Who designed Michelle Obama's dress for election night?

Such a historic night! Such an inspiring speech!

And -- sorry, but we have to say it -- such a disasterous dress.

The fashion community is almost speechless about our soon-to-be First Lady Michelle Obama's strange red and black dress.

Blame it on Narciso Rodriquez, a New York fashion designer, who made the bizarre dress that looked more like a Halloween costume than an election night frock.

It's from his spring '09 collection (check out the whole collection here) and is described as a red and black sleeveless sheath with a criss-crossed black satin cummerbund.

So that's what that thing is called? Good to know. Now we will avoid dresses with cummerbunds at all cost.

It was great for Michelle to support an American designer. She's been doing that a lot during the campaign, wearing J. Crew, Thakoon, Isabel Toledo and Maria Pinto.

But surely one look in a full-length mirror would have told her that this dress was not flattering.

However, it did match well with her daughters' red and black choices.

What did you think of Michelle's dress choice? Would you buy it?

Take a poll here:

Photo: Getty Images

Comments

[Good choice of husband not dress]

Michelle -- not your best choice. You look as though you may be pregnant. If so, congratulations! Your girls looked lovely!

[gt]

Reminiscent of a black widow spider...

[Jody]

I thought the dress was really fashion forward for a first lady outfit. This dress is cool and different. It looks electric.

Art does not always come to you, sometimes you have to go to the art.

Elizabeth Snead...who are you? And why is your mind so closed?

[bdabride]

I thought at first that she was wearing a red apron over a black sheath and I couldn't imagine why? Narcisco is a good designer but he stumbled with this one

[Suzanne]

My girlfriend and I both dialed the phone at the same time to call
each other and say "What is up with this??"
Such a hideous dress, on an
otherwise impeccably dressed family!!

[Kate]

MMMMM can you say Black Widow? Real poor taste. But hey, GO OBAMA!!

[Tabby]

what are you talking about? it's totally flattering to her figure, she looks great!
NO MORE EMACIATION please
she looks strong, fit and HOT

[Maria]

A Black Widow spider immediately came to mind, unfortunately. I don't understand her choice here. It was a red hour-glass set against a black bodice, ...on her tummy side. just like the spider. What was she thinking!

[Coastal Mum]

Terrible, poorly fitted dress. Her youngest daughter looked depressed in all-black. What was up with Jill Biden's lime green suit? These people need to get it together. I'm thrilled Obama is our president, though! What an historical night!
GOBAMA!

[Del]

I thought the dress was bold and beautiful! If Paris Hilton would have worn it, it would be selling like hot cakes.

[charlasu]

I thought it was a great dress ... she made the first lady frock funky. She's youthful and so was the dress! LOVED IT!

[charlasu]

I thought it was a great dress ... she made the first lady frock funky. She's youthful and so was the dress! LOVED IT!

[lisa]

Guess we can't have everything !. After such an exciting ,historic night, this was an an amusing sight, Too bad noone thought to view the dress as it looked on her on a platform.
Probably looked dazzling on the hanger.

[Lori Hall]

I thought it was terribly visually distracting and it looked very much like a black widow spider Halloween costume. It was too bright, bold and busy. She needed something classic or "simply elegant". It was the worst dress I have ever seen worn at an important historic event. I loved relishing in the moment nonetheless but hope Michelle gets some fashion help for the future inaugural events.

[jjnelson]

In the grand scheme of things, the dress is such a nano issue. But I think we wanted to see the historical evening culminate in a stunning package. Narciso REALLY let us down. The extra layer of ugly was an optical illusion created by the gradient lava, which added volume in places where Mrs. Obama didn't need any. Fashion forward, YES! But I think inappropriate for the occasion. So disappointing.

[judybrowni]

Don't think it was flattering -- but at least we know it couldn't cost $150,000!

(Or like Cindy's convention outfit: $300,000.)

[TLo Fan]

Initially I thought it was artful and different then realized the optical illusion that minimized her hips made her look as though she were pregnant with twins. A daring choice on a night that changed the world. O happy day!

[Esther]

I could not believe my eyes. Halloween costume fits the description. Her taste is only in her mouth.

[evvance]

From a curator in African Art:

When the Obama family stepped onto the stage as the next presidential family, they were all dressed in RED and BLACK. Strident colors, but not just for the cameras. This combination is a strategic message for those who know how color signals work.
First, RED was the color of the opposing party- the Republicans. In all the talk about red and black states, there was an underlying premise of division of the country into a black and white polarization. Obama stood against this, and in fact, combines two continents, and thus, did not wear any blue whatsoever.

Second, red and black are linked in African mythology to the agent of change. Esu is the Yoruba diety who wears red and black to signal his presence as the harbinger of fate, the announcer for things to come, and the one who wakes up people to provoke them to do new things. One famous story about him is about how he wore a hat that was red on one side and black on the other. He saw two friends who were so close, they always walked side by side and never disagreed. Esu inserted himself between them and the two friends started to argue about the color of his hat. His lesson: no two people should be so close that they can’t disagree. We all benefit from looking at things from different points of view.

Michelle got the whole group coordinated to speak with color.

[tomk]

I thought it was a beautiful dress, although not particularly flattering to Michelle Obama's figure. However, I really, really like the fact that Ms Obama does not seem to care TOO much about fashion — she seems deeper, less shallow than, for example, Cindy McCain and Sarah Palin — and for that I am truly grateful.

[paula]

I thought black widow spider when I saw the hideous dress. Makes me wonder what statement she's sending out now?

[flora68]

I love the Obamas. but I thought that black on red dress made her look like a black widow spider. Creepy! And she needs a bit of work on her stance too...

[hmmm]

true, the dress was not at all flattering. but I was more surprised to see the family dressed in such severe colors, at least until my African mom pointed out that red & black are traditional for mourning. it's possible that the color scheme was a response to Obama's grandmother's passing.

[no money down syndrome]

hopefully she will not be a real black
widow. i need to see more agents.

[Helen]

I thought it was a unique and FABULOUS dress on her (although on the skinny model who wore it on the runway it looked bloody awful) and more importantly, MUCH more importantly, I think Michelle is a fabulous human being who is a great model for women everywhere: brilliant, funny, REAL, committed, loving partner and parent AND beautiful. WOW!