Must Read Mrs. O

The Mrs. O media attention continues. And the dress! If it's at all a litmus test for the attention Mrs. O's style will receive in the White House, we're in for four years of fashion frenzy. Thought we would point you to a few of our favorite reads:

Several gems from the New York Times:

- Fantastic, must-see slide show: The First Lady's Style

- Mixed opinions about the dress, plus Andre Leon Talley weighs in on Mrs. O's stylist, or lack there of: That Dress? Everyone Has an Opinion

- A look at how Mrs. O will balance being a mother, public figure and budding style icon in the White House: Family Begins to Balance State Work With Fun

From the Wall Street Journal "Heard on the Runway": Designer Maria Pinto Ready for White House Duty

From WWD "Memo Pad": Michelle Obama to Vogue?

From New York Magazine "The Cut":Michelle Obama Wears Spring 2009 Narciso Rodriguez on Her Big Night

From L.A. Times "All The Rage": Michelle Obama, first lady of style

From BlackBook: First Lady Elect Michelle Obama Shocks with Narciso Rodriguez Dress

From across the pond at the Daily Telegraph: Michelle Obama's election night dress upsets America's fashion crowd

Must See Mrs. O

We began our morning by watching The Today Show's great profile on Mrs. O, which highlighted some of her best style moments and discussed the influence she'll bring to the White House. Presidential historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin, comments:

"Because of the kids, she's going to be mom-in-chief, that's her absolute priority. But just the mere fact of her style and her flair, it's going to make her reminiscent of Jackie [Kennedy] ... On the otherhand, this is an extraordinary moment in history. She's going to want to do something and use that platform for work/family values."

Our First Lady

Photo credit: Flickr user Barack Obama via Jeffrey Katz for Obama for America // Creative Commons

Mrs. O, our first lady. We are thrilled! To celebrate this historic evening, Mrs. O wore a Narciso Rodriguez frock from the designer's Spring 2009 RTW collection. Mrs. O paired the dress with a black cardigan and kitten heels, adding a touch of sparkle with diamond bangles and earrings. Malia and Sasha were adorably coordinated in red and black.

Clearly there are a range of opinions about last night's dress, many of them quite strong. And while admittedly it's not our favorite of Mrs. O's frocks, we don't feel as negatively as some. As others have observed, it would have nice to see the dress sans cardigan.

One of the strengths of the design is the hourglass shape created by the diagonal bands of black satin in contrast to the red textured fabric. Already a rather complex design, the addition of the cardigan perhaps cluttered the look and diminished the hourglass effect.

For you adamant naysayers, New York Magazine does point out that the Narciso Rodriguez collection the dress stems from was one of the most critically acclaimed of New York Fashion Week. Though not our Maria Pinto prediction, Narciso Rodriguez was another likely candidate. Mrs. O has been seen in his designs several times before, most recently at the second Presidential Debate.

Update: There's a great piece on BlackBook in praise of Mrs. O's dress. The author asserts the dress is Mrs. O's "most commendable fashion statement as of yet." Judging by the comments left here, it seems most would disagree. But this polarization is a good thing. It means the dress is interesting, which is far better than the alternative - boring. Love it or hate it, this dress will forever be part of our memory of last night and our first look at Mrs. O as first lady (past wishful thinking aside). We will begin eagerly anticipating the Inaugural Ball.

Narciso Rodriguez Spring 2009 Collection: Photo courtesy of Narciso Rodriguez

Election Night Style Prediction

Illustration by fabulous young designer Kaitlin Campitelli  

While we love tracking Mrs. O's style, there are of course bigger things at stake today. Still, we can't help but eagerly anticipate what Mrs. O will wear to the Obama Election Night event to be held at Chicago's Grant Park tonight. Win or lose, it's going to be a historic evening.

One possibility is a yet to be worn Maria Pinto frock. In an exclusive Heard on the Runway interview with Maria Pinto, the designer indicated that Mrs. O purchased a coral-red silk crepe sheath with three-quarter sleeves, an empire waist and a high neckline with a burst of sunray pleats emanating from the collar – but has yet to wear it to a major event. See our rendition of the dress above.

We imagine a patriotic palette is more than likely for this evening and coral-red seems to fit the bill. Further, Maria Pinto has historically been Mrs. O's designer of choice for landmark campaign events. Both of which make us believe the dress above is a strong election night contender. Also of interest in the interview was Maria Pinto's commentary on the cerulean blue dress Mrs. O wore for the final presidential debate:

“It’s one of the most basic pieces in the collection – if you came to my showroom, it’s probably the last piece I would show you,” she says. “I have all these blouses and laces and fabrics that I developed. But then here’s this simple but beautifully colored sheath that all of a sudden gets this crazy attention – go figure.”

Mrs. O's taste for simplicity reminds us of a quote from Jay Mulvaney's book Jackie: The Clothes of Camelot in which Jackie Kennedy relayed direction to her favored designer of the time, Oleg Cassini:

"Even though these clothes are for official life, please don't make them too dressy, as I'm sure I can continue to dress the way I like – simple and young clothes...."

Who knows what taste and style influence Mrs. O might bring to the White House. Here's hoping, very much so, that we get to find out.

Mrs. O Casts Her Vote

Photo credit: Flickr user Chicago Public Radio // Creative Commons

Mrs. O kept things simple to cast her vote this morning, wearing a black scoop neck tee cinched at the waist by a patent leather belt and paired with slim black pants. She accessorized the look with her signature Hope and Peace charm necklaces, and wore her hair in a low ponytail pulled back from her face by a black headband. Simple and understated - but we expect stand-out later tonight.

Date: November 4, 2008

Venue: Voting center, Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL