Evening Soiree

Photos by Saul Loeb / Getty Images; Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

The President and First Lady attended an official dinner at the National Palace in San Salvador, El Salvador last evening. For the occasion, Mrs. O wore a ivory and gold dress, accessorized with chandelier earrings and pearl bracelets.

Update: Mrs. O wore a gold floral jacquard dress by L'Wren Scott. On the jewelry front, Mrs. O wore crystal chandelier earrings and crystal and pearl bracelets, all by Miriam Haskell.

Mrs. O Wears a L'Wren Scott Jumpsuit

Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Images

First Lady in a jumpsuit? This must be new sartorial ground. Following yesterday's student workshop, Mrs. O attended the White House Music Series event saluting Motown. For the concert, the First Lady wore a black satin and silk taffeta jumpsuit by L'Wren Scott. For inquiring minds, the jumpsuit is look 20 from the designer's Spring 2010 collection, seen here. Cathy Waterman jewelry completed the look.

Moments of Mourning

Images by Alex Wong / Getty Images

The President and First Lady traveled to Arizona this afternoon to attend a memorial event at the University of Arizona Tuscon. As Mrs. O left the White House, she wore a purple tie neck wool coat with black trousers.

Landing in Arizona, the First Lady had changed into a dark plum skirt, black top, L'Wren Scott lace cardigan, low heels and pearls. In the past two days, purple has become the First Lady's color of mourning. As reader "Mademoiselle H" so eloquently put it:

Michelle is so fervent ... full of pain, deeply wounded, deeply hoping. The colour ... conveys something both icy and soft like the bruise, the moral pain. 

While fashion may not seem important in moments such as these, we should be careful not to dismiss it too quickly. The First Lady shows it can be strikingly powerful and full of message.

Happy Hanukkah

Image by Saul Loeb / Getty Images

The President and First Lady hosted a Hanukkah celebration in the East Room of the White House tonight. For the occasion, Mrs. O wore a blue sequin cardigan by L'Wren Scott, seen here, embellished with a vintage brooch at the collar. Gorgeous!

Mrs. O in Harper's Bazaar

Image by Jason Schmidt 

The November issue of Harper's Bazaar includes a feature story on the first lady, "Michelle Obama: America's Got Talent". While Mrs. O has been most vocal about her "Let's Move" campaign in recent media interviews, this story delves into the first lady's ambition to celebrate American art and culture at the White House, including, most recently, the White House Dance Series. For the full article, click here.

While the interview does not focus on fashion, Mrs. O does reveal one style secret, referencing her bright blue heels paired with a raspberry L'Wren Scott sheath dress: "Well, you've got to get a color pop."