Serving on the 100th Day

Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

First Lady Mrs. O and Dr. Jill Biden joined 160 Congressional spouses and children to volunteer at the Capital Area Food Bank today. Mrs. O and Dr. B are pictured with Lynn Brantley, Executive Director of the Capitol Area Food Bank and Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America. Mrs. O wears J.Crew's Featherweight cashmere argyle cardigan in silver olive salt, paired with cropped gray pants and Lanvin's cap toe sneakers. Click here to see another fantastic image from today's event (thank you American-n-Rome!) P.S. We do love Dr. B's cropped white pants and silver flats!

Thanks to Janelle, who informs us the latter are Tory Burch's ‘Reva’ ballerina flats.

Mrs. O Digs In (Updated)

Photo by Martin H. Simon-Pool/Getty Images

This afternoon First Lady Mrs. O helped to plant a tree as part of a service project at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C. The event was organized by the Student Conservation Association, an Americorp organization. The group's leader explained that the Student Conservation Association has been planting trees in the area for 5 years, and a has a relationship with the park that extends back a decade. The trees were planted to help protect the nearby Anacostia River.

As the group got to work, Mrs. O removed her navy nylon jacket, revealing a navy blouse with green ruffle front, a navy bow and navy chiffon trim. "I just want to point out that these good looking arms come in handy," President Mr. O commented. Watch a CSPAN video of the event here.

Update: Brilliant work Mrs. Oers! The top is in fact Lanvin. We've spotted a similar style here.

Today President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act that intends to more than triple the number of AmeriCorp volunteers to 250,000 over the next five years.

Lanvin Lovelies

Photo used with kind permission from Stephanie Himel-Nelson of LightHearted Photography

We tend to focus on Mrs. O's sartorial pursuits, not because we don't love shoes, rather, it's just more difficult to find a good shoe shot. We were thrilled to come across this beauty and thought it deserved a feature. The photograph was taken August 6, 2008 at a roundtable event with military spouses in Norfolk, VA.

Paired with black leggings, Mrs. O wears a pair of black patent leather, square toe ballet flats from Lanvin. The tapered square toe seems to take inspiration from traditional ballet pointe shoes. And though difficult to gauge from this image, we believe this pair may also have a subtle wedge at the heel. Favored by celebrities like Kate Bosworth and Katie Holmes, Lanvin flats are coveted for their comfort and of-the-moment colors and textures. And at more than $500 per pair, they are a definite investment shoe.

Of note, this pair does not appear to be from the current season, which means Mrs. O has likely re-worn them from year to year. We were able to track down a similar pair at one of our old haunts, The Closet, a fantastic consignment shop on Newbury St. in Boston. If you're ever in Boston, it's absolutely worth a pop in: 175 Newbury Street between Dartmouth and Exeter Streets.

Photo from The Closet Boston