Odds and Ends

There are a few odds and ends to report, which I hope will fall into the category of better late than never. Forgive me for being a bit behind!

Many will recall that Mrs. O wore a delightful blue dress while in Santiago, Chile this March. Shown below, the President and First Lady (wearing said dress) are pictured with Chile's President Sebastian Pinera and First Lady Cecilia Morel at the La Moneda government palace. Mrs. O's dress had remained a mystery for many months, but no longer. The dress proves to be another vintage gem -- a circa 1950s Blue Ribbon Lace Dress from New York Vintage. The same vintage dealer provided Mrs. O with a vintage Norman Norell dress worn in December 2010, here, as well as bracelets worn for the State of the Union. Case closed!

Photos by Aliosha Marquez / AP Images

Several of you have written to me or commented about Mrs. O's cover of the current Amtrak Arrive magazine. The issue includes a great piece penned by Mrs. O about "Let's Move", as well as a profile on Stone Barns, which the First Lady visited with UN Summit spouses last year, here. The magazine is a great read if you happen to have an upcoming train ride. You can also find it online, here. On a style note, Mrs. O wears a Calvin Klein Collection dress. The photo appears to be from the same photo shoot that yielded the cover of Ladies' Home Journal in September 2010, here.

Finally, another bit of belated but happy news. I want to extend thanks to Veranda magazine, which has written a wonderful piece about this blog and its start for their June 2011 issue (on newsstands now). It's an honor to be recognized by the magazine, and I'm truly grateful. The story is available in print only, otherwise I would share it here. Thanks to all of you for continuing to follow and contribute to this blog, which is truly the only reason such an article exists. And, of course, to Mrs. Obama, for being the ultimate source of inspiration, always.

Passion and Pearls

Credit: AP Photo

The First Lady spoke at the National League of Cities conference in Washington, D.C. today, elaborating on the economic implications of childhood obesity in a push for her "Let's Move" initiative.

For the appearance, Mrs. O wore a carmine viscose jersey dress from Calvin Klein Collection, Pre-Spring 2010, accented by a pearl and crystal necklace. Lovely!

"Remarks By The First Lady At National League of Cities Conference." [White House]

A Christmas Message

Above the President and First Lady deliver a Christmas message in a rare joint video appearance. Mrs. O wears a Calvin Klein Collection cowl neck dress last seen on the cover of Ladies' Home Journal, here, paired with Kara Ross NY earrings. Great to see Mrs. O getting such mileage out of her fancier frocks! Hope the First Family is have a restful holiday and very Merry Christmas ... and the same to you!

Honoring Youth Arts

Top image by J. Scott Applewhite / AP Photos; Bottom image by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images

The first lady held a White House event today to honor recipients of the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards. Robin Givhan of the Washington Post has a write-up of the event, here.

For the occasion, Mrs. O wore a carmine viscose jersey dress from Calvin Klein Collection, Pre-Spring 2010. We last saw this dress when Mrs. O welcomed the president and first lady of Mexico in May, here.

Today the dress received a punch of pink, accesorized with salmon pink heels and another gorgeous necklace. Mrs. O is certainly on a hot streak with the statement necklace!

Update: Thanks to reader 'shellecm' who reports that the first lady's necklace is Ranjana Khan (also wife of designer Naeem Khan!). Indeed, the necklace appears to originate from the jewelry designer's Spring 2010 collection, profiled in W, here.

Mrs. O Covers Ladies' Home Journal

Cover courtesy Ladies' Home Journal

First Lady Mrs. O is on the cover of the September 2010 issue of Ladies' Home Journal, wearing her own steely blue, cowl neck Calvin Klein Collection dress paired with swept back hair and gold hoop earrings.

In the interview, here, the first lady discusses the inspiration behind her Let's Move! initiative, her personal approach to healthy eating and exercise, as well as her anti-"beet gene". The article closes with insight into how Mrs. O handles the pressure of her position -- apropos given the last week of headlines.

Sally Lee, LHJ Editor in chief: I recently interviewed former First Lady Laura Bush and she talked about how when she left the White House, she felt physically lighter, that her burden had been lifted. Are the pressures involved in being First Lady something you're cognizant of?

Mrs. O: I think it's a self-protective mechanism not to think about it. If you were to ever stop and think about this stuff, you could be debilitated. Instead, if you approach each day new and fresh, with every experience as something to take in, the time flies. . . . It'll be two years [in the White House] before you know it. I can imagine that when it's time to step back and reflect, it will feel like a huge relief. But in this moment I'm just trying to get stuff done. I'm focused on trying to move this initiative forward.

Hope everyone has a delightful weekend!