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....

Earring Sighting

Did anyone else watch the Academy of Country Music Awards last night?  I'll admit it.  I did.  My sister came over to help me hang some new drapes I purchased over the weekend (she didn't end up helping out very much, ahem) and we watched the show.  There wasn't much else on and I we sort of get sucked into those awards shows (and any VH1 countdown ever made) and now that I live in Texas I listen to country music more often and anyways, you know where I'm going with this.  It's a total guilty pleasure.

Well, low and behold, almost 3/4 of the way into the show, Martina McBride came on to perform and what did I see?!  The beautiful Tom Binns earrings from my Opera Ball post a few weeks ago. 

Check 'em out:

Unfortunately, at $450 a pop, I did not order them and now they are sold out.

Chair Envy

I have major chair envy.  My parents are in the process are remodeling their house (for the second time).  Most of the work is superficial: refinishing the wood floors, new carpet, repainting, changing out the door knobs and other fixtures.  It really looks good.  My dad's home office however is getting a full makeover.  They added built in bookcases, recessed lighting, and changed the wall color from a very, very light grey to a dark charcoal color.  It's a total man cave now!  (Sheen would like to make it known that he does not approve of the name "man cave" and does not agree with my assessment, but that is in fact what his office has become.)

The final touch to his new room is the Petrie leather chair from Crate and Barrel. 

I call it his Don Draper chair since it reminds me so much of the mod furniture you see in the offices of Sterling Cooper Draper Price.  The leather is soft and buttery and the perfect shade of camel.  To complete the look, they are going to hang a framed vintage Italian poster behind it.  The actual poster is for ice cream and says, "Rita," which was my grandmother's name, but here are a few examples that are similar:

I'm in love.  My chair envy is out of control.

Opera Ball After Party

One of the things I've done since moving back to Houston is get involved in organizations for young professionals.  I have yet to join the Junior League as is standard protocol for young Houston women like myself, but have joined Ballet Barre, a great organization that was co-founded by my friend Kristy Junco Bradshaw and supports the Houston Ballet.  I also recently signed on as a member of the Host Committee for Encore the after party for the annual Houston Grand Opera Ball. 

I'm so excited for this event.  The dress code is black or white tie for men and long dresses for women.  My coworkers and I scoured the internet looking for dresses and I think I've found the most beautiful dress!

 

The dress was ordered from Nordstrom and should arrive on Thursday.  Keep your fingers crossed that it fits (and looks good)!  In the meantime, I've been busy styling the entire look.  Here is some of my red carpet inspiration:

As for accessories, I've put together a few options.  The first is a little bit rock 'n roll.  It's definitely edgy, but that's sort of why I like it.  It's unexpected, especially for Houston.  You could pull it off with dark nail polish (Wicked from Essie or Lincoln Park After Dark from OPI) and a textured updo. The earrings are Tom Binns and the shoes are Brian Atwood.

 

The second look is more Hollywood glam.  Think french twist and cherry red nail polish--I would go Big Apple Red or Thrill of Brazil from OPI.  The shoes are Jimmy Choo and the earrings are by my cousin Elizabeth Showers.

 

Now I just to pick one and get a tan!

Egg Press

I realize it's been a long time since my last post, but things have been extremely busy.  I'm training for the MS150 and as the race is only a few weeks away, we've increased the distances for our weekend rides.  The benefit is that I've been making a lot of progress in my training.  When I started riding in January it was all I could do to keep up with the guys (and a few girls!) that I ride with.  But yesterday, we did a 50 mile ride to Bellville--a ride I could barely finish in December--and not only did I feel really strong the entire way, I kept up with everyone on the hills.  It was a huge accomplishment.

That being said though, riding for 3+ hours a day really takes it out of you.  When I am home on the weekends, I'm usually napping.  Everything else, including my blogging, has suffered as a consequence.  So let me get you up to speed.  A few weeks ago, I ordered some art for my bedroom.  You see, I inherited from my stepmother Barbara (if in fact you can inherit something from someone with whom you have no actual biological connection) a love of paper products and stationary. 

Barbara is the person who took me to New York for the very first time.  On our itinerary were visits to a number of her favorite stores including Fishs Eddy, a quirky housewares store that sells old restaurant place settings, and Kate's Paperie.  Back then there was only one location--the original near Union Square.  It was an entire store devoted to paper.  When I moved to New York a few years later, I would make trips to Greenwich Letterpress to stock up on birthday cards and thank you notes.  Now that I live in Houston, I like to go to Paper Source in the Highland Village shopping center.  They have an entire wall devoted to greeting cards!

There are a lot of printing methods you can use with paper.  My favorite is letterpress.  It's considered an old school method that was made popular again by Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, which features lots of letterpress wedding invitations.  Egg Press is a company located in Portland, Oregon (where my mom lives, making it all that much more special).  All of the stationary stores mentioned above sell cards from Egg Press.  I think they make the most beautiful cards.  Check out this video, which shows an up-close, behind the scenes view of the design and printing process and captures the sense of fun and creative energy that make up the daily inner workings of Egg Press.

 

Here's a look at the set of 3 posters I ordered.  I'm going to have them framed and hung above my bed.  An appropriate setting for posters that read, "Good morning," and "Good night," no?  I haven't had the framing done yet, but will probably go with something simple like museum white mat and white frame.  It will look great when it's done!

Nate Berkus

My mom was in town a few weeks ago and I took a day off to spend time with her.  While we were getting ready, we had the television tuned to the Today Show.  I watch the Today Show every morning as I get ready for work, but because I have to be at the office at 8:30, I rarely see anything beyond the first hour.  Well, if you watch the entire program, including the final hour with Hoda and Kathy Lee, the latter of which I think really might be crazy, you get to see Nate Berkus's new show.

I'll be honest, I kind of love Nate.  He's super cute (sorry ladies, he's gay), dates a shoe designer (Brian Atwood) and is BFFs with Oprah.  Plus, he has awesome taste when it comes to design.  I've seen clips of him on the Oprah show before.  He's great on television.  He even has a few good things in his line for the Home Shopping Network.

What I really love though is the work he does for his high end interior design clients.  It has a masculine, but refined look to it and it's eclectic, so it feels like it was collected over time.  A few years ago, the Oprah show did a piece on Nate's apartment in the Greenwich Village area of New York City--he also owns a home in his native Chicago.  In typical New York apartment fashion, it's small.  But, I love how he got creative--putting a television in a closet--to make it appear larger than it actually is.  Here are a few pictures:

Academy Awards Recap

I almost missed the Academy Awards since I was in Park City, Utah, this weekend, skiing with friends from college (more on that trip later). We did watch the show, but the drinking game we invented while hanging out in the hot tub apres ski--a chug every time someone thanked the Academy--meant I didn't REALLY watch the Awards until last night when my sister and I played it back on the DVR. What a boring awards show?!  Is it just me, or did it seem like James Franco wanted to be anywhere other than on that stage?  And as for Anne Hathaway, I've always thought she was slightly awkward, but her overt cheerleader act was really unappealing. They should have nixed whatever they had planned and kept Billy Crystal up there forever.

I'm very glad Colin Firth and The King's Speech won so many awards. It was my favorite movie of the year. (And quite frankly, I've had a crush on Colin Firth since he played Mr. Darcy in the six-hour BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.)

As for the red carpet, my best dressed star was Mila Kunis who knocked it out of the park in lavender Elie Saab.

The color and cut of the gown really compliment her shape and coloring. Overall, I've been very impressed by the clothes she's selected for the red carpet. Her Oscars look capped off a great awards season, starting with the green Vera Wang she wore to the Golden Globes. Here are my favorite Mila outfits from the past few months.