A White House Christmas

Hooray for the White House Flickr page, which has released new photos from various White House events held over the past month. Below we'll share our favorites, which include first looks at a few new Mrs. O frocks.

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

The president and first lady descend the grand staircase at the White House, to attend the "Christmas in Washington" event on December 13th.  For the occasion, Mrs. O chose a pleated jersey dress by Isabel Toledo ("very Marilyn Monroe" in the designer's words).

Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

On December 4th, the president and first lady met Edith Childs of Greenwood, S.C.. Ms. Childs coined the phrase, "Fired Up! Read To Go!" which became the chant of the Obama campaign. Mrs. O wore a Michael Kors Gold Silk Lurex suit jacket and matching pencil skirt for the event. To note, we've seen the first lady wear the same ensemble in bold yellow and metallic red for prior events.

 

Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

Above, Mrs. O greeted guests during a holiday reception on December 15th. The first lady wore an emerald green Jason Wu cocktail dress with layered fan detailing through the skirt. The dress is from the designer's Spring 2009 collection, seen here.

Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

We're treated to another look at Mrs. O's purple pleated chiffon Peter Soronen gown, paired with an edgy Tom Binns necklace.

Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

Above the president and first lady greet the Strings of Joy ensemble during a White House fete on December 14th. The first lady wore an ivory velvet sheath dress for the function.

Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy

We'll end with a look at the winter wonderland at the White House. The photo above was taken just yesterday. Happy Holidays everyone!

Worth the Wait

Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

"These performers are indeed the best. They are also living reminders of a simple truth: The arts are not somehow apart from our national life; the arts are at the heart of our national life." - President Mr. O, Kennedy Center Honors

This video has been an inspiring start to our day; we hope it's the same for you. It's also an opportunity to see a full-length view of the first lady's simply stunning Peter Soronen corset gown worn for the Kennedy Center Honors. The choice of dress, paired with a Tom Binns necklace, is a fantastic celebration of the arts in its own sartorial right.

Thank you!

Images by Jessica Rupnik / Bloomingdale's

Image by Miranda Kendrick / Mrs-O.org

Thank you to everyone who made it out to Bloomingdale's in New York City last Friday evening for the "Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy" book signing. It was an absolute pleasure to meet so many of you, including the fabulous OperaFanatic and Bevi, among others.

Peter Soronen was on hand to sign books, and to answer questions about the now famous red dress worn by the first lady. We had no idea Mrs. O would wear another of his stunning gowns just a few days later!

I would also like to thank everyone at Bloomingdale's who made this event possible, Peter Soronen for participating (and for my own gorgeous dress!), and Glaceau smartwater for providing ice cold water for our refreshment. I am grateful to everyone involved!

P.S. The Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum has posted a video of my Q&A with designer Maria Pinto from early November. You can have a peek here. (Please excuse my rather nervous, eyes-on-notecards introduction).

Pleated Perfection

Image by Mandel Ngan / Getty Images

Image by Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

First Lady Mrs. O looks stunning in a pleated, orchid purple chiffon gown at the Kennedy Center Honors this evening. More details on the gown and necklace to follow.

Update: Mrs. O wears a corset gown by Peter Soronen and necklace by Tom Binns from the designer's Mutiny of Splendor collection (thanks Torrance!).

Per the New York Times, the evening honored five artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Mel Brooks, Gracy Bumbry and Dave Brubeck. Tonight's gala performance followed a dinner hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday night and a reception earlier today at the White House. We are crossing our fingers that a full-length view will surface on the White House Flickr feed. We will also have a chance to watch the event when it airs on December 29 on CBS.

Front and Back of Peter Soronen gown:

Images via Peter Soronen Studio  Tom Binns necklace in detail:

Image via New York Magazine

A Black Belt in Corsetry

Image used with kind permission from Seedhouse / Peter Soronen

Last week, Mrs. O attended Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" gala in New York, wearing a Michael Kors gown and corset belt by Peter Soronen.

While photographs highlighted the delicate folds of the front of the corset belt, little was revealed about the back. We're delighted to feature both views of the exquisite belt here; and indeed, the back view is quite telling. Many of you will recall that the waist-cinching lace-up detail is similar to the striking red corset gown, also by Peter Soronen, worn by the First Lady for the Alfalfa Club dinner in February.

Corsetry is a trademark of Peter Soronen's designs. In late March, he told the The National of his inspiration: "When I was a kid, I liked the silver-screen films and the characters' costumes were inspirational to me, especially in films such as Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman, and also Gone with the Wind. I was fascinated with watching period films, and saw the level of care and craftsmanship of the costumes, and what the corsets worn did to the overall look. So, I just had to make one, and tried to get girlfriends to wear them. They loved the pieces and I began to alter the patterns to fit the modern woman."