First Lady Mrs. O is again hosting G20 spouses at the Pittsburgh Summit today. For this morning's group photo, Mrs. O chose a dress by Zero + Maria Cornejo, cinched at the waist with a Sacai belt.
The dress features Maria Cornejo's signature Shapes print in silk charmeuse fabric, in hues of amethyst, charcoal and cream. The print is inspired by the three basic shapes that Maria Cornejo's designs are derived from – the circle, square and triangle.
Click here to see the dress in a different cut. More to follow.
As the week comes to a close, we thought we'd highlight a few of our favorite stories from the past few days. #1 Mrs. O has been named to Time magazine's list of the Most Influential People in the World. Under the "Heroes and Icons" category, Mrs. O is tributed by another O, Oprah Winfrey. Oprah succinctly sums up the most perfect observations about Mrs. O. The full piece is worth a read, but one of our favorite passages follows:
The woman I witnessed five years ago, with her graciousness, care and attention to detail, is the same woman I visited in the White House in February. Her very presence makes you feel welcome. Her political power is secondary to her heart power, and I salute her for that. I trust her. I know that whatever she gives her attention to, the truth will always be present. She doesn't make false moves.
#2 Not only is Mrs. O influential, she's officially beautiful. The First Lady was also named to People magazine's Most Beautiful People of 2009 issue. #3 In doing research for our work-in-progress Mrs. O book, we came across this photo, which we believe was taken in 2007. Mrs. O was backstage with The Second City comedians after a performance of Between Barack and a Hard Place in Chicago. What really caught our eye, we have to admit, is Mrs. O's dress. While we've seen Mrs. O in tailored jackets by Maria Cornejo, this is the first we've seen Mrs. O in a dress from her line - the Ita dress. We would love to see this dress make a White House encore! #4 Speaking of Maria Cornejo, she is one of several of designers lobbying for much deserved copyright protection. Click here for a NYMag article on the effort. #5 A bit of intel by way of Chicago, thanks to Mrs. C, Marcia Coburn. Several of you have inquired about Mrs. O's black windbreaker, worn when Bo made his debut on the White House lawn. Mrs. C visited Ikram this week and reports that the jacket is Sonia Rykiel. Finally we'll leave you with a video from last night's Larry King Live, which featured Robin Givhan and Andre Leon Talley talking about Mrs. O's influence. Have a great weekend everyone!
Photo Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque As we wrote yesterday, Mrs. O is hosting a series of events today in celebration of Women's History Month. Mrs. O welcomed a star-studded cast of guests to the Diplomatic Room at the White House this afternoon, as the group prepares to visit with students in the Washington, D.C. area. The First Lady looks particularly chic today, wearing a Zero + Maria Cornejo jacket in Evening Raffia, paired with slim black pants and a new floral brooch. (The jacket, which Mrs. O also owns in a blue wool, has been worn before, featured here.) "This was one of my dreams," the First Lady shared in her remarks. "I couldn't have imagined this a year ago. But as we started moving towards this trajectory and it became increasingly clear that Barack Obama might be the next President of the United States and as I started thinking about the kinds of things I wanted to see happen, this day was one of those things. Gathering an amazing group of women together and going out, and talking to young girls around the country. This is part of that dream." See the full remarks below: Update: As part of the day's events, Mrs. O visited with a group of junior and senior high school students at Anacostia High School in Washington, D.C. Students asked the First Lady a series of questions, covering everything from her background to her make-up.
“There’s no magic to being here,’’ Mrs. Obama said. “What I want you to know is that my parents were working class people. I had a mother, for example, parents, who told me, ‘You don’t worry about what anybody else says about you. You don’t worry about that teacher who you think is not treating you fairly or what your friends are saying.' All that matters is where you are and where you want to be.’’
Photo credit: Pete Souza / The White House First Lady Mrs. O made a public appearance at the White House this afternoon as President Mr. O signed an Executive Order creating the White House Council on Women and Girls. The council will "ensure there is always an eye kept on how every government agency is addressing the challenges confronted by women of all ages." The President spoke of Mrs. O in his remarks before signing the Executive Order, sharing:
"I've seen Michelle, the rock of the Obama family, juggling work and parenting with more skill and grace than anybody that I know. But I also saw how it tore at her at times, how sometimes when she was with the girls she was worrying about work, and when she was at work she was worrying about the girls. It's a feeling that I share every day."
Mrs. O looked stunning in monochromatic purple, wearing a Zero + Maria Cornejo jacket over a purple dress with a purple satin bow pinned at the center of the neckline. The bow added girlish charm to the ensemble, a nice balance to the refined, womanly lines of the suit. We must say, we are delighted to see the bow back in the mix. It's a signature Mrs. O accessory that we haven't seen for several months, notably last worn for the More magazine cover in October and the first Presidential debate. Black patent leather kitten heels completed the ensemble. Photo credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Later in the day, Mrs. O joined Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the State Department to honor recipients of the Award for International Women of Courage. The award recognizes the courage and leadership of women leaders in their struggle for human rights and justice. Additional images from the event, including Mrs. O with Secretary of State Clinton and the award recipients, can be seen here and here. Update: Watch a video from the State Department event after the jump.
While we wait for Mrs. O to venture out in Washington this week, we thought we'd bide time by highlighting a few more Fall 2009 collections from the First Lady's favorite designers.
#1 Thakoon Thakoon Panichgul was the first young Mrs. O designer to win our sartorial heart. Throughout 2008, Mrs. O wore a number of pieces by the designer: notably, the floral frocks for the final night of the DNC and the first Presidential Debate, plus a mix of cardigans, blouses and jackets for less broadcast moments. So what did the designer have in store for Fall 2009? Thakoon brought his usual femme aesthetic, this season delivered with a bit of disco ball edge. The built-in black bow on the emerald green silk dress (Look 23) and the short, ruffled, raspberry number (Look 33) were instant favorites. The aforementioned disco ball influence came in the form of an exciting and sparkly jacket and dress (Looks 31 and 32).
#2 Narciso Rodriguez Within seeing the first several looks of Narciso Rodriguez's Fall 2009 collection - filled with familiar, khaki colored, divinely tailored wool coats - the link to Mrs. O's ensemble from the We Are One concert was immediately evident. (Though the cut of Mrs. O's coat most closely mirrored that of the yellow wool jacket in Look 11). While we struggle to imagine Mrs. O in haute camouflage, styles such as the lavender halter dress (Look 22), could be easily modified to suit the First Lady. We were also fond of the metallic leather coat with an exposed zip and epaulettes topping its square shoulders.
#3 Zero + Maria Cornejo We are loving all things Zero + Maria Cornejo lately. (New Yorkers take note: After a decade on Mott Street, Maria Cornejo has moved uptown, albeit just a few blocks, to a new space on Bleecker St. between Lafayette and Bowery). While very unlikely to turn up in Mrs. O's closet, we were instantly charmed by the digital cat prints that ran throughout several looks in the collection from Zero + Maria Cornejo. We were even more delighted to learn that said cat is in fact the designer's own, Grey. From Style.com:
Fittingly, Fall was designed for a "strong but positive" woman, Cornejo said. The feel-good inspirations behind the collection (her cat, Grace Jones, and drives upstate) may have sounded like a bit of an odd mix, but there was nothing discordant about the image that hit the runway: a lean and elegant urban warrior look, not a defiant one, but a sophisticated and pragmatic tough cookie who needs the protection of a sleek, luxe cocoon.
We've leave you with a nice little behind-the-scenes video from New York Magazine, filmed with Thakoon Panichgul in December. The designer comments on dressing First Lady Mrs. O and gives us a sneak peek at his new annex line, Thakoon Addition.
Friday, September 25, 2009 at 2:04 PM 
