Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Neighborhood Inaugural Ball 2009 - The POTUS and First Lady

A few posters on The Fashion Spot have speculated that she is wearing a design by Jason Wu. Here is the unembellished version of one of his recent designs (worn by the model with horrible shoes):



I guessed correctly that Mrs. O would go for a strapless number to show off those arms but I am surprised by the embellishments on the gown. I thought she's go for something simple and off-set it with accessories so her choice here is a pleasant surprise. Although personally, I prefer the feather free version above, I think she looks just as elegant as can be.

It seems everyone in the fashion industry has been waiting with baited breath to see this dress. It's funny to me that so many people seem to be pinning the future of the American fashion industry on Michelle when so many of those same people have largely disregarded the diversity and influence of "black style" in general.

So your turn, what do you think of the gown? Is they hype over Michelle's clothing gone too far? How much are you influence by "celebrity" style?

S: Reuters, AP, Corbis, Yahoo, Google, LSA

15 comments:

Unknown said...

i love reading your blog and hoped you would have a post on "the gown". Mrs. O's choice was a good one because it gave her an opportunity to be both elegant and youthful.

The embellishments were tasteful and gave the dress a three dimension quality that was easier to register on TV and for those who were far away in the crowd.

Jill Biden looked great too. Here gown was more traditional and what I would expect for a D.C. formal event.

B said...

I agree Talya - Jill looked great too! I loved her red dress.

Anonymous said...

I do think all these talk about Michelle's dresses is going out of control. She's a first lady, not a "Celebrity". If she wanted to sit and be pretty like Jackie Kennedy, she wouldn't have been at the forefront of her husband's campaign ( No offense to Jackie K.) The truth of the matter is Michelle is no Jackie Kennedy, which is a good thing because she is MICHELLE OBAMA, a great woman in her own right. Bloggers like perezhilton are already ripping her for her style choices. And then people wonder why Bush was able to deceive Americans so many times. Good grief!

Anonymous said...

I was surprised by how flow-y and almost kind of princess-y the dress was...I thought she would have gone for something more structured. But it looked amazing on her, the one-shoulder thing looked really cool and gave it a bit of edge. I also thought she would have done a more minimalist look...but all the extra stuff was very subdued, you almost couldn't see it until you looked closer. She looked stunning. Really lovely, interesting choices.

Project Christopher said...

It's been interesting to watch the reactions to the ball gown Michelle wore. I haven't heard anyone (yet) come right out and criticize it (not that they should) but some have delicately said that they had hoped for more. Not sure what that is, but Michelle is one of those that could wear a potato sack and it would look stunning. The girls looked very cute as well! Gorgeous family!

Anonymous said...

She definitely did not go the traditional route and did not wear what she was expected, and i love that. I praise her for giving American designers below the radar a chance to shine and grow their business too. to me she looked modern, and strikingly beautiful.

She definitely is striking a cord int he haters though, that's for sure.

SAJ said...

I've heard so many folks say how much they hated the dress. I for one loved it. I thought it was very pretty and flattering (alot of my friends say it did not fit her well). I wish she would have put her hair up but I guess there was no time. Either way she looked amazing!

BTW this is my first time on your blog and I love it! I will be back.

Lenoxave said...

I don't do too much commenting on her wardrobe. She's The First Lady and much more than what she wears. I thought the dress looked lovely on her.

Would I wear it? No. Would I have chosen it for her? No. But then, I am not Michelle Obama and wish more ppl would respect the fact that she is not some mannequin & stop reducing her to "celebrity".

Good point about all those in the Fashion Industry who see her as some trendster when these same folk have no love for Negro's on the runway. Funny isn't it?

Anonymous said...

She looked fine, but time will tell whether her style can influence others. I suspect that people will copy specific outfits rather than her overall aesthetic. Who cares what Perez Hilton thinks? I could think of many ways to dis that guy's attire. The fashion industry puts pressure on all first ladies, especially if they're as vibrant as Mrs. Obama. We should be asking whether she'll influence diversity in the industry, as much as designers' and consumers' copycat habits.

Unknown said...

she is very tall.

i think they like each other a lot, and make it clear that parents in african american marriages can be committed to a romantic partnership, friendship, and adoration. not that it was ever any doubt. my parents are the same way. i am getting to see an image of african americans couples in the media removed of the negative stereotypes built on a history of families and marriages that were purposefully destroyed. moreover, a real one, in which the partners are not fictional characters. and for all that that means to me, anything either of them had chosen to wear would have been wonderful. i look at them for inspiration about who i can be, not for what to wear.

Anonymous said...

Rumors abound that she'll be on the cover of Vogue.

B said...

@Anon - I've heard that she'll be on the March cover but we'll have to wait and see if it's true.

Shell said...

I loved her gown. Romantic and lush.

Kwana said...

I loved the gown and thought that going more romantic was a bold choice for her. I applaud that. I says she will not stay in whatever box the media tries to put her in. The dress was romantic but in some ways reminded me of the Statue of Liberty. I'm not all the influenced my celebrity fashion but I can see being influenced my her. It's more of an elegance that I admire.

Black Girl said...

... i WISH i had a body like hers!!! those arms are amazing!