The BSU Fashionista Diaries

"Michelle Obama: A First Lady Fashionista"

By: Nikki Osei

          Hello once again! I hope that all is well and that you are maintaining your flawlessly fabulous fashionista/fellow status. Unless you reside under a rock, you are aware of the historical event that took place on November 4, 2008. Barack Obama has been elected as the 44^th President of the United States and is the first African American to occupy this powerful position. I hope that you participated and cast your vote. I put on my election day fit which consisted of a burgundy dress, navy lace leggings, navy patent platforms, and a burgundy and navy fringe scarf and made my way to the polls to make my contribution to history. Anyway, with the election of a new President, comes a new First Lady, whom we all know as the beautiful, classy, and educated Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama epitomizes the flawlessly fabulous fashionista and not since Jackie Kennedy have we recognized a First Lady as a fashion icon.

            Gone are the days of the stuffy "First Lady Suit" complete with matching hat, as Michelle Obama has arrived and single handedly revamped the style of the First Lady forever. Michelle exudes confidence, classiness, style, and grace by donning simple knee length; figure-accentuating sheath dresses in amazing hues. Michelle's signature style can be summed up as, "brooches, pins and down-to-earth affordable pieces". 

     The First Lady-elect favors bold jewel tones, tailored fashionable suits, bell and quarter length sleeves, cardigans, ruffle shirts, cinched waists, pencil and full skirts, and simple jewelry. This is reflected in her wardrobe selections, for example, the teal knee-length sheath dress (she added a brooch for pizzazz) from Chicago designer Maria Pinto. She loves color, patterns, and prints; all the things I heart! Michelle's favorite designers include Thakoon and Maria Pinto (as I stated earlier). Despite the Obama family's affluence, Michelle hearts affordable clothing from J Crew and H&M (great minds think alike!). Hopefully, she will incorporate pieces from African American designers like Tracy Reese and Kevan Hall.

     Never is Michelle spotted looking frowzy. (We will overlook Election morning). When President-elect Obama accepted the Democratic Presidential Nomination, Michelle wore a Mario Pinto purple sheath, with a black Azzedine Alaia belt, and her signature bob. To visit The View, Michele wore a $149 White House|Black Market dress, which sold out at all stores within 24 hours! Our First Lady-elect has mastered the art of mixing cheap and pricey pieces with the end result being chic. Oscar De La Renta has been the designer of choice for preceding First Ladies and it is refreshing to see other designers showcased in the White House.

            As we all know, no fashionista is exempt from a faux fabulous moment and unfortunately Michelle Obama's came on the night of the election. Say what you may, the dress Michelle opted to wear was absolutely frightful! I recall being overwhelmed with emotion as the soon-to-be first family graced the stage and thinking how beautiful they looked, what a positive example of not just an African American family, but an American family they were, and then thinking what the hell is Michelle wearing! My phone immediately began ringing off the hook, with countless people sharing my dismay about the First Lady-elects dress selection.

     The Narciso Rodriguez, black and red embroidered silk chiffon and black satin dress came from the 2009 Spring Runway show. It was reinterpreted to be more suitable for the occasions. The Narciso Rodriguez creation was disliked by 65% of people polled and was referred to as, "a bizarre dress that looked more like a Halloween costume than an election night frock" and I could not concur more! It looked like someone shot her with a red paintball gun or she had red lightening bolts painted across the dress and the black satin criss-cross cummerbund was beyond unflattering! I hate to "fuego" this fit so extensively, but after witnessing successful fit after fit leading up to election night, to say I was disappointed is a severe understatement! I was expecting her to shut it down not make me want to shut my eyes!

            Fortunately, Michelle quickly redeemed herself when she and President elect Obama visited the White House wearing a coral Maria Pinto, form fitting sheath dress, which featured three quarter length sleeves, an empire waist, and high pleated neckline accessorizing with gold accessories and red patent leather heels. On a dinner date November 8, Michelle was chic in head-to-toe black wearing a lovely wool, swing coat, with what appeared to be tulle peaking from beneath it, black calf length, kitten heeled boots, a black leather bag with gold hardware, with her hair pulled away from her face looking simply stunning (President-elect Obama looked quite dapper as well, as usual).

      So I forgive you Michelle, for your one fashion misstep. Just don't let it happen again! Lol!  BTW Michelle stays away from towering 6-inch Louboutin heels, and opts for shiny black or silver flats or a heel no taller than 3 inches. For me the taller the heel the better, but perhaps I may incorporate flats into my wardrobe every blue moon in Michelle Obama's honor.

            Our future first lady exudes class and a distinct sense of style. Fashion aside, she has made significant contributions to society and will continue to in years to come. Some may think that when speaking of the first family, fashion should be irrelevant, however this is a fashion column and this is my way of meshing fashion and politics. Furthermore, if First Lady fashions were deemed trivial, there would be fewer blogs and articles devoted to the topic. I know that secretly, you are just as anxious as I to see the inauguration dress! So If you know still know zilch about Michelle Obama (sad, learn something; knowledge is power), you are now aware that through her fashion sense she reiterates that, "a lady should always be classy and fabulous".