A Spirited Orange Swirl

Photo by Flickr user veronica.decker / Creative Commons

Apologies for the delay, but photos from Mrs. O's Friday appearance have been slow to surface via our normal sources. Fortunately the Huffington Post has a nice selection here, and we've managed to finally find a few, above and below.

On Friday, the first lady gave a speech at the Norfolk naval base to mark the return of the USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group and the USNS Comfort.

For those curious about Mrs. O's dress - the first lady wore a Talbots Swirl Cotton Dress in Sunset Orange, on sale for a very reasonable $38.99. Mrs. O accessorized with a vintage silk flower pin worn at the shoulder. The 1960s era pin is a design by Hattie Carnegie, acquired through the Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection, and first seen on the campaign trail last fall.

 U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Desiree Green/Released

Wearing History on a Historical Day

Image used courtesy of Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection

There was much talk yesterday about the pin at Mrs. O's neckline during the inauguration ceremony. Some thought it was a necklace; others called it a collar on the Isabel Toledo dress. It turns out the piece is a Victorian paste pin, once meant as a sash decoration. It came from Carole Tanenbaum, who offers a premiere collection of vintage costume jewelry. We love that Mrs. O would wear a historical piece on such a historical day!

On her blog, Tanenbaum, who is based in Toronto, writes that she acquired the pin through a Florida dealer who said it came from a Palm Beach estate. Tanenbaum has never seen another piece like it and she believes it was probably made in England. The sash pin was purchased by Ikram Goldman (profiled on this site in "The Mix is the Message") and, one and a half months prior to the inauguration; it was sent back to Tanenbaum so that one stone could be replaced.

We did predict just last week that we might see Mrs. O in some vintage pieces some day, but we had no idea that that thought would materialize so quickly. Mrs. O showed great style, mixing the new (Isabel Toledo) with the vintage. What a grace note of history!