Wednesday
Jun152011
Easy Breezy
Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 8:17 PM 
Photo by Toby Jorrin / PRNewsFoto
The First Lady had two events today, first building a playground at Imagine Southeast Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., and then hosting the Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House. Between events, Mrs. O changed from casual attire to a black and white chevron stripe dress paired with red flats.
Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Images
Update: Wow, you are all quite fast! It does appear that the First Lady wears the Shoreline striped sash dress from Talbots, which unfortunately, is already sold out. A photo follows below.
tagged Talbots
Talbots
Reader Comments (55)
I am lovin' the stripe dress. Easy, breezy, nice silouette on her! Complete with her trademark pop of color with the red shoes. Lovely indeed
OMG, they look like young lovers out for a stroll. I love her dress and all the happiness they exude.
And Mrs. T, thanks for that twitpic of Mrs. O at the Claremont!! I love her outfit!!
Wearable. Elegance.
This dress is from Talbots style B30195 currently on sale for $105.74.
I just tried to order this from Talbot;s online. The Shoreline Stripe sash Dress is no longer available online, but it may be in the stores. The dress comes with a navy poplin sash.
Hi Everyone,
It feels good to be back on the blog. Oh how I missed thee. Mrs. O looks lovely as always I love the second picture. Hi Mrs. T how have you been?
I believe this dress is Talbots!
The dress is Talbots!!!!!!
O so loving, tender and sweet.
very chic!!! Of course, we will all love the red shoes!
I really don't like that yellow cardigan. It's just looks so tight on her. I wish she never wear it again. Nice dress by the way.
very chic!!! Of course, we will all love the red shoes!
luv luv this dress..i do believe this is the Talbots Shoreline stripe sash dress ..i was tempted to buy this dress at reg price $189.00 a couple of months ago..wish i had now..,it looks wonderful and perfect for a picnic on Mrs Obama..the color is actually Nantucket navy..It's sold out online..i just knew it wld be..
Love that dress and I love that she makes it look as if it is an expensive dress. Black/navy and white is always in style and so crisp with the addition of red shoes. Thanks for the great pic.
This is a great dress and is very flattering to Mrs. O's figure. The red shoes look wonderful with it, too. How I wish she had worn this outfit or another while taping the TV show yesterday. Her red pants are fine, but the top looks like a test pattern.
Love the Talbots dress on her . . . so simple and understated but, with the red shoes acting as her signature pop of color, very chic!
I like the dress very much. Ironic that Mrs. O is wearing it without a belt. It works much better that way.
Great summer dress! The tucked under bob appears to be the summer up do. Nice.
The outfit in the first picture is perfect for "building-a-playground!"
The striped sundress is fantastic! Too bad it's sold out online.
Easy Breezy is right, Mrs. T! What a wonderful dress for a day out. They really look so comfortable, vibrant and young. The red shoes are a smash.
@Nic John, too tight, really? I see buffed arms, so maybe it seems to fit tight. But she was able to mix cement, swing on the swing, and help build a playground, all in one day.
More than what I've done all week. So if she loves her yellow cardigan, so do I.
Both outfits are quite appropriate for the occasion :)
Love the dress, just kind of miss the navy poplin sash.
Stunning! I love this on her.
At first glance her shoes with the dress appear red. But I saw other pics on some sites and the shoes actually look orange? Could be my computer...?
I love the dress and shoes! Unfortunately, I probably will never be able to purchase the dress for myself. Meta< you are correct they do look like lovers out for a stroll. I love the fact that in most pictures they are holding hands. It means the romance has not died after almost 20yrs of togetherness. We all should be so blessed!
I like that she went sans belt. Always throwing out a little surprise!
I love the way the dress is fitting Mrs. O more than I do the way it looks on the model. POTUS and FLOTUS are looking good, as usual. Wonder what they served for the picnic?
I'll bet BSewingLady could find this or a similar fabric and make a variation of this dress for herself, if she's so inclined (as she mentioned having done for the Tracy Feith classic).
Flotus rocks! I logged in to say the very same thing.
The dress looks so much better on Mrs. O, a real sized woman, than it does on the kinda bony model. But then, most models don't represent the size of most American women. And I know Mrs. O loves belts, but I'm glad that she chose not to include the black ribbon belt. The two of them just look so cool.
Simple elegance, personified.
Talbots is in significant financial disarray. Glad to see the FLOTUS promoting them. Wish I had purchased this dress when I had the chance! I did buy a jacket which they also sold which had the same stripes. Works better without the sash. Perfect picnic attire!!
Greetings Mrs O readers..there is hope finding this dress..I located the dress at our local Talbots on sale for less than $100.00 bucks so glad i waited..this is a wonderfully made garment..navy blue and white stripes..i must say it fits really well...so happy with my latest purchase from Talbots,,yey me !
@ Lael - I agree with you…I like the way she always puts her twist on an outfit.
The dress, the shoes, and the couple…cute, cute, cute!
Peace.
I think Mrs.O has much nicer shoulder than the model and the cut of the dress shows that very well. I am not sure if I agree with the missing belt but that may be because fine stripes bother my eyes and the belt helps breaking it.
This dress is available at the Bellevue Square store in Bellevue, Washington in both regular and petite. It is on sale for $105.
nic john is just nicpicking that is all he can do. Leave him alone, please.
They look wonderful together and that dress is fantastic.
What a beautful dress!!!
Great dress!!
I am in awe of this FLOTUS. Earlier in the day she was Bob The Builder, constructing a playground set. She took time to meet and play with volunteers, was swinging on the swingset, painting benches and as one of the teachers said, "just pitching in and doing whatever was needed". Then she changes clothes only to host a Congressional Picnic with some people in attendance who have said some of the most horriffic things about her and her husband. She does this with understanding, humility, style and grace. I am so thankful that this happened in my lifetime, it is quite refreshing to behold.
That's our Michelle!
PS: Ladies, don't despair about the dress. I called the Talbots near my house and was told that some stores still have this dress in stock. Check your local store.......HAPPY SHOPPING!!!
Here's a terrific video of Mrs. O talking about her upcoming trip to South Africa and Botswana!
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/06/16/follow-first-ladys-trip-africa
Our First Lady brings it -- a great retro-but-modern, down-to-earth statement dress.
Several years ago I read an interview with the actress Ellen Barkin. She was divorcing a billionaire and auctioning the jewelry he had given her. It sold for $20 million dollars. In the interview, she talked about the oo-la-la designer clothes she likes to wear, and she said, "If I ever start shopping at Talbots, shoot me." I was shocked at her snobbishness. When I was young and starting my career, I ASPIRED to shop at Talbots. Now whenever I see Mrs. Obama, the First Lady of the United States, in a Talbots dress, I am just thrilled. A big "sez you" to Ellen Barkin, and thank you again, Mrs. O., for showing the world that you don't have to be a multimillionaire to look like a million bucks. And thank you, Talbots, for making nice clothes that normal people can afford.
My goodness, Charlene (in Detroit), the remarks made about the Obamas are nothing when compared with those made about President and Mrs. George W. Bush.
Thanks for the shout-out, FlotusRocks! Here, here. You are sooo right. Mitering stripes is a lesson in itself but I'm sure I can do it. The dress looks like a 6- or 8- panel "A"-line style ... pretty easy to find. My recommendation to all of us is to find yourself a good, inexpensive dressmaker and put her to work! Even ready-to-wear needs alterations now and then. My only problem is I work full-time and my sewing is a home-based business (not just for myself). I can barely keep up! Back to Mrs. O: perfection personified! So on point!
I tried this dress on at Talbots a few weeks ago. The cut was great, but at 5'1", it was too much for my small frame. Wish I was taller like Mrs. O !
@BSewinglady you are so welcome here. I love fashion and pretty things and the First Lady wears a lot of outfits that I love. My Mom was a seamstress and made everything for us even underwear for my brothers and me but I was too cool to show any interest in learning besides a few repairs and darning things, out of necessity, because we had to make clothes last a long time. When my mother passed away I could not believe what I had to pay for clothes. I hope you can educate us in this blog from a technical standpoint as to why FLOTUS looks good in something or not, how it fits or not and why. I think you can add an air or civility to our sometimes contentious discussions about what we like or don't like rather than this looks good or not on HER. If you understand what I mean. Please stick around.
@Dressmaker, thanks for mentioning the importance of respecting people who work with their hands. However, as BSewingLady is also a sewer with a home-based business, I am certain she understands and has respect for dressmakers, artists, craftspeople and everyone who works with their hands. Suggesting to find an "inexpensive" dressmaker does not mean BSewingLady feels dressmakers should not be paid the full value of their work. Would finding a skilled dressmaker who does work for "reasonable prices" be a better way of phrasing this do you think? If dressmaking is a competitive line of work, are there a range of fees that different dressmakers have? I don't know much about this myself. Perhaps you and BSewingLady could educate us. I also appreciate the comments in your previous post regarding Talbots, @Dressmaker. Thanks for pointing out that Talbots "makes nice clothes that normal people can afford." We all love Mrs. O for her high-low approach to dressing herself with such style.
@BSewingLady, hope you don't mind my speaking up on this, as I am sure you can speak for yourself re @Dressmaker's comments. Also, I second @ladywatcher's shoutout.
@LBoyer, Why do you feel comparisons need to be made at all regarding which president or presidency has received the most insults? OTOH, since you brought this up, I would like to say I am appalled that a sitting member of Congress yelled out "You lie!" as President Obama was giving a State of the Union address. What unprecedented and shameful behavior. In contrast, I applaud President Obama and Mrs. Obama for the caring, compassion, dedication, grace and style with which they go about representing and working hard for our country.
The striped dress is VERY pretty on Mrs. O. It suits her perfectly.
Can't say the same for the yellow cardigan which is tight on the arms.
Love the dress , so cool with color shoes !! So pretty
When was born Sasha ,7 or 10 june 2001 ?
Thank's
I'm sitting here in expectant anticipation of seeing Mrs Obama and her girls in AFRICA !!! I can hardly wait to see what they will be wearing when they arrive. Little Sasha's t-shirt that she wore yesterday was too cute. I love love love the fact that Mrs Obama always makes sure that her girls look like girls.
The yellow cardigan: yes, I can see what some of you are saying when you observe its fit on Mrs. O, but actually I think it is absolutely fine. Am I right in thinking that Mrs. O wore the very same cardigan when photographed with Oprah for the cover of 'O' early in 2009? It looked fine throughout that shoot. I just think that sometimes it's difficult to make a whole judgement on a piece of clothing from a single still photo.
@ Sophie, Sasha was born on June 10th; Malia was born on July 4th.
looks like they just landed in Africa. Some pics http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005965/Michelle-Obama-arrives-Africa-family-tour.html