Michelle Obama's inauguration wardrobe reviewed

Just as President Barack Obama turned the page on American history Tuesday in Washington, First Lady Michelle Obama is turning the page on American design. The lemon-grass wool lace ensemble she chose for the swearing-in ceremony wasn’t designed by one of the aging custodians of the 7th Avenue Establishment Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan or Calvin Klein. It was by Isabel Toledo, a Cuban American whom nobody knows but everyone should.

By wearing clothes by up-and-coming designers such as Narciso Rodriguez, Thakoon Panichgul, Maria Pinto, Maria Cornejo and Toledo, Obama is helping to promote a new generation of talent, and write the next chapter in American fashion.

Toledo, who sells at Barneys New York, has been designing under her own name for 20 years in New York, and was briefly the creative director for Anne Klein. (Bet they wish they'd hung onto her now!) She is married to fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo. “She’s never been about making clothes to make herself famous,” says Rosemary Brantley, founding chairwoman of the Fashion Department at L.A.’s Otis School of Art and Design, where Toledo has been teaching since the 1990s. “She’s about flattering the figure and she’s curvaceous herself. Everything she does is thoughtful. She would never bang out a dress with a normal side seam. One of her things is rethinking construction.”

With its retro “Mad Men” silhouette and trendy yellow hue, the dress and coat proved that Obama can strike a balance between being conservative and taking risks. She looks better wearing one color, rather than breaking up her tall frame as she did on election night with the black-and-red Rodriguez dress.

Some might think that the inauguration ensemble was a tad dressy with its beaded collar. But Obama likes to dress up, and she’s determined to play her part in promoting fashion as fantasy. She may also have raised a few eyebrows with the borrowed $17,000 Loree Rodkin diamond chandelier drop earrings she wore to the “We Are One” concert over the weekend. After all, Nancy Reagan was skewered for borrowing clothes from Bill Blass, James Galanos and others. But that was before the red carpet became the runway, and lending became a key form of advertising for designers.

Besides, Obama knows how to do the high-low thing, too. She wore J. Crew for the Kid’s Inaugural Ball on Monday night. And just hours after the inauguration, the e-mails were already flooding in from Dress Barn, Bluefly and other  retailers about how to get the look for less.

Because fashion is a business and Michelle Obama means business.

-- Booth Moore

Related:

Photos: First ladies' inauguration gowns

Should Michelle Obama borrow clothes and jewels like a celeb? Nancy Reagan couldn't.

Michelle Obama chose Jimmy Choo’s green 'Glacier' pump for Inauguration Day ensemble

Michelle Obama Chooses Jason Wu for Inaugural Balls

Aretha Franklin's inaugural hat trick
 

Photo: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama escort former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, to a helicopter at the U.S. Capitol after Obama's inauguration. Credit: Tannen Maury / Bloomberg News

Comments

[michelle smith]

It looks like Linda Blair threw up all over Michelle's dress. Yuk.

[Denise]

Not a great choice for her, IMO. The color and cut screamed frumpy.

[erishkegal]

I thought she would have worn a suit..maybe like the eggplant like color to match President Ombama's scarf. Plus it could have been a little warmer for her. I really did not like that green get up she had.

[bob]

michelle is a walmart mom, just like sarah palin. Can't get past that fact.

[Sheryl]

This is a great day! Everyone was beautiful and full of hope.

[Lady Voter]

Some say frumpy. But remember, the temperature was and still is below freezing. She had to wear something thick and bulky to stay warm. The fact that she showed ANY leg or neck at all was sacrifice.

[linnie]

I thought and still think

Michelle looked ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL today.
She looked warm, comfortable, graceful, youthful, stylish, and elegant. All on a freezing cold day with the eyes of the world upon her.

I don't understand what satisfaction there is in trying to disparage such an amazing woman.

[Elizabeth]

She looks elegant, and the gold must relect the warmth that she must be feeling in her heart today.

[elizabeth brooks]

Tackiest dress ever worn to an historic event she seems like a nice lady, just a nice lady with no taste.

[Mrs. B.]

Ok. Dress isn't that great. She'll get better with time . They are regular people with more important things in mind than fashion. I'm sure she doesn't sit around reading Vogue and In-Style.

[Ritchenya]

I can't believe you all are looking at the same outfit I did. I loved her choice! I thought she looked beautiful. I thought the outfit was beautifully tailored, and got more interesting the more you watched her move. It truly was a very special dress for a very special day and I thought Michele looked absolutely lovely in that color. One of my favorite outfits of hers so far.

[Alexis]

One of the very few ways in which race really makes a difference is what colors of clothing you look good in.

Michelle Obama looked *good* in that dress, although no white or pale-skinned woman would have.

It's still impressive, though, to see the amount of attention that is paid to women's clothing rather than to their acts and deeds. If we were inaugurating Hillary Clinton today, would we be talking about Bill's suits?

[because]

I think even though she must have been wearing a bullet proof vest under all of the clothes she still looked beautiful.

[Sabi]

She walks like a man and the dress was just too screamng loud for the occasion - Look at Mrs Bush - pure class....
All has to do with taste........

[Patricia]

She looked like she was going to a wedding! Totally inappropriate for the wife of the most powerful man in the free world. Hope she get better style advice as time goes on.

[Ms. T]

I was hoping she would wear a more brilliant color, say blue, like Malia. Her coloring is so wonderful for vibrant colors like this. I like her and usually like what she wears. Oh well. This is just the beginning, right?

[liberal]

Michelle Smith: You can't help but remind me of a scene in Hairspray, where Edna just bought the beautiful red dress and the scheming Velma said "Well, you'll stop traffic!"

[Mr. S]

I thought the outfit looked great on her and was totally appropriate for the occasion. Good look, good colors, nice shoes and gloves.

It was a little windy for her chosen hairstyle though.

[Bernie]

I thought Michelle looked beautiful and poised as usual, but the jacket and dress did give her a slight appearance of pregnancy?

[Tamara]

I saw those curtains at Goodwill last week.