Mrs. O at the Met (in Isaac!)

Photo by Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

Photo by Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

Mrs. O was in New York today, to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Metropolitan Museum of Art American Wing. She found good company in Mayor Michael Bloomberg, pictured on the left.

Per the AP:

"The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it," Mrs. O told the crowd. "Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation."

Update: First Lady Mrs. O wore Pre-Fall 2009 Isaac Mizrahi for the event! The dress and coat are purple silk wool. Click here to see the runway version of the ensemble. (Isaac's team was peeking at Mrs-O.org earlier. Click here to see. Whee!)

This evening Mrs. O will attend the American Ballet Opening Spring Gala at the Metropolitan Opera House. Stay tuned.

From Isaac Mizrahi's Studio

A few weeks ago our friends at Isaac Mizrahi shared a video of the designer's most recent round table chat. The topic of conversation? The First Lady's style of course. This group, led by the king of fashion democracy himself, touched on several insightful points often breezed over by mainstream media coverage. We were particularly impressed by the commentary from Kirsten Naiman, a stylist on Isaac's team. She describes Mrs. O as an "incredibly intelligent, strong businesswoman that is also quite clearly and evidently into fashion,"  continuing that Mrs. O brings "a marriage of intelligence and fashion-mindedness ... that will be a good thing for fashion." Isaac briefly comments on Mrs. O's physique, sharing with his usual spark and enthusiasm, "[Mrs. O] is very body loving. The lady has hips. And you don't see her try to mask them or treat them as a detriment. She works her hips, which is so fantastic." We love everything about Isaac Mizrahi and have to think Mrs. O does too. After all, they're both champions of high-low fashion. We wait with bated breath for Isaac's new collection for Liz Claiborne; early signs leave us with a great deal to be excited about. [flv:http://www.mrs-o.org/wp-content/uploads/webisode_2009_0120_rt_obamas.flv 480 360] For more video segments from Isaac Mizrahi & Co. click here.