Politics of style: Obama cocktail dress

As you may have heard, many women want a piece of First Lady Michelle Obama's wardrobe. Now Pitzer College alum Nancy Judd has found a way to create feminine looks from the street style of the Obamas' pre-White House days --  territory that was largely unmined until now.

"[The Obama cocktail dress is] a slinky, body-hugging number crafted from the president's campaign posters," reports Suzanne Muchnic in The Times' Culture Monster blog. "As the 'fabric' winds around the body, from above the knee to below the armpits, white letters form a crisp graphic pattern on a black background and the name 'Obama' pops up over and over."

So does a built-in "recycle and reuse" theme that would resonate with our 44th commander in chief.  Muchnic says "the eye-popping dress" is a product of Judd's Recycle Runway company "that aims to transform waste into a valuable resource."

This ensemble, as well as other trash-to-treasure looks, is part of a one-day exhibition Saturday at Pitzer's Nichols Gallery in Claremont. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

-- Whitney Friedlander

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Photo: Nancy Judd modeling the "Obama cocktail dress." Credit: Pitzer College