Sparkle and Sequin

Image by Kevin Lamarque / Reuters Pictures, Jim Watson / Getty Images

The President and First Lady attended the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors this evening, honoring singer and songwriter Merle Haggard, composer and lyricist Jerry Herman; dancer, choreographer and director Bill T. Jones, songwriter and musician Paul McCartney, and producer, television host and actress Oprah Winfrey. Hooray!

Mrs. O looked absolutely stunning in a scarlet floral sequined gown, designer TBD. Any guesses?

Update: The first lady was dressed in Naeem Khan last evening, wearing a scarlet colored sleeveless gown with matte crushed sequins in abstract wind blown roses on scarlet tulle. On the accessories front, Mrs. O chose earrings by Bochic, made of rough brown diamonds and 14K oxidized white gold.

Tres Chic in Prabal Gurung

Photo by Getty Images

The first lady is wearing a hand-draped, off the shoulder, red matte jersey gown by Prabal Gurung at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this evening. Stunning!

Update: On the jewelry front, it appears that the first lady wore pieces by Bochic and Sutra Jewels. The bottom gold cuff is a Sutra Jewels piece, created from 10 carats of raspberry tourmaline, flanked by rose cut diamonds in a star-burst motif. The top cuff appears to be a Bochic piece, constructed from white bakelite, gold filigree and rose-cut diamonds, seen here.

Chic Bochic Earrings

PRNewsFoto/Bochic

For those curious about Mrs. O's earrings last night, we're delighted to report that they are one-of-a-kind Bochic earrings, made of rose cut diaminds, amber and tourmaline stones.

In the Bochic press release, designer David Joseph said: "We are incredibly honored that Mrs. Obama chose to wear Bochic earrings last night. When we designed the earrings we wanted to integrate both Eastern and Western design elements. We were drawn to the orange hue of the natural amber and the rose color of the rubellite tourmaline, which are traditional Indian colors. We also added rose cut diamonds to create a vintage feel. These one-of-a-kind earrings are handcrafted and completely unique. The First Lady was an absolute vision."

Mrs. O Sparkles in Naeem Khan

Image by Nicolas Kamm / Getty Images

Image by Nicolas Kamm / Getty Images

Official White House Photo / Pete Souza

First Lady Mrs. O has debuted her ensemble for the state dinner, wearing a gown by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan. The strapless gown features hand cut sterling silver sequins sewn on champagne silk chiffon, which create an abstract floral pattern. The dress is entirely handmade, requiring three weeks of work by 40 people, completed in Naeem Khan's family workshop in India. The custom, one-of-a-kind gown was made by the designer with the theme of Mrs. O's first state dinner in mind. The evening honors the stateside visit of Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and his wife, Gursharan Kaur.

Mrs. O accessorized her ensemble with oversize Bochic drop earrings, featuring a fleur de lis at each ear and tear drop shapes made of gold and purple stones. Mrs. O completed the look with a dramatic stack of gold and diamond bangle bracelets on her left arm, a coordinating champagne-colored wrap, and her hair swept into a loose, romantic updo. 

Earlier today Mrs. O hinted that she might turn to an Indian-American designer for her gown this evening, when she chose a skirt by another Indian-American designer, Rachel Roy, for the state dinner preview event. This is Mrs. O's first time publicly wearing a Naeem Khan design and what a debut! Mrs. O is bringing a modern brand of glamour to the White House, the likes of which we've not seen before.

For those who want to watch the coverage live, Politico has a livestream here. The White House will also live stream beginning at 8:15PM EST, here.

As a sidenote: Naeem Kahn is scheduled to be panelist on Larry King Live tonight at 9PM EST. Perhaps Larry will ask about the dress?

Update: We just watched Mr. Naeem Khan on Larry King Live. Of interest, both the designer's father and grandfather designed for Indian royalty in their careers. Mr. Khan relayed that he designed 3 or 4 gowns for the event, which were coordinated through Ikram Goldman in Chicago. The brief had been "Indian, chic, simple, but very glamorous." With that, Mr. Khan chose the color, embroidery, cut and all other aspects of the gowns. He called the moment of seeing the first lady in his design, "So joyous," continuing, "For me to be part of this historic occasion, being Indian, it is beyond amazing. It is an incredible moment for me."

Read more about the Naeem Khan's perspective (and the Halston influence beyond the state dinner dress) in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, here. Thanks denisegirl!

Official White House Photos by Pete Souza