A Zag of Button Detail

Image by Jim Young / Reuters

First Lady Mrs. O was greeted with a warm welcome as she arrived to speak to employees at the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. today. For the event, Mrs. O wore a gray sheath dress with three-quarter length sleeves, featuring a row of buttons that create a diagonal empire waist line. Quite inventive!

Update: Reader JW writes: "This is Alexander McQueen, Fall-Winter 2008-09. He did this dress in black as well as grey." I've confirmed that, indeed, this dress is Alexander McQueen from the "last season prefall collection."

A New Designer in the Mix

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

The designer of this high-waisted pinstripe pantsuit has eluded us, but being one of Mrs. O's more frequently worn looks through 2007 and 2008, and reappearing again last week, we were determined to solve the mystery. It turns out, both the suit above and this jacket from the September 2008 cover of Ebony, come from the Spring 2008 collection of said mystery designer. See the answer, an exciting new addition to Mrs. O's style repertoire, after the jump.

Photo via Flickr user Damian Cugley / Creative Commons