The Best of 2009
Friday, January 1, 2010 at 9:38 PM Before the clock strikes midnight and this officially becomes the second day of 2010, I wanted to take a look back through 2009 to highlight a few favorite Mrs. O ensembles of the year. With my top five outlined below, I'd also love to hear your favorite picks.
#1 Orange gold Rodarte dress in Copenhagen worn with a trio of vintage brooches / October 1, 2009
While the Olympic bid for Chicago was not a success, the trip to Copenhagen did bring one of Mrs. O's most stunning style moments of the year. The first lady has improved perceptions of American culture abroad, in part, by projecting elegance and sophistication through her style. It is a powerful, smart use of fashion, purely embodied through the Rodarte dress and vintage pins below, worn as Mrs. O represented the United States on a world stage in Copenhagen.
Photos by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
#2 Peter Soronen Twilight Gown paired with a Tom Binns necklace for the National Governors' Association Dinner / February 22, 2009
The National Governors' Association Dinner happened to fall on the same night as the Oscars, and as one flicked from TV to laptop screen, it was hard to remember which was which. Mrs. O looked unlike any first lady had looked before in her sequined Peter Soronen corset gown, accessorized with ropes of crystals and pearls by Tom Binns. It was the perfect union of classic glamour and modern edge, and certainly one of the most exciting looks of the year.
Photo credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
#3 Isabel Toledo lemongrass dress and coat chosen for the inauguration / January 20, 2009
Many Americans were introduced to Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo on January 20, enchanted by her inaugural creation for our new first lady. Amidst a sea of navy and black wool winter coats, the eye was instantly drawn to Mrs. O's bold lemongrass hue, which projected an optimistic mood on the cold winter morning.
The ensemble in its entirety is an example of classic Mrs. O style. With the Isabel Toledo dress and coat, Mrs. O wore a Nina Ricci cardigan, a vintage pin from the Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection at the collar, green Jimmy Choo heels and J.Crew leather gloves -- a mix of price points and aesthetics, and a fresh play on color.
Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images
#4 Alaia dress worn for American Ballet Opening Night Spring Gala in New York City / May 18, 2009
Throughout the year, we saw the first lady embrace a wide range of fashion talent -- young, up and comers; established, mainstream labels; and a handful of lesser known, semi-couturiers. Significant among those is Azzedine Alaia, who has been described as the "last true couturier." Mrs. O publicly wore Alaia for the first time during the G-20 and NATO summits overseas in April. Soon following, she chose this frock, said to have been a long-time favorite in her closet, to wear to the American Ballet Opening in New York. The touch of sparkle and structured construction made it one of the best looks of the year.
Image via a kind, anonymous friend
#5 Violet Jason Wu dress with french knot embroidery, worn for a White House kitchen event / February 23, 2009
When seen from afar, one might perceive a simple, printed cocktail dress in this Jason Wu frock. But viewed up close, we discover thousand of hand embroidered knots, clustered in florets to create the pattern on the backdrop of violet fabric. As we whiz through glossy magazine pages, it's often easy to overlook the fine craftsmanship that goes into beautiful dresses. But we see a prime example of it here, offering an entirely new, substantive dimension to following the first lady's style.
White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian
Alaia, Isabel Toledo, J.Crew, Jason Wu, Peter Soronen, Rodarte, Tom Binns
Reader Comments (81)
The featured outfits were nice. However, some of my favorites were the black Michael Kors sheath chosen for the official portrait and the red De La Renta dress worn a few months back. I feel that the sheath dresses work best for Mrs. Obama's figure.
One of my favorite looks was the black dress with the corset belt that Mrs O wore for the Time 100 gala in New York. The fit, the cut and the sillhouette looked beautiful on her.
My favorite was the State Dinner Khan gown, although having something custom made (like the Toledo inauguration dress) involves a different thought process than taking something made for the masses and finding a special touch to make it your own interpretation.
Mrs. T - I agree with 4 of your 5 choices, and with why you believed they deserved to be chosen for your list. I was never a fan of the Alaia dress she wore to the American Ballet event, though I tcompletely agree that Alaia is definitely a designer who needs to be on this list. He's brilliant. I'd have chosen the black, v-neck with the full skirt that she wore to the NATO summit dinner. If forced to choose, that dress (so far) would get my all time best award.
I always liked the violet Jason Wu dress with the embroidered flowers, but it was not until I had your book in hand and saw the close-up of the handwork that I truly appreciated it. It's a masterpiece.
The Peter Soronen worn at the National Govenors Association Dinner is my all time favourite.It is so sensual yet chic. It hugs all of her curves.
This was one of her first"coming out" outfits and she nailed it.
I'm forever a Peter Soronen fan......so (Hint Hint) when there is a Peter Soronen give away I'm first in line.
I will own a few of his evening gown(well maybe 2).
My favourite was the emerald, V-neck dress by Kai Milla. She wore this House event for Stevie Wonder. I loved the colour of the dress. She looked wonderful!
Mrs. T,
Love your choices. I just got home and it's late, but I have to
put in my 2 cents worth. OK, I'll have to do some research,
also look through My Mrs. O's book, before I make a final decision.
My very FIRST knockout, drop dead gorgeous dress
is #2, Peter Soronen's Twilight Dress with Tom Bins bib necklace.
Mrs. O so elegant in this dress, fit for a princess and demonstrates her
great choices in fashion for the right occasion. My #2 for now,
State Dinner dress, Naeem Khan's design. Perfect dress made for Mrs. O.
She looked like a goddess. Perfect colour & fit, emphasized her beautiful
shoulders and arms. Another favourite, her recent purple dress,
designer Peter Soronen. Did you all see the back?, unbelievable detailed work.
I'm not sure if this is the dress with the fabric braided at the back.
Love greyish evening gown at the Noble Peace Prize Award
Ceremony. Love the earings with that dress, absolutely fabulous. Detailed
jacket very outstanding as well.
One of my favorite outfits was the gold tone dress FLOTUS wore in Denmark.
OFF TOPIC: I just read an article by Michelle's #1 Hater Robin GIvhan in WAPO!! She has SERIOUS issues with the first lady. It is not good that Robin started off a new decade with the same cattyness(sp) she had last year for the first lady. Anybody know what Robin's deal is? She NEVER has anything nice to say about FLOTUS!
The Peter Soronen is, by far, the standout of all these looks! From the fit of the dress to the accessories, the first lady looks absolutely fabulous!
My top looks are:
#5. Peter Soronen @ Kennedy Honors
#4. Peter Soronen @ Governor's Ball
#3. Sophie Theallet in Ghana
#2. Rodarte in Copenhagen
#1. Naeem Khan @ State Dinner
Honorable mention: Thakoon in Pittsburgh/G20, Basso & Brooke @ poetry reading, Jason Wu on cover of Prevention, Lanvin in Oslo, Michael Kors/Peter Soronen in New York, and Isabel Toledo @ Inauguration.
I agree with you, operafanatic. Like you, I wasn't fond of the Alaia dress that she wore to the ballet in NY but the Alaia dress that she wore to the Nato dinner in April just blew me away. I loved that look on her. She looked incredibly feminine, her hair and HIGH (not kitten) heels made her look simply divine. I also liked the purple Jason Wu dress but it's only after I got my copy of Mrs O and was able to scutinise the detail, that I truly fell in love with it.
Personally the Khan dress that she wore to the state dinner was so heart stoppingly gorgeous that it does not deserve to be in a category but should stand alone as the First Lady's most defining fashion moment.
Mrs T, I'd add the Junya Watanabe argyle cardigan (first seen in London) to the list.
It was such a jolt of fun and gave us a pretty good indication of the road ahead.
AND THE WINNER GOES TO...
1. State Dinner dress by Naeem Khan - She dazzled in this and left my jaw on the floor...
2. National Governors Association Dinner, dress by Peter Soronen - Exquisite necklace by Tom Binns
3. NATO Dinner, black sleeveless dress with ruffled skirt by Azzedine Alaia - Very sexy, flirty & chic
4. "Face off" in France to meet Carla Bruni, fuchsia dress by Thakoon - Made you want to swoon...
5. Orange gold Rodarte dress in Copenhagen - Almost like a fairytale
Mrs.O has truly changed the way we look at fashion, and I truly belive it is a reflection of the woman & girl in all of us. I am soooo looking forward to experiencing more of her and more eye opening, jaw dropping ensembles.
Top 5? Oh. My. God. I found it hard enough to pick TEN. But, off the top of my head:
1. Dress for Time "100 Most Influential People" dinner, with corset belt.
2. Naeem Khan dress.
3. Sparkly cardigan and mint skirt for outing with Sarah Brown in London.
4. Lemongrass Inauguration suit.
5. It's a tie between the dress with a scarlet cummerbund, the LBD and cropped cardigan in Hungary, the full skirted Alaia (same trip), the outfit for the White house sports day (the hula hooping day), the grey folded shift dress, the plum velvet for Oprah, the red shift dress coming home from Russia, that chartreuse skirt in Italy, the dusty beige pleated chiffon dress, the olive pleated satin shirt recently.... you can see my problem.
Where, oh where is the white dress from the Inauguration balls? That dress took my breath away and set s precedent for all the amazing fashions to come from Mrs.O. I gave my mom the chartreuse Jcrew gloves for Christmas ;-)
My 5:
1. The Naeem Khan gown
2. The Jason Wu "kitchen" dress
3. Peter Sorenen Twilight gown
4. The back of the red corset gown!
5. NATO dinner black dress
I love so many more looks - and also love spending time leafing through my Mrs. O book!
Happy New Year to all!
Copenhagen Rodarte gold, definitely, with Peter Soronen a runner up. What I really like about the Rodarte dress is how it flatters her high waist and long legs. It's a touch risky for an "older woman" to wear a short puffy dress so I hope Mrs. O will choose more of this silouette while she is young enough to carry it off as brilliantly as she did in Copenhagen. And, oh, the trio of brooches on the Rodarte dress...loved them.
I LOVE ALL OF MRS O DRESS AND PANTS AND BRUCHES EVEAN HER HAIR ALL OF HER STYLES SHE WEAR LOOKED GREAT ON HER EVEAN WHEN SHE WEAR THEM BEFORE BUT HER LAST PICTURES SHE HAD DINNER WITH HER HUSBAND AND HIS SISTER AND BROTHER -IN LAW IN HAWII NO BODY WAS TO CRAZY ABOUT HER FLOWER DRESS BUT I LOVE IT BUT HER OPEN TOE SHOES WAS UGGLY AND SHE COULD WEAR A BETTER SHOE WITH THE DRESS LIKE FLAT CLOSED SHOES OR SANDLES. HER CLURCH WAS NICE SHE CARRYING IT BEFORE WHEN SHE HAD DINNDER WITH MR O IN DC AND OTHER PLACE.I CAN WEITE TO SEE WHAT SHE IS GOING TO WEAR ON HER WAY BACK HOME IN THE COLD. LOL I KNOW SHE WILL BE WEARRING A COAT AND BOOTS AND GLOVES AND SCARF. AM LOOKING TO SEE WHAT SHE IS GOING TO WEAR THIS YEAR THE NEXT YEAR AND THE NEXT YEAR UNTIL HER HUSBAND IS DONE BEING THE PRESIDENT. LOL HAPPY NEW YEAR.
@mia monte
Ms. Givhan is competing with the lady at the NY Times. Let it be.
My top five...really six:
1. Isabel Toledo Inauguration Ensemble
2. Isabel Toledo brown plaid dress for Grand Opening of Ford Theatre
3. Peter Soronen Twilight Dress with Tom Binns necklace
4. Narciso Rodriguez We Are One Concert Ensemble
5. Peter Soronen Kennedy Center Honor gown with Tom Binns necklace
6. Last, but not least....Azzedine Alaia Nobel Prize gown and jacket
"Mrs. O looked unlike any first lady had looked before in her sequined Peter Soronen corset gown, accessorized with ropes of crystals and pearls by Tom Binns"
You obviously haven`t seen Laura Bush in her fabulous jewels and gown overseas during her husbands term. Michelle is not unique in the glamour department.
I'm surprised you didn't include the Khan gown for the State Dinner : It was the most amazing outfit this year, just absolutely stunning.
It's so hard to pick. I love all of the dresses that you've all named as well. Perhaps 5 isn't enough!
@ Mia Monte, are you referring Robin Givhan's best and worst fashion moments of the year? I honestly thought it was very balanced. She attributed several of the best fashion moments to the year to Mrs. O (the Naeem Khan gown, the Isabel Toledo lemongrass suit, and a mention for J.Crew which is implicitly tied to Mrs. O), and named the shorts as a "worst". While I don't agree with the latter point, that's been her position all along and she's being consistent. Is that the article you meant?
@ hermster, I have seen Laura Bush's gowns, thank you. My point was that Mrs. O paired a classic gown with a very edgy necklace by Tom Binns, a favorite among fashion insiders, which created a very new brand of glamour.
Oh, I think that the State Dinner dress has to be in the top two or three. It was stunningly made, gorgeous on Michelle, and extremely appropriate. And the emerald, V-neck dress by Kai Milla was gorgeous and flattering. I agree with the choice of the Rodarte in the top five, but I'd put all of the gowns by Peter Soronen in the top ten, with the Time dinner dress in the top three.
Ms. T-
No, it is an article published last night. She talked about how the First Lady did not do enough in 2009, but she was one of the MAIN people talking about how she was doing too much. She pulled out Michelle's approval ratings and how they have changed from month to month. I don't understand why she is using approval ratings, while other First Ladies were not polled like Michelle.
It's very difficult to choose just five! I do love all the one's Mrs. T has chosen. But.....
1. My number one pick has to be the ruffled Azzedine Alaïa dress Mrs. Obama wore to the NATO dinner in Baden-Baden. Her total look was one of sheer beauty and elegance and sexiness all rolled into one. You could tell she felt really terrific that evening.
2. That stunning, stunning lavender Soronen gown worn at the Kennedy Center Honors.
3. She really rocked the Rodarte orange gold dress in Copenhagen.
4. I love the playful sweetness and gorgeous texture of the Isabel Toledo worn at the grand reopening celebration of Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.
http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/04/michelle_obama_slideshow.html#photo=209#ixzz0bTGTQUiI
5. I love the tailoring of the Moschino dress worn At the presentation of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award.
http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/04/michelle_obama_slideshow.html#photo=30#ixzz0bTAgasWB
And I have to say that I love all the casual elegance of the blouse by Basso & Brooke as well as all her J. Crew outfits. Oh, and that blue dress she wore on Colbert. Oh my gosh, too many great looks to mention. And although not from 2009, I think the most stunning look ever was the luscious blue dress and coat in those Paris Match photos.
SO looking forward to 2010 here at Mrs. O!
Mrs. T, I saw an article by Robin that's dated 01-03-10, tomorrow (?) that's titled "The State of her address: To appear less wooden...." It really is rather snarky!
Robin is very snarky! Okay she does not like how FLOTUS dress, that is fine, but she sometimes goes over board with her "articles." This is why I believe she has some SERIOUS issues with the FIRST LADY. Many of her articles are just ugly.
Ahh, got it. Reading now...
The fact that you were able to narrow it down is a feat !! I feel like my little boy trying to pick toys : " I can't decide, I can't decide !".
Though I must say, that I particularly enjoy the "everyday" outfits she wears. So much goes into couture that I think that makes it a bit easier. But looking beautiful, graceful, and appropriate for every day is something that all woman struggle with...dare I say. That is where she is truly inspirational, aspirationa, and relatable l to me. I will never be at a Nobel ceremony or at a White House State dinner. But I am in the yard with my kids and visiting their school and volunteering, etc.
So I guess that my favorite looks were the ones where she was planting the WH garden and how great she looked doing it ! ( I upgraded my rubber boots after that ! )
I swear when I grow up I want to be Mrs. Obama! LOL! She is incredible. I am glad I went Obama/Biden.
Mrs. T does a great job choosing her Mrs.O favorites. I put the Governor's Ball grey dress #1 just
because it is a perfect fit and sooo glamorous.
I give Laura Bush good marks for the way she dressed for formal events given that she was older than Michelle and while
she was also fit, she doesn't have the height to pull off the glamourous gowns. Her daytime looks were very boring but her evening gowns were very nice.
@ hermster
I liked Laura Bush too, she is a beautiful woman who fulfilled her role as First Lady excellently. Why don't you start a site in her honor, I would love to contribute, on her unique site. This one is for Michelle Obama where those of us who like her can discuss what we like or respectfully dislike about what she is wearing.
Ok, like most people here 5 is impossible! But here are some of my all time favs!
1. Peter Soronen @ Governors Ball
2. Peter Soronen @ Kennedy Centre Honors
3. Micheal Kors gown w/ Peter Soronen corset belt with that fabolous necklace @ Time's 100
4. Azzedine Alaia "Beautiful Black Semi Boof dress"@ Germany?
5. a-Isabel Toledo @ Inauguration
5. b- Green Jason Wu @ WH holiday Party
5. c-all the Jewelly by Tom Binns
My favorites are the Alaia NATO dinner dress (so perfect; modern and yet it reminds me of Dior's NEW LOOK style!) and the dress/jacket she wore to the Nobel dinner in Oslo--gorgeous with the jacket! Those 2 dresses really got me into wearing dresses again; and I also loved her spaghetti-strapped black "date" dress she wore during the summer--perhaps it was Alaia too? I think Alaia is her best designer--I didn't like the fit of the Inauguration lemongrass suit or the Jason Wu gown--they looked too much like somthing Pat Nixon would've worn--but wow, she has recently blown me away! Her Narciso R. camel-and-black outfit was another favorite; I'd have rather seen her in this than the lemongrass ensemble, which was hard to accessorie--I just didn't like the color of the gloves and shoes--but she was stunning in the Narciso with the rhinestone earrings and accents! Very modern! THen when she added the boots in December on the Oslo trip--perfect! She is still young enough to pull off that look. Work it while you can, Michelle! You are gorgeous recently--lovelier than ever and really wearing modern cuts that still reflect beautiful designs of yesteryear I still think she would be PERFECT in Karl Lagerfeld's CHANEL fashions--both the suits and the gowns--she could modernize them with her J.Crew necklace to tone them down and make them accessible to all of her fans !!! Thanks for this incredible website--I visit it every day now !!!
@ Mia Monte can you post the link to the article - can't seem to find it. Thanks
Ooh, one thing I forgot to mention. I was in Saks this week, browsing on the second floor where everything was out of my price range but the fashion fantasy abounded... AND I noticed in the Alaia section that they had the dress Mrs. O wore for the Oprah special and several pieces that clearly channeled the Oslo ensemble (shorter versions of the gown with beading and ruching, as well as sweater jackets with ruffled detailing). Worth a peek if anyone's in NYC.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/31/AR2009123103000.html?hpid=sec-artsliving
First lady Michelle Obama has lacked focus in her advocacy in her first year
By Robin Givhan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 3, 2010
On a late Friday morning in October, first lady Michelle Obama hosted a reception in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden at the White House in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It was, in many ways, like so many other workday affairs -- most of them born out of tradition -- over which she has presided during her first year in the White House. It was organized by the Office of Public Engagement along with the White House Social Office. It was highly orchestrated, tightly scripted and mostly uneventful, and for a significant portion of the proceedings Obama stood behind a lectern.
______________________
At first I thought I was reading too much into the article, but others have said that Robin have said that the article is weird too. Maybe I am reading too much into the article, but some of the comments about the article on WAPO is how I felt when I read the article twice.
@ Mia thanks - I'm clenching my teeth while reading
It's a few days old, but Muzikal over at Daily Kos has a wonderful Mrs. O retrospective
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/31/112926/65
I also have to mention the blue jacket for the dinner and dance at the Nobel awards. I didn't care for the dress, but the jacket was a work of art. My mother and I both have a lot of sewing experience and we stared in wonder at that jacket trying to figure out the construction. For a winter, formal event, that jacket was perfect, and Mrs. O looked perfect with the way the collar framed her face.
I think that people like Robin try to be contrary and controversial mainly for webhits. A controversial headling increases their webhits, which means more money. So therefore Robin works hard to pull @#$% out of the air to increase her webhits. Goal for 2010 stop reading online and use library databases for news articles.
I was planning to post something on the chat side about the Robin Givhan article. I'm going to be a contrarian -- I'm a huge Michelle fan, and I think the article was pretty fair. Opinionated, but not a hit job or anything like that. But I'll explain more in another post because it's not really a fashion article.
I think your #2 choice is best for out and out glamour. Her wide belts are my second choice.
I have to agree with Christina re Robin Givhan's review of Mrs. O's first year. Though the article contains criticisms, I don't think they're unfair, but offer some good advice for Mrs. O & her staff.
I've been reading RG for years and am a big fan of her writing. She does have a snarky sense of humor, but maybe I'm just used to it. I think she really likes Mrs. O and wishes her the best.
I loved her Governors Ball outfit, but especially the Inauguration Day lemongrass outfit - so beautiful, so sunny on a cold winter morning. What I remember most was their walk down Pennsylvania Ave: Michelle NEVER let go of Obama's hand. She'd wave with one hand, then drop down that hand, clasp her husband's hand and then wave with the other one, and then back again. It was probably a pretty scary morning, with the full realization of what Obama and Michelle were walking towards: an inauguration ceremony to become POTUS and FLOTUS. Their girls were just magnificent!
The Gold dress worn in Copenhagen was my favorite dress. It was magical and regal. I call it the Princess Dress. I love Michelle Obama's unique and modern style, it is so appropriate for her position as FLOTUS.
@Charlene in Detroit...I'm glad to see I'm not the only person who liked the brown Isabel Toledo dress. I loved the cut and thought the color was beautiful.
I think Ms. Givhan hides behind her so called bluntness. Her articles border on the "crabs in a barrel" syndrome in my opinion. I'm beginning to wonder if she begrudges the personal and professional life of Mrs. Obama who happens to be about her age and thinks it should have been her or someone she feels more deserving.
@MRS. HJS
Many have suggested that Robin Givhan is jealous of the First Lady's lifestyle. A MAJORITY of her articles are VERY catty. She is always acting like she is competing with Desiree and Michelle. Someone posted on another website about all the things Michelle has done for nutrition in ONE year, but I guess Robin does not care about that, the one has issues. Furthermore, I will never forget Robin's nasty attitude during shorts gate on te Today Show.
http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/04/michelle_obama_slideshow.html#photo=218
can someone please tell me where i can see the front of this dress? it looks gorgeous, but i've seen very few pictures of it.
thanks!