Thank you!

Images by Jessica Rupnik / Bloomingdale's

Image by Miranda Kendrick / Mrs-O.org

Thank you to everyone who made it out to Bloomingdale's in New York City last Friday evening for the "Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy" book signing. It was an absolute pleasure to meet so many of you, including the fabulous OperaFanatic and Bevi, among others.

Peter Soronen was on hand to sign books, and to answer questions about the now famous red dress worn by the first lady. We had no idea Mrs. O would wear another of his stunning gowns just a few days later!

I would also like to thank everyone at Bloomingdale's who made this event possible, Peter Soronen for participating (and for my own gorgeous dress!), and Glaceau smartwater for providing ice cold water for our refreshment. I am grateful to everyone involved!

P.S. The Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum has posted a video of my Q&A with designer Maria Pinto from early November. You can have a peek here. (Please excuse my rather nervous, eyes-on-notecards introduction).

State Dinner Preview

Image by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images

For the State Dinner preview this afternoon, Mrs. O changed ensembles, rewearing her J.Crew Crystal constellation cardigan, first seen in London last April, paired with a Rachel Roy "Marble" pencil skirt. The ensemble is cinched at the waist by a wide silver belt, featuring a clear square buckle.

To note, Rachel Roy is an Indian-American designer - a thoughtful sartorial choice by Mrs. O, likely in reference to the cultural heritage of the guests of honor. Mrs. O has worn one of Rachel Roy's dresses before, choosing the Reid dress, seen here, for a California conference earlier this year. Might Ms. Roy be a contender for this evening?

For those who love Mrs. O's sparkle, J.Crew recently introduced a cardigan similar to the one Mrs. O wears above. The Shimmering constellation cardigan is available here.

Update: A full transcript of Mrs. O's speech from the event was released later in the day and can be read here. Of note, 50 area school children, who take part in the White House Leadership and Mentoring Program, were invited to the White House to attend the state dinner preview. Lucky young women!

Lovely Ruffles

Image by Tim Sloan / Getty Images

First Lady Mrs. O is in Alexandria, VA today visiting the vegetable garden of a Virginia elementary school. Per the AP, Mrs. O handed out bananas and tangerines during the school's lunch hour, while receiving a few gardening tips from students - all part of Mrs. O's ongoing efforts to promote healthy eating and exercise.

On the style front, we can hardly believe our eyes! Mrs. O is wearing a ruffled, olive green blouse from J.Crew. Fitting with operafanatic's new thread on O.Chat, "I Own the Same Thing", we have the same blouse in the same color - and in fact, wore it to J.Crew when interviewing Creative Director Jenna Lyons for the Mrs. O book.

Mrs. O Rewears, Remixes Her J.Crew

Photo by Kevin Lamarque / Reuters Images

First Lady Mrs. O is hosting a women's health care event at the White House today, and for the occasion, is rewearing the famed J.Crew ensemble she first debuted on the Tonight Show in October 2008.

The November 2009 rendition of the ensemble includes a cut-out statement belt - definitely a hot item in Mrs. O's wardrobe as of late - and a sleek updo. Though we assume it's a coincidence, we cannot help but observe the remarkable color coordination with the golden yellow drapes in the background.

Click here to read the first lady's remarks from the event (it seems Mrs. O has a cold!). And apologies to those who commented earlier. We somehow deleted our first version of this post!

Marking Veterans Day

Image by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

In honor of Veterans Day, First Lady Mrs. O has joined the Bidens and President O for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Mrs. O is wearing a blue tweed overcoat from J.Crew, last seen in January 2009, belted at the waist for this occasion. We are intrigued by the dress underneath. Might it be the teal Maria Pinto dress worn for the DNC in August 2008?

Update:

Image via PRNewsFoto/THE HISTORY CHANNEL, Pete Souza

Also today, President O and First Lady Mrs. O posed with veterans taking part in the History Channel's "Take a Veteran to School Day." Sans coat, we can see that Mrs. O was in fact wearing her teal Maria Pinto frock from the 2008 DNC.