Just Married

Congratulations to Catherine Middleton and Prince William! The bride chose a dress by a Mrs. O favorite -- Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. 

From the official press release:

“The lace applique for the bodice and skirt was handmade by the Royal School of Needlework, with individual flowers hand-cut from lace (in shapes of roses, thistle, daffodils and shamrocks). The dress is made of ivory and white satin gazar with a skirt in the shape of an opening flower. The satin bodice, narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips in a McQueen signature, is based on Victorian corsetry. The back is finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons.

The veil, made of ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, is held in place by a 1936 Cartier tiara, lent to Ms. Middleton by the Queen. (It was bought for her mother by the Duke of York and presented to Queen Elizabeth on her 18th birthday.) Ms. Middleton’s earrings—shaped like oak leaves with a pave set diamond acorn suspended in the center—are by Robinson Pelham. The shoes are also by McQueen.”

"Vogue on Catherine Middleton's Wedding Dress" [Vogue]

Mrs. O in Alexander McQueen

Image by Saul Loeb / Getty Images

Image by Jewel Samad / Getty Images

Image by Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photos

First Lady Michelle Obama wears a red petal print silk organza off-the-shoulder Alexander McQueen gown to tonight's state dinner at the White House. The color, red, is not a complete surprise, as it symbolizes good luck and happiness in Chinese culture. The choice of design house is more unexpected, as many had speculated that the first lady would wear a gown by a Chinese-American designer. If we've learned one thing about Mrs. O's style, it's that it never fails to surprise. The gown is a daring, high-glamour choice for the occasion.   

It is also a wonderful honor for the house of Alexander McQueen. The work of the late designer has long been a staple in the first lady's wardrobe. Booth Moore of the L.A. Times reports that this gown, in fact, was designed by Alexander McQueen's successor, Sarah Burton. Indeed, the dress appears to be a variation of an Alexander McQueen Resort 2011 gown, seen here. 

If you haven't yet seen it, please do give Robin Givhan's piece for The Daily Beast a read. In her first story for the site, Givhan does a superb job of translating Mrs. O fashion's message, in a way only she can. Of a seemingly unexpected choice, Givhan presents great logic.

"The red petal print, silk organza gown wasn’t so much an act of diplomacy as a broad statement about the new realities of the fashion industry. In choosing a dress from Alexander McQueen, Mrs. Obama championed the cause of artisan design, the legacy of bespoke tailoring, and the staggering creativity that can be nurtured in the frock trade when it is at its best."

"Michelle Obama in Alexander McQueen: Lady in Red at the White House State Dinner" [The Daily Beast]

Update: For those curious about Mrs. O's jewelry, the First Lady wore Ruby and Geode Earrings in 18k Yellow Gold from New York-based jewelry designer Kimberly McDonald.

A Print with Intrigue

Image by Win McNamee / Getty Images

First Lady Mrs. O met with 11 students from the London borough of Islington at the White House this morning. The students were rewarded with a trip to the United States sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in London for winning an Islington Black History Month essay competition.

On the fashion front, the first lady wore a sheer, printed blouse with a tie neck and billowing sleeves. I'm curious to know what others see in the print. To me, it reads of an underwater world, populated by jelly fish and bursts of coral. 

Also of note is that we've seen this blouse once before, in the very early days of this blog. Mrs. O wore same patterned top for a campaign appearance at the Minneapolis Club in October 2008, below.

Photo used with kind permission from photographer Kim Ellison

Update #1: The blouse appears to be from Alexander McQueen's Spring 2008 collection. Several of the Alexander McQueen pieces we've seen Mrs. O wear in the past originated from this same collection. On the runway, the blouse can be seen here, and a similar version, here. As reader 'parisbreakfast' has noted in the comments, Alexander McQueen was praised for the digitized sea-reptile prints used in his Spring 2010 collection. Perhaps we see an earlier iteration of the print in the blouse above.

What a tremendous, thoughtful gesture by Mrs. O to honor the late designer. Fashion as message is the most inspiring kind.

Update #2: Reader 'CRD in LA' writes: "the print also evokes a signature Liberty of London pattern: Ianthe, created in 1900 at the height of the Art Nouveau movement." Fascinating!

Update #3: Thanks to 'ouapiti' who directed us to the White House photo of the day, below. We can see that Mrs. O paired her Alexander McQueen blouse with a navy pencil skirt and boots.

Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

Remembering Alexander McQueen

Photo by Frank Mullin via Flickr user Barack Obama / Creative Commons

Image by Jason Reed / Reuters

Image by Jim Young / Reuters

The world has lost a tremendous creative talent in Alexander McQueen today. Above we pay tribute to his work by sharing a few of the Alexander McQueen ensembles that the first lady has worn over the past several years.

Ikram Goldman, owner of ikram in Chicago (and almost certainly the source of Mrs. O's fabulous collection of tailored Alexander McQueen pieces) told the Wall Street Journal:

 “He was one of the important designers that really gave you a real show in Paris. His shows were rejuvenating. He was a force and I think this is a very sad day for so many people, not just fashion people but for creative people, too.”

Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, has also released a statement:

"We are devastated to learn of the death of Alexander McQueen, one of the greatest talents of his generation. He brought a uniquely British sense of daring and aesthetic fearlessness to the global stage of fashion. In such a short career, Alexander McQueen's influence was astonishing—from street style to music culture and the world's museums. His passing marks an insurmountable loss."

For more on the designer's passing, Eric Wilson of the New York Times has a report, here. Cathy Horyn weighs in here. And the always insightful Robin Givhan writes here.

Striped in McQueen

Image by Jason Reed / Reuters

First Lady Mrs. O returned to her pinstripe chalk stripe Alexander McQueen suit today as she began her campaign against childhood obesity. Mrs. O was joined by Surgeon General Regina Benjamin at a YMCA in Alexandria, Virginia, where they spoke on the issue.

This suit has certainly been a favorite of Mrs. O's in recent years. Mrs. O wore it several times on the campaign trail during 2007 and 2008, and for at least one public event last year. Click here to see our previous post the its history.

In the past paired with brooches, the first lady wore it with a high collar white shirt, red belt and coordinating lipstick for today's appearance.