National Design Awards Luncheon

Images by Susan Walsh / AP Images

The First Lady hosted a luncheon for winners of the 2011 Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards at the White House yesterday. Speaking to the audience, Mrs. O shared:

"These men and women have breathed new life into our homes and our workplaces, the clothes we wear, the products we use every day, and even the most basic ways we process information." 

To peruse the full list of winners, which include J. Mendel in Fashion Design and Knoll in Corporate & Institutional Achievement, click here.

On a style note, Mrs. O appears to have worn the same Derek Lam dress (reworked to be sans sleeves), first debuted during a trip to Indonesia in November 2010, here. Gunmetal fan earrings by Alexis Bittar complete the look.

"Michelle Obama honors top designers at the White House" [BusinessWeek]

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Image by Kevin Lamarque / Reuters Pictures

Image by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

The President and First Lady were at Harriet Tubman Elementary School this morning, as the President signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Per Nia-Malika Henderson of The Washington Post:

"The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will expand the number of children in school lunch programs by 115,000, increase the reimbursement rate to school districts for meals by six cents and replace the junk food available outside the cafeteria, such as in vending machines, with more healthful options."

Speaking before the act was signed, Mrs. O added:

"While we may sometimes have our differences, we can all agree that in the United States of America, no child should go to school hungry. All children should have the basic nutrition they need to learn and grow. . . . Our hopes for their future should drive every decision we make."

On the style front, the first lady paired a scoop neck gray jersey dress with a lucite flower pin and knee-high camel-colored boots.

And what did the president get for signing the act? A smooch from the first lady of course!

Image by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Update: Mrs. O's pin is another gem from Alexis Bittar, while the dress is from the Derek Lam Spring 2011 collection, seen here. Thanks to reader Sandi for the tip!

Plus, a video from the event:

Dressed for Dinner

Images by Jason Reed / Reuters

The president and first lady are attending a state dinner at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia this evening. Consistent with Mrs. O's approach to style throughout this overseas trip, the ikat-like fabric of the first lady's Derek Lam dress appears to be a thoughtful nod to the culture of her host country. Per Indonesia Now, there are at least 6,000 distinctively different designs of ikat (pronounced ee-kaht per a bit of blog research) across the 17,000 islands of Indonesia, ranging from the abstract to the realistic. A gorgeous Bib necklace by Ranjana Khan completed the state dinner look.  

P.S. Seated next to Mrs. O in the bottom photo is Indonesia's former president Megawati Sukarnoputri.