. O is the epitome of chic. Her dramatic, full hair; her enviable toned arms and back; her clutch demurely tucked behind her back; her rose metallic wrap effortlessly tossed over her wrist - this is why we love and celebrate Mrs. O's style. Taken around the time Mrs. O first began to work with Maria Pinto, it's quite likely that this ensemble is to the designer's credit (our greatest clue is the detailed evening wrap, one of Pinto's specialities).

And for those who have wondered if Mrs. O's fashion prowess might be the result of a calculated campaign effort, rest assured she was stylish long before she was set to become our future First Lady. Remember, this was 2004. While Mrs. O is certainly her own woman, we can't help but embrace the comparisons to Jackie Kennedy. We do genuinely see a link between these two women - in the unparalleled excitement that surrounds Mrs. O, and in her potential to have truly iconic influence.

Not since Jackie Kennedy have we been able to say that about a First Lady, with no disrespect meant to those who came in between. On that night in November 2004, we wonder if Mrs. O found sartorial inspiration in the collection of more than 70 garments once worn by history's great style icon, Jackie Kennedy. And if, perhaps, it crossed Mrs. O's mind just once that she too might have her own White House chapter someday. Just four years later it is our reality - full of hope, excitement, and of course, legend-in-the-making style.

Date: November 12, 2004

Venue: Gala Opening for "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years" at the Field Museum, Chicago, IL

Aloha Mrs. O

Photo used with kind permission from Flickr user mazieforcongress

On a frigid Sunday morning in December, thoughts of a tropical getaway make for a warm and welcome winter escape. Thus, we happily visit a photograph taken last August as the future first couple returned to Mr. O's childhood home state of Hawaii for a short vacation. Attending a campaign fundraiser in Honolulu (it wasn't all vacay it seems), we're told Mrs. O was very appropriately dressed in "aloha attire".

As one would imagine, the style on Oahu and all of Hawaii is decidedly island casual. But while casual, yes, Mrs. O delivered with a dose of her usual effortless chic. We've come not to expect anything less. Wearing a printed sundress from Narciso Rodriguez's Resort 2008 collection, with her hair pulled back from her face and just the right touches of diamond sparkle, Mrs. O looked fresh-faced and youthful. The gray on white print, perhaps ginkgo leaf-inspired, was distinctive without being loud or overwhelming.

And as our friend Cara, a resident of Oahu, so perfectly assessed, "Mrs. O wore her 'aloha style' with confidence and grace." We'll second that. After the election night polarizer, there's nary been a Mrs. O style conversation that didn't mention Narciso Rodriguez's name. Seen in clothes from Rodriguez's Spring 2009, Resort 2008 and Fall 2007 collections (and those are just the ones we've identified), we do love Mrs. O's consistency and loyalty to her favorite designers - a title which Narciso Rodriguez has certainly earned. Here's looking forward to more Mrs. O and Rodriguez pairings, "Aloha style", White House or otherwise.

Date: August 12, 2008

Event: President-elect Barack Obama with Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, Leighton Oshima and Mrs. O, Obama campaign fundraiser, Honolulu, Hawaii