Tuesday
May052009
Feith Redux
Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 6:50 PM 
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Mrs. O is in New York today, where she spoke at the United Nations.
U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice introduced the First Lady by saying, "You insist on reminding people that your extraordinary life is rooted in the ordinary women that surrounded you. We love your style, your warmth, your brilliance."
For the event, Mrs. O wore a Tracy Feith dress, with fitted bodice and full skirt; the dress was last worn for the National Prayer Service following the Inauguration. The printed fabric, depicting cranes nestled among Asian flowers, is produced by Kona Bay, a Hawaii based fabric company. 
Image via Kona Bay Fabrics
tagged Tracy Feith in Outfits
Tracy Feith in Outfits
Reader Comments (95)
Its just the text mimi if your saying you can't see a video.
Leah D,
Some person on Twitter said she was wearing a black boatneck dress..sounds interesting. I cant wait to see the pics for myself.
Also her and Elisabeth Hasselbeck are at the same table..lol
THX Jay. I got excited for a moment. I thought it was the video. Well, I guess I'll have to be patient
OMG! She is stunning tonight everyone! Just beautiful! Pictures up at getty. One of my favorite looks so far! WOW! Michelle does evening wear so well....in Chicago it was the same thing. The woman is fierce.
Oh poor michelle, Beth will blab everything on the view in her snide way.
The waist on this dress is amazing!!! Perfect and form fitting! Go Michelle---I'm about to pop a blood vessel--LOL
Michelle Looks phenomenal at the gala:
www(dot)gettyimages(dot)com/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=2&language=en-US&family=editorial&p=michelle%20obama&assetType=image&src=quick#1
Scoll down the page
YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhh stunning
just saw the pics from the time gala and wow! this is a new silhouette for her and she wears it well. love the nipped in waist and the pulled back hair.
WOW!! she looks fantastic. I love her hair.
I have a feeling the retread dress was so she could come out looking stunning without the "cost mafia" nipping at her heels.
Mrs. T,
My computer is locking up and I can't post pictures right now...please post Mrs. O's gown tonight before I have a coronary....this is what I've been waiting for alllllll day!
WOW!! she looks fantastic. I love her hair.
I have a feeling the retread dress was so she could come out looking stunning without the mafia nipping at her heels.
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//090504/ids_photos_ts/r2910754629.jpg/#photoViewer=/090506/482/ab7d2bba9c264360b4f79c29e0f16dd6
Simply fabulous!
indeed mrs o. does look fabulous tonight! i soooooooooo love da dress.. now i can finally write my paper..
WOW - that black dress is awesome!
Janet, finals here too (lol)I finally concentrate on my philosophy paper
I love the hair...Mrs. O is FIERCE!
I love the necklaces. Usually one would wear diamonds or something glittery. This is why she is so much fun to watch and her look can applied to my low budget Marshalls/Target JCPEnny 60% off sale wardrobe.
JoJo... wow... really?!? This mid 20's lady is also a Dr with a lot of attorney friends. We're not dressing like some raunchy college students. I said that to say, she dresses more youthful and not like some of those matronly 1st ladies of the past! Who wants to really look their true age...ever?!? I don't want her to ever start dressing like that 40 something FL that you deem appropriate. Other FL of the past have dressed in that uniform, and they didn't have a fashion blog, now did they?!?
I'm so doing my hair like her tommorow. Thats the look Ive been trying to do.
New photo from the Time Magazine gala is up!
new thread up---come on over....
She has NEVER looked lovelier. She is absolutely stunning!!!! and the new up do is I so so so beautiful
Ya know, I always thought I was opinionated, but I've gotten a new perspective of myself from this blog. LOL. I'm happy to see that I'm not as unrelenting in my judgmental streak as I thought.
@Christina - It's great that you got your cardigan today too! It is perfect for this finicky weather.
This is not one of my favorite looks....i think its the fabric (but as long as she likes it, who cares what i think right?)
The detail is gorgeous. I'm surprised to see the print on a dress; yet think it is quite lovely nonetheless. Of course, Mrs. O. always looks lovely! :)
http://cafefashionista.blogspot.com
Ha. Found it. Thank you, thank you.
It's KB Emperor collection II in black. Man. It's a 15 yard minimum. That's a dress, a quilt and I don't know what else. At at $10 a yard that's $150.00. Not sure I want an entire bolt of the stuff.
Bingo. Most places were selling it by the 24 inch panel. Found yardage. Going to make my own dress. Not quite like Mrs. O. More my own style. But I love this border print.
http://www.quiltedfox.com/fabrico27.htm
I've used Kona Bay fabrics for quilting before. They are first class quality. It's expensive so I don't buy a lot. But I covet that Nobu Fuyama Koi collection. In purple. Yowza.
Gorgeous, gorgeous print. I loved this dress when she wore it before and I'm delighted to see it again!
You can see some details here:
http://www.25park.com/okayama-s-garden-dress.html#
The print is different but it's the same dress.
It has a back zipper.
Hated this dress then, hate it now. Sorry, Michelle. But you redeemed yourself later, so I am OK with you.
like this dress much more now, now that i know the symbolism and have seen a print of the fabric - wonder if the asian flower pictured is a depiction of bougaenvilla ? (don't know if i spelt that right)
This dress, in all its chinoiserie splendor, to me says Michelle is a free thinker. The dress seems to tell a story with its mythical landscape made dynamic by the black background. I hope she wears this dress until the seams fall apart.
I adored this dress at the Prayer event, what I could see of it in photos at the time. To see it again, and that closeup of the fabric, oh my goodness. I just love it. And so appropriate for the UN.
At that event in January, when she wasn't wearing the stock Washington suit and pearls I knew we were in for a wonderful ride! And yes, let it be thousands of days.
Hi anupama -- the flower depicted in the print is a wisteria, which are lovely and starting to bloom where I live.
Yup, the wisteria is just starting to pop here too Christina. I liked this dress the first time out and I like it now. I was surprised by it that first day - I think I was thinking there would be something more formal for that service, but then I liked it as it set the tone for what was to come. Practical, pretty, smart, inspiring NO SUIT, professional dressing.
She usually gets it right, but every now and then, it's ok to take a misstep. Unfortunately, this seems to be one of those times. Yeah, not feelin' this one.
I don't like this outfit really. Thanks for the closeup though, because I really like the fabric & print now. I just think the designer could have come up with something better. Or maybe it just doesn't fit her? I don't know I'm having a hard time loving this.
So glad she went to NY though, we forget that the folks working at the UN are doing valuable work. Eh we forget they're also part of government. So glad Mrs. O is putting them at the forefront!
I think one of the things that throws our eyes off with this dress is the border print. You don't see a lot of border prints off the rack in the U.S. It's either a solid or a print. Or some sort of symetrical all over pattern. Border prints, not so much.
It was the first thing that caught my eye. The second was the color; the lavendars, teals popping on a black background. And I love the asian styling of the cranes and wisteria in the clouds.
This is an homage to the 50s look with a full skirt and fitted top. I like it more whenever I see it. The pleating around the neck gives it a more contemporary look.
I haven't decided what to do with my fabric when it arrives yet. But I do have a skirt pattern with a gathered cumberbund waistband that would be perfect. Or I may make another skirt and just do the cumberbund as removeable. I also have a blouse pattern I can make with longer sleeves and a deeper neckline that would mimic the top. I'll probably do mine with buttons down the front, though. Not into zipping up the back any more.
If my car sells, that koi fabric is going on my "wishlist".
thanks very much for your response, christina and posh tater - must remember to pick up some bulbs/seeds of wisteria next time i travel
sorry for not responding earlier - like just about everyone else on this site, i was caught up in admiring mrs.o's black gown for the TIME event, on the respective discussion thread
Wisteria is invasive. If you don't want it spreading in your yard, plant it in a large pot next to some sort of trellis to support it. Or put a large plastic pot in the ground to keep it from spreading.
My Kona Bay fabric arrive today. Absolutely stunningly fabulous pattern. And fabric is a really high quality cotton with a lovely hand.
I love Michele in almost everything she wears. This is not one of them. I love the fabric but would have like a different design. For someone as tall as she is, a full skirt detracts from those long slender womanly curves she has and seems to chop her in half. I just don't think it flatters her.
I've been thinking about this dress. I'm not that fond of it and, now that I've seen that it's sold as quilting fabric, I understand the fabric a little better.
It's a cute style, but the print is a bit much for it, I think. It would work best in a more simple sheath or in separates like a Hawaiian shirt/sport shirt or as a swing skirt. Actually, it would be good set in panels of a swingy solid color panel-skirt. The design (in a different fabric) would make a fabulous one-piece bathing suit, wouldn't it?
It's available on amazon for about $7.00 a yard in 3 yard chunks. Best price on the web.
http://www.amazon.com/yards-EMPEROR-Cranes-Wisteria-Fabric/dp/B0026C3LUQ/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&m=A1T8JDLB8N80V4&s=generic&qid=1241984505&sr=1-18
I bought it for $5.00 a panel at virginiaquilter.com Kona Bay is great!