Thursday 22 January 2009

Mr and Mrs O


What a fantastic week it has been and it is not even over yet. The last few days has made me feel inspired, hopeful and most of all proud. Barack and Michelle Obama have become the first couple of The White House and exemplified that America have come a very long way since the end of slavery in 1865. With Barack we have  found a powerful orator who possess wonderful leadership skills and with Michelle we have someone who combines intelligence with charm and style. Since Obama's victory last October there has been a lot of talk about what Michelle would wear for the inauguration. People even went as far as to design mock ups of various outfits. She went for a gorgeous yellow gold sheath dress suit set off by cute Jimmy Choo brown heels. For the evening ball she chose a sumptuous white one shoulder gown designed by up and coming designer, Jason Wu. She looked like a graceful swan as she glided around the dance floor with hubby Barack. As awesome as the evening gown was it was the outfit that she wore during the day that stood out for me. Standing by your husband as he is sworn in as President of the most powerful country in the world is a momentous occasion of massive proportions and aside from your wedding day and birth of your children, there is no day bigger than that. So the outfit had to be sombre enough for the occasion but funky enough to reflect the Obama spark. By god she nailed it. That suit was perfect in every way - the cut, length and the colour made her look so vibrant and made her sparkle. 

The outfit was designed by Isabel Toledo, I don't know much about her (I am sure that will change) aside from the fact that she used to be Creative Director of Anne Klein. She is also married to artist, Ruben Toledo who created the wonderful illustrations in The Little Black Book of Style by Project Runway's, Nina Garcia - read my blog entry about it here. The Cuban born couple often collaborate on projects together and in 2005 they won the prestigious Cooper-Hewitt Design Award for their work in fashion. So this week has been special in many ways - the election of America's first Black President and the unveiling of two brilliant couples. 

3 cool comments:

ShonaVixen said...

The First Lady certainly did nail it!!!Loved both outfits...gosh she's just FAB!!!

Kwana said...

I am beyond words at this point over the new First Family. I'm overjoyed. Michelle is our Jackie O. Loved both outfits. The green gloves were the topper for me. I'm filled with so much pride.

Anonymous said...

I've been on a high all week, and I really love The First Lady's fashion choices. And the kids looks so polished as well in their very sweet and age-appropriate winter coats with matching satin ribbons.

Also - I LOVED Aretha's pillbox hat with the enormous diamante bow. RESPECT! XX