Elegance Epitomized

Photo by Getty Images / Pool 

President Mr. O and First Lady Mrs. O hosted a celebration of country music in the East Room of the White House this evening, including performances from Charley Pride, Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss and Union Station.

Mrs. O has absolutely wowed in her white summer dress. She looks every bit the part of a modern first lady - and we do love the soft swept updo (or is it a new cut?). What does everyone think? More fabulous photos here and here.

Update #1: Mrs. O wears a dress by Michael Kors, in embroidered white cotton batiste.  

Update #2: InStyle has confirmed that Mrs. O's 'do is simply that, not a new haircut. Click here to read. More detail from Johnny Wright here.

Veiled in Moschino

 Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

First lady Mrs. O joined the president to meet Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican today, wearing a black organza bow top, black crepe skirt and black silk veil, all by Moschino. The Italian label Moschino is one of the first lady's favorites, but the choice appears very thoughtfully chosen for this historic meeting. Mrs. O added a touch of American fashion to the ensemble, topping her look with a classic Michael Kors black wool crepe coat.

Pretty in Peach

Photo by Stringer / AFP / Getty 

The Os have deplaned in Moscow and Mrs. O is wearing a lovely peach ensemble, reminiscent of her white ensemble worn on D-day, and belt at the waist with a Sonia Rykiel belt. More to follow.

Update #1: Mrs. O wears a Narciso Rodriguez dress, paired with a Michael Kors collarless coat, both in a peachy coral hue. The first lady wore a similar combination from the same designers in white when she visted France last month.

Update #2: The little Os both wear J.Crew -- Malia wears a silk taffeta trench and satin ballet flats by J.Crew, while Sasha wears a twill trench and flats by crewcuts.

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.

Scenes from Paris

We find the White House Flickr stream to be a delight! These photos are just-in from the Os trip to Paris.

June 6:The Os visit the Centre Pompidou modern art museum in Paris. We love the dash of zebra print on Mrs. O's top.

Official White House photo by Pete Souza

June 6: Miss Sasha O lights a candle inside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, as her sister and parents watch.

Official White House photo by Pete Souza

June 6: Mrs. O, in a white Narciso Rodriguez dress, Michael Kors coat and Givenchy belt, greets Ms. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy in Dior in Caen, France.

Official White House photo by Pete Souza