Ready to Roll

Photo by Mandel Ngan /AFP/Getty Images

Today marks the 2009 White House Egg Roll, and a myriad of events are being streamed live on Whitehouse.gov. Click here to have a peek. Mrs. O kept things casual for the festive occasion, dressed in a green tie front knit top by Thakoon, yellow cardigan, navy nylon jacket and pale blue cropped pants. The Easter Bunny, it seems, has opted for the same ensemble from years past.

"Our goal today is just to have fun," Mrs. O told the crowd. "We want to focus on activity and healthy eating...We want everyone to think about moving their bodies...to get out and play." A video of the opening remarks and Egg Roll action from Politico:

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.

Leading Ladies

Photo credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Photo credit: Sean Gallup /Getty Images

In their tour of Europe, the Obamas have traveled to Strasbourg, France for the NATO summit. This stop has been one of the most highly anticipated events of the week, as it brings Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and First Lady Mrs. O, two of the stylish women in the world, face to face, ensemble to ensemble. For their first meeting, Mrs. O wears a custom Thakoon Pixelated Floral Silk Jacquard coat with a coordinating, reverse print dress underneath. The transparent trim on the hem and sleeves of the dress is black mesh elastic. Mrs. O paired the look with her signature Jimmy Choo black kitten heels. How interesting that both women have chosen ensembles featuring a tie neck detail - a coincidence, or perhaps a sign that they're stylistically in tune?

Update: By request, here is a fantastic photo of Mrs. O's dress and coat combination in full effect.

Anticipation Reaches Fever Pitch (Updated)

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

With the Obamas scheduled to touch down in London this evening, the eyes of the world are clearly on the outcome of the G20. Yet amidst heated political speculation, Europe’s press are nevertheless finding time to ask, alongside just about every fashionista on the planet: What will Mrs. O be wearing? 

Mrs. O has been a huge hit with the European fashion press. Her fashion-forward approach, her willingness to take risks with her style and her eagerness to embrace designers outside the mainstream have all been lauded by the critics. It's an mark of her extraordinary impact that designers like Maria Pinto, Thakoon, Jason Wu and Maria Cornejo who are not widely available in Europe are nevertheless regularly featured in the style press as faces to watch. Yet if coverage of her Inaugural wardrobe is any barometer, her every G20 ensemble will go far beyond the fashion pages to make front page news around the world.

Commentators usually more at home with foreign policy than frocks will be on the hunt for the “message” implicit in Mrs. O’s style choices. The major UK broadsheets have certainly found time, amidst policy analysis, to ponder the implications of the First Lady’s wardrobe. Among the other logistical hurdles posed by a Presidential visit, The Telegraph noted the challenge of packing “for a first lady who is also an international style icon,” while Rupert Cornwell writing in The Independent observes Mrs. O’s emergence as an international megastar:

"Two months into her husband's term, Michelle is a superstar in her own right. Her every appearance is a major news event; her every move is tracked by an army of bloggers. Her fashions, her hairdos, not to mention her choice of presidential pet, command headlines worthy of Jackie in Camelot's heyday."

Anticipation is further heightened by the fact that Mrs. O will not be the only political spouse on the international stage this week. Fashion journalists are feverishly anticipating the first meeting between Michelle Obama and France’s Premiere Dame, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. While Madame Sarkozy will not be attending the G20, the ladies are scheduled to meet at a European summit on Saturday in what will almost certainly be a meeting of fashion minds. Avid First Lady watchers will remember Carla’s first state visit to Britain, in which the former supermodel dazzled in classic Dior.  Ms. Bruni aside, the world’s most influential political spouses will descend en masse on the UK this week but there is little doubt in anyone’s mind that Mrs. O’s star is shining brightest. To quote The Independent once more:

“The most important person on Mrs. Brown's guest list will be Michelle Obama, the "First Lady of First Ladies." Mrs. O has already scored a diplomatic triumph by securing a personal meeting with the Queen. On Wednesday afternoon – so long as the anarchists haven't forced the Royal Family into hiding – the world's most powerful couple will meet Prince Charles and Camilla before taking tea with Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace. Everyone else will have to content themselves with a brief handshake at an official reception.”

So once again, the eyes of the world are on Mrs. O’s wardrobe, yet we have no doubt she will pull off yet another fashion coup. With her sense of occasion, her eye for detail and her abilty to use her clothing to make subtle personal statements Mrs. O has mastered the fine art of fashion diplomacy. When Mrs. O met HRH will undoubtedly be one of the fashion moments of 2009.  Update: Mrs. O wears a Thakoon custom ivory tulle tweed coat with grosgrain piping. For additional photos, click here (thanks Edwina).

The Dress Before the Dress

Image used with kind permission from warmtofu

Several months ago we came across this photo of Mrs. O, posing with a young supporter at a 2007 campaign fundraiser in California. Initially it was the floral brooch that caught our eye, but the more time we spent with the photo, the more the dress took on a familiar quality - the shape of the neckline and slight volume through the sleeve. And then stirring in the back of our mental Mrs. O fashion library was this passage from the WSJ's (sadly, no longer) Heard on the Runway blog, written in November 2008 about the floral Thakoon dress Mrs. O wore on the final night of the DNC:

"The reverse kimono dress is what the garment industry calls a hot body, meaning it sells so well that a designer makes it for more than one season, often tweaking it by using a new fabric. The silhouette is now the four-year-old Thakoon label’s best-selling style, having sold out in 2007 when it debuted at Bergdorf Goodman."

It made us wonder, could the black crinkled silk cotton dress above, worn a year prior to the DNC, be Thakoon as well?  Once we found this, the final look from Thakoon's Spring 2007 collection, we were almost certain. Besides being a fun Mrs. O fashion fact, it speaks to the First Lady's strong sense of her own style. Clearly Mrs. O was quite fond of the cut, so much so, that she purchased a second dress of the same design in a new, bold print a year later. It also reflects her longstanding patronage of select designers, Thakoon certainly among them. A Thakoon dress similar to that worn by Mrs. O at the DNC is now carried at Kirna Zabete. A back view reveals the crossover v-back detail and tie belt -- the inspiration for the  dress's "reverse kimono" name. Image used with kind permission from Bill Burke / Page One Photography