Former First Lady, Michelle Obama

In celebration of my fourth blogaversary, I salute former First Lady Michelle Obama. Today, I serenade Mrs. O because she represented style and substance.

Former First Lady. Michelle Obama

 

I know I’m not the only one who couldn’t keep their eyes off Michelle when she exploded on the scene in 2007. That was when Barack Obama, then just a junior Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for President of the United States.

 

Let’s Look Back at Michelle Obama’s Style:
I recall that historic day in 2008 when Michelle strolled down Pennsylvania Avenue amidst the pomp and circumstance with her husband, the newly elected President of the United States.  Who could forget the fabulous Isabel Toledo lemongrass lace ensemble?

Former President Obama and former first lady, 2008 Inauguration Day, Michelle wearing Isabel Toledo ensemble and J. Crew green leather gloves.

And those coordinating J. Crew green gloves and Jimmy Choo heels! The power of the First Lady’s endorsement of wearing J. Crew drove many of us, myself included, to shop at J. Crew. I remember JCrew.com crashed when we all learned that’s where we could buy the grass-green leather gloves she was wearing. I became a die-hard J. Crew aficionado.

A study found that her early patronage of J. Crew and Target was worth an average of $14 million to each company.

I have a copy of Mrs. O by Mary Tomer, the founder and contributor behind the Mrs.-O.org blog.

To keep up with FLOTUS early on, I followed the first blog dedicated to Michelle’s style, Mrs-O.org.  Michelle wasn’t just another first lady but a Princeton graduate with a law degree from Harvard who hailed from a working-class family in Chicago, Illinois.

Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy chose fashion Oleg Cassini as her go-to stylist, Nancy Reagan, John Galanos, Laura Bush, Oscar del la Renta but Michelle brought exposure to many different fashion designers.

5 Designers Michelle Obama put on the global spotlight among the many others not mentioned here:
1. Jason Wu, a Taiwanese-born designer
2.  Tracy Reese, an African American Fashion designer
3.  Thakoon Panichgul, aThai-American designer
4.  Sophie Theallet, a New York-based French designer
5.  Brandon Maxwell, an American designer from East Texas

Michelle Obama was wearing Jason Wu at the 2009 (left) and 2013 inaugural balls.
Michelle at the 2012 Democratic National Convention wearing Tracy Reese.
. In May 2015, Michelle Obama was at the opening of the new Whitney Museum in New York City, wearing Thakoon.
Michelle Obama on April 24, 2014, “Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day”, wearing a Sophie Theallet cardigan and a leather and chiffon skirt.
Michelle Obama in the October 2016 InStyle magazine wearing Brandon Maxwell.

Let’s take a look back at the dresses she wore to State Dinners at the White House:

 

And all the times she wasn’t afraid to wear prints:

Pinterest collage of Michelle sporting prints.

Or pantsuits:

Pinterest photos are sharing Michelle Obama wearing pantsuits.

Michelle’s love of belts:

The Pinterest montage shows Michelle’s love of belts.

And the sheath dress:

Michelle Obama loves sheath dresses.. Pinterest photo.
My Vogue VIP December 2016 issue with Michelle Obama on the cover.

Michelle first appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine in March 2009, with a photo spread, and again in the December 2016 issue.  Every First Lady since Lou Hoover (except Bess Truman) has been in Vogue, but only Hillary Clinton had previously appeared on the cover before Michelle.

The first official portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama.
One of the first stunning photos of Michelle Obama.
. Michelle Obama wore a custom-made $12,000 gown to her last State Dinner. Note: Michelle gave Barak the side-eye when he heard how much the dress cost.
Michelle sits on the White House stairs with Bo and Sunny for one last walk.  Michelle is wearing a Milly blouse.
On January 20, 2017, Michelle and Obama were waiting to welcome President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump.

And more importantly, Michelle had style and substance.

Below are some of her core messages and platforms she championed as First Lady:

She supported the troops, creating awareness for our veterans, military families, their wives, and children.

The First Lady was visiting our troops in Qatar in 2005.

The Obamas planted a vegetable garden on the South Lawn of the White House on March 20, 2009, to encourage Americans to increase healthy food choices.

Michelle Obama is setting a powerful example to promote a national conversation about the joys of gardening and the importance of fresh food.

Michelle inspired Americans to move to raise a healthier generation of children.

In this 2010 photo, Michelle Obama is encouraging youth to exercise to reduce the staggering statistic of child obesity.

Michelle launched Let Girls Learn in March 2015 to help teens attain a quality education and enable them to reach their full potential.

Let Girls Learn initiative.

I admire how Michelle changed the socially acceptable paradigm with her bare legs and toned bare arms.  She was not afraid to share her life; she has mastered all social media platforms and is a renaissance woman.  Did you see her on The Late Late Show when she did carpool karaoke with James Corden?

Michelle Obama mastered social media; here is a photo from The Verge of her surrounded by cell phones.

Michelle isn’t just a trendsetter but a wife and, as a mother, an excellent example of keeping her daughters out of the spotlight. She will leave a lasting legacy that we will remember forever.

The Obama Family.

Thank you, Michelle. God bless you, Barack, Malia, Sasha, Grandma Robinson, Bo, and Sunny.

Have a fabulous and stylish week.