Obama Mama

This weekend someone asked me what I thought of Michelle Obama's wardrobe.  Interestingly enough, this is something I have thought about before.  The media likes to make a big deal out of the first lady's clothing choices.  I'm sure it's partly because after 8 years of looking at Laura Bush's tasteful yet conservative (and frankly a little too "lady who lunches") clothing choices, they were excited to have a first lady who is young and therefore dresses youthfully.  I'm also sure it was partly because they just got sick and tired of talking about the financial crisis and what better to divert your attention away from fiscal disaster than the pretty (and very colorful) clothing choices of the first lady, America's equivalent to Great Britain's royal family.

Now, I bet if you asked Michelle Obama about her wardrobe, she would tell you that 1) she's only marginally interested in fashion, 2) she doesn't really have time to shop and 3) that while she's flattered people are interested in her clothing selections and she's happy she can help support the American fashion industry, she really wishes people wouldn't make such a big deal about the whole thing.  But people do.  They blog about its importance.  They take polls on whether or not she should wear shorts.  My favorite magazine, New York, even has a Look Book chronically her daily choices.  Want to look like Michelle Obama?  Check out where you can buy her latest Tracy Reese!

So what do I think?

I think she's a savvy woman who realized very early on during the election that her clothing choices do in fact matter.  By wearing a $48 GAP dress to a political fundraiser in Iowa, she sends confirms the campaign message that she is "just like us."  And by choosing a "pretty" GAP dress, she tells people that she likes to look good, but she doesn't want to spend a lot of money doing it.  (Interestingly enough, she wears very few pant suits, the Washington power outfit of choice and one of Hillary's favorites.  Perhaps this is to lessen the image of her as a Harvard educated lawyer/businesswoman?  The more feminine dresses she usually wears conjure a 1950s suburban housewife image, an image the folks running the re-election campaign are probably eager to use to their advantage in the swing states in middle America.)

There is a business side to it as well.  As the saying goes, "all press is good press."  The media coverage of her clothing choices does provide significant free press for the designers who create her outfits.  Case in point: her selection of a Jason Wu dress for the Inauguration catapulted the young American designer, who was well known in the fashion world, but not necessarily recognized by mainstream America, to fame.  The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) publicly stated its disappointment when she wore Alexander McQueen, a British designer, to a state dinner at the White House.

All that being said though, in general I like what she wears.  She doesn't always get it right.  Check out these misses.

And what was she thinking with these shoes?

More often than not, though, she looks great.  She does best in bright colors and full skirts.  Here are some of my favorites:

For evening:

Check out how she holds her own with Queen Rania of Jordan and Carla Bruni, two of the world's most fashionable women.

Kate Middleton Look Book coming soon....