First Lady Looks: Michelle Obama’s wardrobe

When it came time for Vanity Fair Magazine to pick the world’s “best dressed,” Michelle Obama made the list (one of the pictures, left). They called her “the commander in sheath.’’ Sometimes likened to Jackie O. by fashion observers for her simple, elegant clothing choices, Obama’s wardrobe has been front and center for many months.
A distinguishing characteristic of the potential first lady’s style: She doesn’t mind showing off her curvaceous figure. She is not a size 0, and she flaunts it with panache.
She likes prints by designers such as Thakoon, or bold colored sheaths by Maria Pinto. She favors slim dresses in brilliant primary colors of blue, red, and green that fall to the knee. Fabric choices are cotton, silk, satin and knits. More often than not, Obama’s dresses are accented with a bow, flower or a brooch. Some examples from the past few weeks:
When her husband claimed the Democratic presidential nomination, Michelle Obama wore a Maria Pinto purple sheath (top, left). The dress, cinched with a black Azzedine Alaïa belt, was one of the reasons listed for her inclusion in Vanity Fair’s list this summer.
She wore another brilliant turquoise Maria Pinto sheath (top, right) while giving the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and that choice got some glowing fashion reviews. She dressed it up with a big starburst brooch at the V-neck.

On the final night of the convention, when husband Barack delivered his acceptance speech, she sported a Thakoon Panichgul (above, left) printed bubble-sleeve sheath accented with three glistening crystal flowers at the neckline.
Michelle Obama doesn’t shy away from prints. When she appeared on The View, she sported a black-and-white spaghetti-strap Donna Ricco print dress (above, right) from White House | Black Market that fell to the knee. Simple but bold, the dress became a summer hit for women wanting to look cool without showing too much skin.
COMING FRIDAY: Cindy McCain’s colorful couture wardrobe choices.
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