CFDA Honors Mrs. O

On Monday night, First Lady Mrs. O received the Board of Directors' Special Tribute award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in New York. Mrs. O accepted her award via a pre-taped video speech (thank you MJ Strong for the link):

Beyond her words in the March 2009 issues of Vogue, when Mrs. O said, "If I can have any impact, I want women to feel good about themselves and have fun with fashion," this is the first we've heard the First Lady more formally articulate her appreciation for fashion. The qualities she calls out -- art form, ingenuity and craftsmanship -- are all hallmarks of the otherwise quite diverse range of designers she has embraced in recent months, from Isabel Toledo to Maria Cornejo to Jasmin Shokrian.

In honor of the award, Mr. Andre Leon Talley of Vogue wrote a piece for Style.com in which he highlighted a few of his favorite Mrs. O looks. His picks? The recent Michael Kors, Narciso Rodriguez and Givenchy ensemble worn for D-Day; the Alaia belt and blue VBH clutch worn for date night in New York; and one of our personal favorites, the argyle Junya Watanabe cardigan with teal Jason Wu dress worn in London.

Standing O at Kennedy Center Gala (Updated)

Thanks Carmen, for the link! Is that the elusive St. Patrick's Day dress we see? Correction: Erin informs us "It’s not the same dress as the St. Patrick's Day. I was sitting in the orchestra and had a good view — this one had a fitted bodice with a tulip skirt of little tiled patches of the green fabric."

Update: We are delighted to discover this dress is another gem from Jason Wu! The green dress is from his Spring 2009 collection, seen here. Since this wasn't a widely photographed event, hopefully we'll see it again? Fingers crossed.

White House Photos on Flickr

The White House has released a series of behind-the-scenes photos on Flickr. It reflects a spirit of openness and sharing, for which we are grateful! These photos are stunning. We have highlighted our favorites below, but please click here to see the full Flickr stream. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza / Creative Commons Official White House Photo by Pete Souza / Creative Commons Note: For those curious about the stunning dress pictured above, it is a custom made Peter Soronen gown, worn to the Alfalfa Club Dinner. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza / Creative Commons

The Week in Review

Photo by Stefan Rousseau / Getty Images

We honestly don't know how our President and First Lady survived this whirlwind of a week. Six days, four countries, and for Mrs. O , ten (10!) thoughtfully, often symbolically, selected ensembles. Let's recap:

Tuesday (Washington D.C., London) #1 Ivory tulle tweed coat with grosgrain trim by Thakoon worn over a black Michael Kors dress and paired with an oversize rose jewel brooch #2 Chartreuse Jason Wu cocktail dress, paired with a black Michael Kors duster and studded Alaia belt

Wednesday (London) #3 J.Crew Constellation sweater in ivory with beading and sequins paired with Dazzling dots mint green pencil skirt #4 Ivory and black silk crepe dress by Isabel Toledo, paired with a black Azzedine Alaia cardigan, and black satin opera coat by Jason Wu

Thursday (London) #5 Junya Watanabe argyle, asymmetric cardigan, paired with a full-skirted teal dress by Jason Wu and Jimmy Choo "Glacier" pumps

Friday (Strasbourg, Baden Baden) #6 Floral silk jacquard dress with black mesh trim and coordinating, reverse print coat, both by Thakoon #7 Black knit and ruched dress worn with black bolero jacket, both by Azzedine Alaia

Saturday (Strasbourg, Prague) #8 Cropped, double-breasted black jacket with leather detailing at the seams by Azzedine Alaia, paired with black trousers; floral Etro top and white blouse worn underneath #9 Fitted Narciso Rodriguez black knit dress paired with Azzedine Alaia black bolero jacket and black kitten heels

Sunday (Prague) #10 Oversize white bow blouse by Moschino, worn with a black pencil skirt by Michael Kors, black cardigan and studded belt, both by Azzedine Alaia

The genuine multiplicity that exists in Mrs. O's wardrobe was on full display this week. We saw her style oscillate between demure and daring, restrained and whimsical, vintage-inspired and avant garde.  Though already described as a style icon, which she undoubtedly is, we imagine Mrs. O's fashion sense will be known for many things, rather than one iconic image that perfectly encapsulates her style. 

She is a multi-dimensional woman, with a multi-dimensional wardrobe to suit. There was much speculation with regard to what the week would bring style wise. Would Mrs. O embrace a French designer as Jackie Kennedy had in 1961 when she famously wore Givenchy? Mrs. O would, wearing a dress and coat by Azzedine Alaia while in Strasbourg, France (as well as a cardigan and belt by the designer throughout the week).

Would she continue to champion her favorite American designers? Indeed, as ensembles from Jason Wu, Thakoon and Isabel Toledo were all sartorial stand-outs. Would there be any "high-low" mixing? While not exactly "low", more reasonable options from J.Crew again entered the mix, and more than held their own with chic sparkle. Might Mrs. O play it safe? We need not say more than Junya Wantanabe (though we are still practicing the pronunciation). The image at the top of this post, in which Mrs. O wears a black satin opera coat by Jason Wu as she walks into Buckingham Palance, represents our favorite look of the week - radiating a romantic, effortless chic from start to finish. We would love to hear your favorites please.

A Proclamation of Personal Style

Photo by Joel Ryan/WPA Pool/Getty Images

As part of a day of events scheduled around London, First Lady Mrs. O joined the spouses of world leaders attending the G-20 conference at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden this morning. Per Politico, Mrs. O wears a Jason Wu dress and an asymmetrical Junya Watanabe cardigan. We recognize the green Jimmy Choo "Glacier" pumps from the Inauguration.

To our knowledge, this is one of the first times the First Lady has publicly worn Junya Watanabe (unless he's also responsible for that tiered black ruched number? Hmm...). Watanabe is a Japanese fashion designer who began his career at Comme des Garcons. We're excited to have a new name in the First Lady's wardrobe, and more importantly - to see Mrs. O making one of her boldest fashion statements yet! Mrs. O's remarks at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in Islington, north London are a must see (thanks to those who linked to the video):