At Last, Mrs. O Wows in Jason Wu

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After months of speculation and hundreds of designs, we finally get to lay eyes on Mrs. O's Inaugural Ball gown - a gown for the ages. We are amazed and delighted. On the first day of December, we wrote a post entitled "A Name to Remember" that was inspired by the young designer behind the perfectly sophisticated, modern shift dress Mrs. O wore for an interview with Barbara Walters.

The designer of said dress was Jason Wu - a 26 year old Taipei native, former student of designer Narciso Rodriguez and finalist for the 2008 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize. Tonight, Mr. Wu won the greatest prize of all, dressing our First Lady in a winter white one-shoulder gown flecked with organza flowers and crystals for the Inaugural Ball. Of great interest is what Cheryl Tan of Heard on the Runway reported at the time of the Barbara Walters interview:

Mr. Wu isn't working on any more 'special projects' for Ikram at the moment but is hoping to get another call. While Seventh Avenue has been abuzz over who Mrs. Obama will wear on Inauguration Day, Mr. Wu said he isn’t focusing on that. “Oh,” he said, “that’s a long shot!”

As background, Ikram (referenced in the paragraph above) is Ikram Goldman, the owner of the famed Chicago boutique that bears her first name. We explored Ikram's style influence in a piece earlier this week, "The Mix is the Message". She is responsible for connecting Mrs. O with many of the designers that have become familiar names throughout the campaign and inauguration. In an odd twist, Mrs. O's gown shows similiarity to the design we predicted in interviews with the Chicago Tribune and NPR several weeks ago:

"Winter white chiffon gathered asymmetrically from an empire waist to one shoulder, with a gray-silver full satin skirt. A bejeweled diamond brooch worn off-center at the waist line."

With so many pointing to Mrs. O's penchant for jewel tones, we thought she might choose just the opposite: a white winter that we would remember forever. Indeed we will.

Update: Cathy Horyn of the New York Times is on the case once again - love her. In a conversation with Jason Wu this evening, the designer revealed that he didn't know Mrs. O was going to wear his dress until he saw it this evening. The designer went on to describe the 8 to 10 yards of silk chiffon, and many crystals that went into the design. "It had to sparkle," he said. The dress had been based on measurements and details provided by Ikram Goldman.

Later Tuesday evening, Jason Wu spoke with CNN to explain his inspiration for the dress. "It's about hope. It's about newness," he said. "It's all a little dreamlike, and we're making history, and I wanted to really reflect that." We can practically hear the well-deserved excitement in the designer's voice as he added, "It's thrilling. ... For a young designer, I couldn't ask for any more than this."

The Jewelry of Carolyn Rosenberg

 Image via juli b chicago

As we await more fashion revelations from Mrs. O's inaugural wardrobe, let's take a look back at one of Mrs. O's more spectacular (but under-examined) accessories from the campaign: the lush purple feather and bead brooch. We saw Mrs. O wear it on CNN's The Larry King Show performance, pinned to a sleeveless top. And she also wore it on her Narciso Rodriguez striped jacket at a National Partnership for Women and Families event in Washington, D.C.

It is a playful, ultra-feminine piece of jewelry; it acknowledges vintage style while embodying a decidedly contemporary tone. The designer is Carolyn Rosenberg, a Chicago-based jewelry maker. In an exclusive interview with www.Mrs-O.org, Rosenberg told us that she started by taking classes in metalworking at a Chicago arts center. From there, she branched into expanding her designs.

"I had a collection of vintage feathers from my great aunt, who had been a milliner," she says. "And so I used them when I was commissioned to do a very small collection of pins."  Who commissioned her? None other than boutique owner Ikram Goldman. Rosenberg loved the idea of repurposing the gorgeous feathers, although she frequently dyed them; to anchor the feathers, she used beading in the same tones. Rosenberg knew that Mrs. O had one of her feather pins - "I was asked to make a purple one for her because she had seen some of the other feathered pieces" - but she didn't know when Mrs. O would be wearing it. Then Mrs. O appeared on the Larry King show with the purple feather pin high on her shoulder and Rosenberg's phone starting ringing. "All the relatives recognized it immediately and started calling," she says.

Currently Rosenberg is finishing up her second collection, which is based on vintage beading and embroidery work collected from flappers' dresses. "Sometimes the dress can't be saved because of tearing or deterioration of material," she says, "but the bead work is wonderful." No one has seen this collection yet, but Rosenberg hopes that maybe one day Mrs. O will wear one of those pieces, too. "Regardless of who or what she's wearing, I can't think of a better spokeswoman for today," she says. Naturally, we agree.

The Mix is the Message

Image of Ikram Goldman used with kind permission from photographer Anna Knott, www.annaknott.com

We know that while Mrs. O doesn't work with a fashion stylist, she often collaborates with her hometown favorite designer Maria Pinto. But over the years she has built another fashion partnership that can be summed up in one word: Ikram.

That is the definitive Chicago boutique, which is named after its glamorous owner. A few months ago, we reported on visiting Ikram, where women discover their inner chic selves. But we think it's worth exploring Ikram - both the store and the person - again because the odds are high some time over the next five days that Mrs. O will appear in an outfit she put together at this boutique. 

Aside from Maria Pinto, the brightest fashion influence on Mrs. O has been Ikram. (Ikram will not comment or talk about any of her clientele.) Which is not to say that Mrs. O has been styled by the boutique. Rather, Ikram expands the fashion possibilities for anyone who shops there. For Ikram, the clothes are all about a mix and the mix is the message. Mrs. O wore designers from Ikram at the Democratic National Convention (Narciso Rodriguez, Peter Soronen, Thakoon, Erickson Beamon), during her interview with Barbara Walters (Jason Wu), and to a fundraising party hosted by Vogue magazine (Isabel Toledo with a Tom Binns necklace). Other Mrs. O sightings in Ikram-based designers: She donned Zero|Maria Cornejo on the campaign trail, sported earrings by Loree Rodkin on election night, and used that iconic black Alaia belt throughout the past year. All of these designers can be found at Ikram.

Yes, the clothes and jewelry can be purchased other places, too, but here they are brought together under one roof and edited by one discerning eye. The glory of shopping at Ikram is Ikram Goldman herself. (Although the cinnabar-colored walls and the large dressing rooms outfitted with Japanese kimono-style robes are fun, too.) She is no fashion dictator, imposing an identifiable template on every customer. Instead, she encourages her customers to "play" with the wares, mixing items up to create a very personal look. (Ikram's personal look includes Nars Velvet Matte lip pencil Cruella D26 and Halston perfume, along with her strong preference for black clothes and flat shoes.) She will even tell clients to bring in clothes they already have in the closet for tweaking and new accessories. And she uses her impeccable eye to bring together some of the most exciting designers working today. But she also isn't above working the dressing rooms herself, providing a personal touch.

We spent several weeks shadowing Ikram for a Chicago magazine profile and it was fun to be in that glamorous, creative atmosphere.  Given Mrs. O's sartorial history with this boutique, in the near future we may be seeing the new First Lady wearing clothes from designers like Tom Scott or Rodarte, both of whom are available at Ikram.  Or even something from Ikram's extensive personal collection of vintage designer clothing. Whatever future outfits Mrs. O wears, we know they will be a reflection of her fashion sense and sensibility, one that explores the possibilities. And the magic is in the mix.

Chicago Fashion, Part I

Image used with kind permission of Ikram

In Chicago this week, we found an hour to explore the city’s thriving fashion scene. For many Chicago isn’t synonymous with fashion, but spend a few days in this beautiful city on the lake, where architectural marvels abound and art deco influences delight – and it’s not difficult to see where one would draw inspiration. Our mini excursion took us to two of the city’s oft mentioned boutiques: Ikram and Maria Pinto.

Read the editor’s notes in any Vogue fashion spread and you’re bound to find Ikram cited. Peruse Style.com and find videos of Ikram Goldman, the boutique’s owner and namesake, commenting on this season’s collections in New York or Paris. Ikram, the woman and the boutique, have fashion influence far-reaching beyond Chicago, so it was with great anticipation that we finally paid a visit to her fabled store.

Located in the Gold Coast, a stone’s throw from the Sears Tower John Hancock Center (thanks Jasmine), Ikram sits in the first floor of a modern stone and glass building on North Rush St. A self-described “treasure trove” the boutique is bursting at the seams with all things covetous. We were first greeted by a small island table decorated with neatly folded piles of cashmere gloves and scarves surrounding a case of jewel encrusted shell rings and other assorted baubles.

Around a corner and into a small cove we discovered a wall of Jimmy Choo heels and Lanvin and Alaia flats carefully displayed on wood shelves like prized heirlooms. As we wandered through the store, enticed by bejeweled Moschino jackets and luxuriously soft tweed Lanvin suits, we longingly wished our bank account was as big as our eyes. In this sea of temptation, there were two garments that really made our heart flutter: a soft, generously cut purple mohair jacket by Hanii Y and an a-line skirt cocktail dress in delicate floral black lace overlay on ivory fabric by Isabel Toledo. Needless to say, our visit to Ikram did not just meet expectations, it wowed.

Check back tomorrow for Part II of this post, when we cover our visit to Maria Pinto’s West Loop boutique.