Mrs. O Dines in Style

Mrs. O lunched with Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, his wife Michelle, and Jill Biden this afternoon at Georgia Brown's, a D.C. restaurant known for its traditional Southern classics. Our ever stylish First Lady was dressed in a medley of blues, including a stunning portrait collar overcoat in light blue herringbone tweed. Underneath she wore a cornflower blue dress with an asymmetrical draped neckline, paired with a blue green cardigan and royal blue patent leather belt to cinch her waist. The Huffington Post has a great slideshow of photos here. As "doreen" has observed in the comments, this look is another stand-out example of Mrs. O's masterful wardrobe remixing. We saw the same belt and cardigan as part of a more dressed down look as Mrs. O volunteered for the National Day of Service. Her shoes, we believe, are the same Jimmy Choo "Glacier" pumps she wore on Inauguration Day. Jimmy Choo pumps aside, this remains quite the mystery look. An afternoon of research did not reveal the designer. Any tips (anonymous or otherwise) would be most appreciated. UPDATE: A source reveals that this ensemble was the work of Mrs. O's hometown designer, Maria Pinto. In fact, we've confirmed that the coat is J. Crew! Further, we've now confirmed that Mrs. O wore Maria Pinto's Ella Dress, hand-made from Prussian cashmere. The dress is part of Maria Pinto's Fall 2009 collection.

A Beacon of Style and Optimism

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Mrs. O, our First Lady. You are truly remarkable in every sense. Through that sea of black wool, you shined bright - in a yellow lemongrass suit that made you a beacon of both style and optimism. With more time to take this in, we are loving the subtleties of Mrs. O's ensemble. Her grass green J. Crew leather gloves and coordinating Jimmy Choo "Glacier" pumps offer something unexpected, her signature "twist"; while Mrs. O's diamond pin (or is it a necklace?) brings light to her face. 

For those wondering about Sasha and Malia's coats, the AP reports: "Their daughters were style icons in their own right, with 10-year-old Malia in a double-breasted periwinkle-blue coat with a blue-ribbon bow at the waist, and Sasha, 7, in a pink coat with orange scarf and satin belt, a coral-colored dress peeking out at the hem. Their coats were from Crewcuts by J. Crew." In a new report from WWD, Ruben Toledo (Isabel's husband and an accomplished illustrator) elaborates on the design team's excitement this morning:

"We're levitating - we really are," Ruben Toledo said minutes after watching Michelle Obama on CNN in an ensemble by his wife Isabel. The husband-wife team tuned in surrounded by their staff in their Broadway showroom. The soon-to-be First Lady did not tip her hand in any way. "We had no idea. We hoped she would wear something because she has bought Isabel's clothes before. We never know what's going to happen," he said.

Post from earlier this morning follows:

Image via bobster1985 / Creative Commons

The AP reports that Mrs. O is wearing Isabel Toledo, the Cuban-American designer who famously dressed Mrs. O for the Vogue / Calvin Klein fundraiser in June 2008. In an October interview with the New York Daily News, Toledo revealed that she had designed several more ensembles for Mrs. O. We find it interesting that both last night and this morning Mrs. O has chosen yellow, a color which until now we haven't frequently seen in Mrs. O's wardrobe (save for her appearance in head to toe J.Crew on The Tonight Show).

In December 2008 Pantone named Mimosa the color of 2009, a color that "embodies hopefulness and reassurance in a climate of change". Is Mrs. O's favor for the color, perhaps, her way of projecting optimism? Cathy Horyn to the rescue. In a New York Times blog post, the journalist reports that not until this morning did designer Isabel Toledo know Mrs. O would wear the lemongrass-yellow coat and matching dress. "We're all up here watching the T.V.," the designer said in a photo interview from her New York studio. "It's great. We're so happy." Horyn writes that the coat and dress are made of Swiss wool lace, backed with netting for warmth and lined in French silk. "I wanted to pick a very optimistic color, that had sunshine," Toledo said. "I wanted her to feel charmed, and in that way would charm everybody."

In Uplifting (J. Crew) Fashion

Photo by Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

For tonight's "Kids' Inaugural: We Are the Future" concert, Mrs. O again dazzled in true First Lady style. The colors of the night were blue and yellow, a palette that exuded much needed optimism.  Mrs. O's message? In keeping with the theme of National Service Day she told her youthful audience: "You kids are the future of this great nation. We need every American to serve their community, including our young people."

Wearing a silver blue metallic lace shell paired with a sky blue pencil skirt, Mrs. O kept her look young and fresh by adding a canary yellow cardigan into the mix. An elastic belt cinched her waist, closed by a distinctive (and familiar) enamel buckle. Again recycling accessories, Mrs. O wore a set of diamond bangle bracelets we recognized from election night; and might her drop earrings have been the work of Loree Rodkin for a second night running? For a full view of Mrs. O's outfit, click here and here. T

onight's ensemble was feminine, while full of unexpected pairings - and for both of these things, thoroughly modern. By our account, this is already an inauguration for the ages, style and otherwise. Needless to say, we look forward to tomorrow immensely.

Update: For Monday night's "Kids Inaugural" concert, Mrs. O turned to chic and affordable retailer J. Crew for her wardrobe. Mrs. O wore a classic olive cashmere cardigan over a French metallic lace shell with a deep blue wool serve pencil skirt (the shirt and shell were lined in silk charmeuse). The ensemble was specially designed for Mrs. O, but highlights will appear in the Fall 2009 J. Crew collection.

A sketch of the J. Crew design: 

A Casual Take on the Yellow Cardigan

Photo used with kind permission from photographer Brian Bjolin

On a warm Fall weekend in central Ohio, Mrs. O again wore J. Crew's Crystal-button colorblock cardigan in Silver Honey. A nod to the cardigan's versatility, Mrs. O wears it here as part of a more dressed down ensemble paired with a white tee and azure blue jeans. A trio of yellow and blue beaded pins pulls the look together and adds a personal Mrs. O touch.

Photo used with kind permission from photographer Mike Doel

We were a fan of this cardigan when Mrs. O wore it on The Tonight Show last Monday and love it again here. Dressed up or down, yellow is a fantastic color on her. And at the risk of reading too much into the ensemble, we can't help but feel the choice of color reflects Mrs. O's mood: bright and optimistic.

Date: November 2, 2008

Venue: Campaign rally, Ohio Statehouse, Columbus, OH

J. Crew x Two

Photo credit: Flickr user Barack Obama // Creative Commons

One J. Crew ensemble certainly has elicited much excitement. Following Mrs. O's Tonight Show appearance, the media is having a heyday, J. Crew sales are soaring and jcrew.com even has a page dedicated to the full ensemble. We love it! Who can forget the frenzy around the now famous Donna Ricco dress from White House Black Market that Mrs. O wore to co-host The View? As such, it shouldn't come as a complete surprise that this ensemble has garnered so much attention.

As if this wasn't enough good news for J. Crew, what did Mrs. O wear the day following her Tonight Show appearance? More J. Crew. Seen above at a New Mexico rally, Mrs. O wears J. Crew's Sketchbook roses Belle skirt paired with a purple cotton cardigan and violet shell. In fact, we've seen this skirt once before. Mrs. O wore it on October 7 while campaigning in North Carolina.

Date: October 28, 2008

Venue: Campaign rally, Las Vegas, NM and Sante Fe, NM