Michelle Obama is Vanity Fair's "Best Dressed"

Sorry Sarah Jessica Parker. Move over Angelina Jolie.

The winner of Vanity Fair's 2008 International Best Dressed List isn't a Hollywood hottie, it's possible future First Lady Michelle Obama.

In a just-released slide show of the winners, the magazine's editors praised Barack Obama's wife's sleek style, calling her "our commander-in-sheath."

It's not the first time Obama has been lauded for her fashion sense, but writer Amy Fine Collins says that her spot on the top of a list usually dominated by Hollywood celebrities is unprecedented.

"It's an election year so it’s very interesting that a lot of political figures have surfaced on this list," she said. "Politics are on people's minds as much as fashion."

Also on the list: Fellow political wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, James Bond actor Daniel Craig and British soccer star David Beckham.

Elizabeth Snead has a full analysis of the winners -- and the losers -- over at our Dish Rag blog.

-- Kate Linthicum

Comments

[Bob]

This is another example of Media Bias. McCain's twilight zone beer and prozak woman would clearly be the better choice.

[Jaime]

I really do appreciate you voting Michele Obama as one of the best dressed women. But best dressed to me is an entire package. Which includes hair. Michele needs to go to a better stylist to touch up her roots especially the back of her neck. Michele soon as you arrive in DC, I will get a great stylist to hook your kitchen up!

[Really]

No matter what clothes Michelle Obama wear, they will not change her inside. I have heard the dislike and anger she has for america and I dont' think she will change. This first lady want to be, and Barack Obama, attended a church filled with hate and racism for 20 years, taking their two young daughters along. This is very poor judgment. After 20 years with their pastor leading this congregation in hate and anti- american speech, surely the Obamas must share many of the same un-american views. Michelle's clothes are not impressive, I see the real person inside the clothes.

[Bill]

It is not about Michelle Obama's look but her mindset that haunts her and will affect all Americans. Do read this article:

Michelle Obama’s Black Separatist Background: What Does It Mean for All Americans?

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.735/pub_detail.asp

[Lea]

This is disgusting Vanity Fair is just sucking up to the Obama's. Why wasn't she chosen before. talk about being obvious. I hope Obama fall flat on his face.

[Schratboy]

Really, the sycophantic sucking up to Barry isn't enough so now they have to start inflating the Barry Obama Media phenomena's petulant wife? Paaaauuuuuleeeeezeeeeee

[Tammy]

I think is regal and she is well put together. I think this is a stretch. But I don't appreciate the comments about the media 'sucking up' When McCain was getting all the Media attention before IOWA no one said anything. Give it up.

[Eric Robinson]

Man!! It is some jelious haters out there. That woman is not anti America, She's just a black woman who have lived in a white country. Black people are Americans also, and not African Americans. You all are so dumb and the ones who are not dumb are shadow. You can just feel the prejudice in these people. McCain is the most lickley one to fall on his face. Hey I fight fire with fire, The Obamas don't.

[Eric Robinson]

Man I can't believe how shallow people can be. I can't believe people are that stupid to believe all that mess. I guess they have to give themselves a reason to hate Obama. My God bless those haters.

[Eric Robinson]

It may mean something to yall jelious heads but to us Americans it means that it's about time. We had prejudice whites in the White House for years, and we struggled through and survived, now you have a man who don't even entertain Black or white and you all are starting to cry all ready. What think it may turn into a more even and fair playing field?

[Eric Robinson]

They just voted her best drest and yall haters are takeing this to an extream. I think she dresses very well. Yall need to just stop hateing.

[hj]

Wow...female impersonators everywhere will be proud.

[dave]

'but the empress has no clothes...'

it is insanity to vote for anything but
to see your interests protected against abuse of power,
and to see constitutional principles represented in government and politics.
if this is about whether people 'like what they see' rather than about
whether they see what reasonably to like, and what to dislike - if they're blind to this, the people have already lost, no matter who they vote for.
it does not make sense to vote for someone to 'win', and for you to lose your country.
it does not make sense to vote for someone to 'win', and for you to lose your freedom.
it does not make sense to vote for someone to 'win', and for you to lose your soul.

[lalahb]

Amazing. Michelle Obama wears Gap and $150 off-the-rack dresses to interviews, while Cindy McCain says that she prefers her $3000+ Escada and Carolina Herrera suits. Is Cindy anywhere on the list? The McCains must be seething with envy, upstaged two weeks in a row.

Well, this gives the Repugs just another shot at the Obamas. They'll figure out how to twist this, too.

[Son of Christian Dior]

What about that Barney outfit she wore just a few weeks ago at one of Barack's huge meetings ? Was this
choice by Vanity fair just another affirmative thing ?I reserve my judgement untill she shows herself in her
bathing suit.

[Alley]

Awesome ,Awesome Woman!! Always have been admiring her style.
And as for a woman and a mother,she is at the very top of my own list of people I do have great admiration for.
Michelle..No matter what they say and no matter what they do..YOU ALREADY KNOW WHO YOU ARE and Where You ARE Heading HONEY!!
Remain Black and Strong and show LOve for everyone...because that is really Who U r and should always be!!
Continue to us Black women Proud of you..allow America to be Proud of you too..so they forget their own ignorance and move on..because NO ONE of us is Perfected as Yet.

God is Blessings you all so well and is taking you to newer levels by his own hand.
Obama is such a really blessed man to have you by his side!:)
No matter what they say,they cannot pull a Great man or his woman down...once God is with them.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

YOU LOOK GREAT FROM TOP TO BOTTOM AND ON THE INSIDE YOU OZZE So much Grace!
Stay beautiful always and true to yourself and others.
Much Love all the way from ITALY!!

[Listen]

Michelle Obama, stay whatever you like, but also, stay out of the white house.

[DeniseOV]

Censors here must be asleep at the wheel. Some of the language used is reprehensible.
But I guess that racists and haters got graduate degrees in KKK’ology.
It’s wonderful to see an intelligent woman like Michelle Obama, who is a great mom, wife, working woman who also exhibits style that is affordable. She doesn’t need $10,000 designer dresses to make the list. I also think she’s a great role model for young women who are tall. She carries herself well, without stooping over or hunching her shoulders. As a school teacher, I have some female students who are uncomfortable about their height, and I like to point to Michelle.

[dave]

it is sad to see people say they have a job that makes it their responsibility and greatest priority to support and guide the young to grow up to be self-reliant, independent thinking people, capable of making responsible choices and decisions in matters of far reaching consequences - but show by their statements that they loathe and seek to destroy the very civil liberties and values guaranteed by the constitution, that it is their noble duty to protect. it is sad to see them abuse their vocation, to instill confusion and corruption into young minds, and dedicate themselves to their ruin. many young people however - having no degrees in censorship and mind control - are more alert and wiser than those that would attempt to misguide them, and have no desire to ever lose their freedom, and their integrity.
and they're not concerned with hunching shoulders or vain idol worship, while their country is on fire, and their future being sold.

[SascSam]

Michelle Obama is Regal and Classic. she has been compared by the media to Jacqeuline Kennedy.......Need I say more!

[Rob]

Comparing her to Kackie Jennedy is a joke. I was never a fan of Jackie's. She always had an affectation of being somehow "european". Plus it is well-known that she ran up huge clothing bills and bought clothes, wore them and brought them back. Plus after Jack was assassinated she married Arisotle Onassis for his money and then when he died found another sugar daddy in Maurice Templleman. So I 'm no Jackie lover. But to say that Michelle is in any way "elegant" is wishing thinking and just plain delusioinal. She looks and acts like an angry mannish looking woman who feels she is "entitled" to something. Her comment that "for the first time" she was proud of America still sticks in my craw. Does she really think she would have gotten into Princeton and Harvard if she weren't Black? Why wasn't she proud that American allowed her to be the beneficiary of racial preferences in her admission to those schools? Her husband taught at U of Chicago for 11 years and never wrote a single scholarly article. Unheard of at a school that requires all faculty to write articles. He didn't but was offered TENURE!! Why wasn't she proud of her husband's preferential treatment? Because she is an angry black woman for whom nothing is enough. Elegant, however, she is not!

[jeanie]

Glamour shots do to wonders for us all. then after the Ball we go back to be just plain old us again.

Michele Obama is way too jealous and angry to be a role model for even her own children without some seriious therapy

If Princton and Harvard taught her english she, surely they did not pass her, no State School would have

[jeanie]

Glamour shots do to wonders for us all. then after the Ball we go back to be just plain old us again.

Michele Obama is way too jealous and angry to be a role model for even her own children without some seriious therapy

If Princton and Harvard taught her english she, surely they did not pass her, no State School would have

[Linda]

Michelle says don't vote for someone just because they're cute. Maybe she needs to say, "Don't vote for someone just because he's BLACK!"

[Frank]

I read all these comments and all I can do is shake my head. If you really want to get into a debate about whether race is still an issue in this presidential election read some of the comments on this site. Does it surprise you that Michelle Obama, or any black person for that matter, does expose blind patriotism as easily as others.
I mean discrimination used to be written into the constitution, the document that is the foundation for our laws, for Christ sake. (Anyone heard of the 3/5ths compromise) We have had presidents in our not to distant history that have had racist beliefs. President Nixon for example was even caught on tape stating some of these beliefs, but he was still elected president. What are people afraid of; that if Barrack Obama gets elected he will enslave the white race? Or maybe that he will show a little more favoritism to blacks then whites? Cause god only knows that white people are the only people capable of being fair and impartial when in a position of authority. As for Michelle Obama's success, she achieved that in spite of racism, not because it doesn't exist. And if you think that isn’t true, I want all of you this think about the last time you've been at work and heard somebody make a racist joke when they thought on one who cared was listening. I bet you wouldn't have to think that long. And as far as quotas go, everyone seems to bring up African Americans whenever they talk about affirmative action when in all actuality is has been white women who have benefited the most from it.

[s.g. rhoads]

The president's lady has serious problem in fashion from what I have seen in the media. She needs a serious make over.

Sleeveless is not vogue for a First LADY!

[Gail]

My, My, My. Please people get some help you guys are sick. Look at it for what it is you guys have problems with the first family because of there race. You can justify it any way you want, its sad.

[Mary]

Again, I don't get it. Her sense of style is Midwestern and dowdy and Vanity Fair knows it. Her name just sells magazines, that's all.